I'm going to be buying a new MacBook before college (after WWDC) and I've been looking at the apple refurbished store. I understand that everything is tested and fixed and that I don't get a fancy box, but are there any other risks I should worry about? I saw that I can get a refurb rMBP 13 for 1269, which is barely more money than the other MacBooks. It seems too good to be true. Are there any risks or things I should worry about when buying refurbished models? Otherwise I'd buy a new Air for nearly the same price (student discount + upgraded RAM).
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Refurb Risks?
- Thread starter MacZak
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Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.
Click the link in that quote for more details on the refurbishment process.
- Apple Certified Refurbished Products are available online from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold in local Apple stores
- Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
- Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
- Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
- Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
- Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
- A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
- A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
- The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
- If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.
No risks, other than getting a lemon, but just like their other computers, they will replace. It comes with one year AppleCare and the standard 14 day window to return. As long as you are on apple.com, there is no reason to worry. You might even get an unasked upgrade (i7 not i5 etc.)!
There have been a lot of threads on this topic and all are generally favorable for buying refubs.
I have a mid 2007 imac, an early 2009 white macbook, and a mid 2009 mac mini all purchased refurb and all still in daily use. All arrived in like new condition, and maybe were.
This post is being typed on the 2009 macbook. Enough said.
I have a mid 2007 imac, an early 2009 white macbook, and a mid 2009 mac mini all purchased refurb and all still in daily use. All arrived in like new condition, and maybe were.
This post is being typed on the 2009 macbook. Enough said.
My daughter's MacBook Pro (13 inch, used to be mine) is refurbished, it has already 3 years, no issues whatsoever, so do recommend them.
Refurbished products are new macs that have been returned during the return policy and the accessories are replaced and case is replaced if there is any damage. They are as good as new as most people return them due to wanting something else not due to a defect.
Agreed Absolutely with many of the above Posts.. and since I have had two (2) great Refurb MBPs, and know 5-6 others with the same experience, I can honestly add that you DO Risk Saving 15-18% typically!!
I think refurbs in some ways may be better than new Macs, especially if they were initially returned because they were not defective.
It's my understanding that refurbs are actually looked at by humans to make sure they are free from defects which are then fixed if present. Can't exactly say that about new Macs directly from China.
It's my understanding that refurbs are actually looked at by humans to make sure they are free from defects which are then fixed if present. Can't exactly say that about new Macs directly from China.
I highly recommend refurbished my mothers Apple iPad was refurbished. My Apple AirPort Extreme was refurbished too. High quality stuff and a full one year warranty with the option of Applecare too.
As others have stated, there's no more "risk" than buying new. You don't get a new box, but you get a product that's very gently or not used at all with the same benefits as a new product.
I picked up a 15" i7 back in January and have had zero problems with it, other than the user being stupid from time to time.
I picked up a 15" i7 back in January and have had zero problems with it, other than the user being stupid from time to time.
It usually takes around three months or more for them to show up, so August is probably too soon by a couple of months.
Apple has a procedure they follow on every product. They check everything, you'll be very happy.
writing this on my refurbed MBP that I've had since November.
Never ran into any problems, and the thing is as good as new aside from the few battery cycles it had on it when I got it.
Basically if there were issues, I know that they would be taken care of pretty quickly by Apple.
Never ran into any problems, and the thing is as good as new aside from the few battery cycles it had on it when I got it.
Basically if there were issues, I know that they would be taken care of pretty quickly by Apple.
It's probably a fairly safe argument to say that refurb's are even more reliable than a brand new unit, because a refurb will have gone through a much more thorough inspection than if it had been new, to ensure that any reported issues were fixed, and that no new ones were introduced during the repair procedure.
Given that, and the fact that they come with the same warranty that new ones come with, I'd say that buying a refurb is a pretty safe bet, unless you were really attached to their retail packaging.
Given that, and the fact that they come with the same warranty that new ones come with, I'd say that buying a refurb is a pretty safe bet, unless you were really attached to their retail packaging.
Refurb products are pretty great from apple, even the iPods. Right now I am wishing I had waited a little bit for some 4th Gen iPod touches to become cheap on the refurb, because those things really need the extra space, and it's nice to have the extra Hundred dollars to spend on other things. I have heard great things about the refurb though, and wouldn't hesitate.