MBA: refurb vs new

[miketheg]

I've never had a Mac, let alone a refurbished one. But after 2+ years of drooling over various friends' MBPs and now MBAs, I've decided to buy one for myself. Now I'm just debating what to get. I know that I want the 11-inch MBA. I can get the base model (64 gig HD, 2 gig RAM) for $949 with the education discount. I can get that for a hundred bucks cheaper refurbished, or get a better model for similar to that of a new base model. I've never bought a refurb, so I'm a bit wary of spending that much money on a used computer. What are your experiences with refurbished computers?

 

[GGJstudios]

Refurbs are a good deal.

Apple Certified Refurbished Products
MacRumors Guides: Apple Refurbished Store

If you want more information, here are just a few of many threads on this topic, found by searching the forum with MRoogle:

Would you buy a refurbished Mac from Apple
Refurbished MBP or New?
Refurbished vs New: your experiences, thoughts?
Macbook Pro Refurbished questions
has anyone ever had a bad refurbished MBP?
Refurbished MacBook pro
Open box or Refurbished MBP?
Refurbished buy...Good idea or not?
leaning towards imac, or a macbook, and should i buy new or refurbished
Refurbished MacBook Pro?
Considering refurbished MBP however...
macbook refurbished?
Refurbished???
Has anyone had any bad experiences with getting a Macbook Pro Refurbished from Apple?
New vs. Refurbished iMac
Do refurbished MBPs come with the new batteries?
Is refurbished MB a good buy?
How are refurbished products different?
has anyone bought a refurbished Macbook pro ?
Mac Pro refurbished - yes or no?terrified to go refurbished!

 

[Buck987]

get the $929 refurb...great deal on an awesome portable

 

[Tomorrow]

I can get the base model (64 gig HD, 2 gig RAM) for $949 with the education discount. I can get that for a hundred bucks cheaper refurbished, or get a better model for similar to that of a new base model. I've never bought a refurb, so I'm a bit wary of spending that much money on a used computer. What are your experiences with refurbished computers?

If you're happy with the specs on the refurb, buy it. You'll find no better deal.

If you're doing a BTO machine, go with the education discount.

Remember, refurbished machines ARE NEW. Some have been in the hands of other users, many have not; but they come from the same factory and pass the same tests as the "factory firsts." Anything with the machine that does not meet the "new" specification is reconditioned or replaced. The warranty is even the same.

 

[bluap84]

i was unsure about refurb macs too.
but i bought my iMac 27" refurbed from the apple store...and well i dont know why it was a refurb cant see any signs!

and i saved myself £280 - so yes def go for refurbed. I have a friend whos a pro photographer and hes never bought a brand new mac...if refurbs are good enough for him, theyre sure good enough for me

 

[Oldpinepoint]

I was in a cimiliar position as you about a week ago. I've never been a mac owner but i loved the MBP and iMac lines. Based on a lot of recommendations on this forum and my own research i pulled the trigger on 2010 base model 15" MBP. I received it Monday and I can tell you the thing looks brand new. I couldnt find a blemish on the machine. It works perfectly and so far I love it! If the refurbished can save you money and your arent super picky i would totally do it.

 

[gdeputy]

My advice (that I follow) is that if it's BRAND NEW and you can't find refurb and you have to have it, Buy New. I've done this with my Phones, iPad, Macbook Air. If you can get it Refurbished, DO IT. Did this with my iMac and other than the box it's the exact same as new. I know because I originally bought the base model 1699 iMac and returned it, for the same 1699 I got a Quad Core i5 (over a Dual Core i3) and a 5750 1GB Graphics Card (over a 5670 512 MB).

Well worth it IMHO.

 

[gri]

Bought my MBA (previous generation) last April as I didn't want to wait any longer for an updated MBA (which came 7 months later) but didn't want to spend the full amount as I knew I would update. Guess what, the update didn't satisfy my needs (better processor, not old technology like C2D and loss of the back lit key board) so I am still sticking with it. It is like buying new minus the fancy packaging. Warranty is the same as a new one, can purchase ACPP for the full time. Unless you need BTO or the absolutely latest model as soon as it is out I don't think there is a disadvantage

 

[iLucas]

refurbs definitely... cheaper, greater quality control checks with the only downside you dont get the shiny white box

I agree with this.

If you aren't to concerned with having the original box, a refurb is a good way to go.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

To the OP, refurb is an excellent deal, for you get a machine that has been individually tested and tried, is as new, and comes with the full Mac warranty.

Cheers

 

[john1620b]

I'm actually surprised I haven't seen any mention in these threads about people with *bad* experiences with refurbished machines. I'm considering getting one myself, after reading all this praise.

Does anyone have anything negative to say about refurb machines? Any experience with ones that have failed? What about poorer battery life for laptops?

 

[ceiph]

got my refurb 11 inch 1.4 4 64gb macbook air this week or the 929 one. it is flawless you cant tell from the outside that it is anything less than new and when i received it the battery only had 3 cycles on it so even that was new save the money and go refurb

 

[BigRedOne]

The iMac I am using right now is a refurbished (no problems, purchased 2009) and my next one will be a refurbished. There are some threads of people getting a bad refurbished computer, be it lap top or desk top. So it does happen, however, there are a lot more threads from people with problems on their brand new computers. The scary part is, that makes sense to me.

I would recommend refurbished if it satisfies your requirements.

 

[powerslave12r]

Can someone please point me to a link (or reply here) about benchmarks of refurb vs new?

I ask because last year I bought a Dell outlet latitude and due to some issues I had it replaced with a brand new one. I had the opportunity to benchmark both of them through and through and it turned out the new one significantly outperformed the refurb.

Now I understand, Apple is not Dell, but I would appreciate it greatly if someone could point me to some refurb vs new benchmarks. Apologies if it's already mentioned in one of the links in the mega post above, I just can't go through all of those.

Thanks.

 

[Patrick946]

Can someone please point me to a link (or reply here) about benchmarks of refurb vs new?

There are no benchmarks because they are exactly the same computer. If there are any differences, it would be on a single computer and impossible to reproduce in benchmarks in a meaningful way.

 

[Buck987]

There are no benchmarks because they are exactly the same computer. If there are any differences, it would be on a single computer and impossible to reproduce in benchmarks in a meaningful way.

Agree. Not relevant with apple refurbs

 

[bsolomonny]

Got about 30% OFF the original price on my 2010 15inch i5 macbook pro. So far i love it. It had 2 battery cycles on it when i got it. Seems apple sometimes offer additional discounts on some refurb models. Not sure why.

 

[Jayrcee]

Go with a refurb. They are like new.