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New or Apple Refurb?

T

TMR812

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I'm considering buying now, rather than continuing to frustrate myself with the wait. Can I buy with confidence from the Apple refurb store, or is the smart money on sticking with new.

Will I need to wipe/re-install the refurb when I get it, or will Apple have already done that.

Basically, it looks like I could save a small amount of money going with a refurb. Is this a good or bad idea?

Thanks,

TMR
 
You wont need to wipe the HD when you get it, although some people will tell you otherwise. You may want to do a custom install when you get it though, to only install the things you want and save some HD space, and then get the wiped HD too.

Refurbs are fine, same warranty as new. Some people don't like them, they think that if somebody else had a problem with it, they would too, but I have never had a problem with them, and I have bought quite a few.

The boxes are not as pretty, also. 😀
 
I've bought a few things from the refurb store and they've turned good as new. The biggest difference is the box it comes in.
 
If you need customization, New. Otherwise, Refurb.

New Macs dont put live up to the expectations. I had a new iBook G4, and i had to get it replaced in a month. With my refurb MBP, it hasnt given me any problems, most likely because any errors made in a new one had already broke, and were fixed to newer condition. But with the Mac Pros, im not so sure, because there are alot of RAM options and HD slots. Still, buying 3rd party is great.

Plus, refurbs sometimes come with a little extra something.
 
TMR812 said:
I'm considering buying now, rather than continuing to frustrate myself with the wait. Can I buy with confidence from the Apple refurb store, or is the smart money on sticking with new.

Will I need to wipe/re-install the refurb when I get it, or will Apple have already done that.

Basically, it looks like I could save a small amount of money going with a refurb. Is this a good or bad idea?

Thanks,

TMR
Click to expand...

I have bought many refurbished Apple computers.
I can not tell the difference between a refurbished Apple computer and a new one except for one thing...the box shows "Reconditioned" on it.
I've convinced my friends to buy refurbished and they can not tell the difference either.
The only thing I don't like about Apple's refurbished computers is you have to pay state tax if you buy it from the Apple Store.
There are a couple places that sell refurbished Apple computers where you do not have to pay state tax but for reason their refurbished stock has been almost none existent the past year.
I think the Apple Store is hoarding the refurbished computers.

TMR812 said:
And how will you know if November is the date?TMR
Click to expand...

Many of us believe that the next Mac Pro will have Harpertown processors.
Harpertown processors are due out in November.
It's just a guess but a fairly educated one.
 
Topper said:
Many of us believe that the next Mac Pro will have Harpertown processors.
Harpertown processors are due out in November.
It's just a guess but a fairly educated one.
Click to expand...

Our educated guesses don't seem to come true. Which sucks. I mean, the last chance Apple had I thought "Hmm, Clovertowns for everyone." Apple said, "nope."

I am in not caring mode. The day it comes out. I am ordering. I have no interest in buying the current one any longer. I have the money set aside waiting. So thats that.
 
TMR812 said:
I'm considering buying now, rather than continuing to frustrate myself with the wait. Can I buy with confidence from the Apple refurb store, or is the smart money on sticking with new.

Will I need to wipe/re-install the refurb when I get it, or will Apple have already done that.

Basically, it looks like I could save a small amount of money going with a refurb. Is this a good or bad idea?
Click to expand...

A refurbished Mac looks brand new and comes with the full one year warranty. As with everything in life, some people have bad luck and get a refurbished computer with problems, but then others get a new computer with problems. That's what warranty is for, Apple will sort it out.

There is a bit of lottery with refurbished Macs: There is always a chance that you get a higher spec than you paid for. When people return custom-built computers, Apple doesn't bother removing the extra features and doesn't bother advertising them separately, so you might get more RAM or a bigger harddisk.

Careful when checking prices: Apple advertises the refurbished price and the price when that computer was sold as new. You must instead compare with the price that computer would be worth today. Usually refurbished price = value of equivalent new computer minus 15 percent.
 
I bought new, but I was fortunately able to use the education discount. Had I not been able to use it, I would have purchased a refurb with no hesitation.
 
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