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Refurbs?

The refurbs are the best way to save the most on your purchase, but if you qualify for education discount the savings are not that impressive.

You don't get both discounts, but education discount will also save you on any software and accessories.
 
I haven't had any trouble with refurbs (my iPod was definitely a different one than I sent in for a warranty battery replacement). Saving a few bucks is a good thing, that's for sure. i don't know about the Ed. discount though, but a quick phone call to Apple sales will answer that for you very quickly. When you find out, please post because I'm interested in the answer myself.
 
1. They are machines checked twice to make sure they work. I'd say yes depending on the deal. You cannot return them for a full refund though.
2. Edu discount does not work with refurbs.
 
I have a refurb iMac and a couple of refurb iPods and will purchase another refurb Nano soon. Not one single problem.

The only discount that I know that stack with refurbs is employee or employee friends n family.
 
are refurbs actually worth it? i mean, it's a piece of equipment that went wrong and fixed, but is it worth it compared to gettting it brand new?
 
Worth it!

Refurbs rock! I swear by the refurb product and I will NEVER buy a product from apple any other way.
The ONLY difference is the box and it aint about the box.
Save money and enjoy a great machine.
I am currently awaiting my refurb MB Pro!!!! :)
 
i don't know about anybody else, but if i was to shell out that much $ i'd go for a brand new one under the student discount... to me, spending that much money only to get a used computer isn't worth the savings
 
My first experience of a refurb wasnt so good, faulty trackpad. My local service centre has a 14 day backlog and I didnt feel like sending it back to Apple to get fixed so have returned it for a refund. Generally speaking it was in immaculate condition and I am planning on getting another one when the refund comes through. My biggest complaint is that they wont send out a replacement for a refurb - you have to either send it off for repair or refund. The reason I was given for this is they cant guarantee that they have the same item in stock - and no, they wont check for you. Kinda irritating really. Still, pretty decent saving on it means I am going to try my luck a 2nd time and hopefully get a good one.
 
refurbs are good. and remember they come with full 1 yr warranty. i would recommend applecare for any mac though refurb or not.
 
I bought a refurb
Powerbook at 35% off retail. It looked like brand new, not a mark or scratch on it and the battery registered 0 cycles. The PB was packaged as a new PB would be with a fresh OS X instal. The only noticable difference between new and refurd is the brown refurb box and the refurb serial number that all refurbs are given. A Powerbook for the same price as an ibook (at the time) totaly worth it for me.
 
Most Apple refurbs aren't actually "refurbished", but are customer returns for various reasons. Other retailers might call them "open box"; Apple takes those units, checks them again, and puts them in the generic brown boxes and sells them for a discount.

I've done very well with Apple refurbs over the years. All my more recent Apple gear (PowerMac G5, 12" Powerbook, 3G 30GB iPod, 5G 30GB Video iPod) are all refurbs, no problems whatsoever. I've purchased Apple refurbs for various family members, friends, and clients, as well. Sometimes the education discounts or even the Amazon rebates make more sense, but Apple refurbs are generally the way to go if you want a bargain.

Sometimes with the refurbs you luck out and get some "silent upgrades". My PowerMac G5 was the biggest example of this phenomenon: it came with 1GB of RAM instead of the listed 512MB, a 250GB hard drive instead of the listed 160GB, and a Pioneer DVR-107 Superdrive instead of the standard issue DVR-106. More recently I got a refurbed Mac mini Core Duo for a client which silently shipped with a 100GB hard drive instead of the stock 80GB, and the refurbed MacBook I bought for my mom's partner shipped with 1GB instead of 512MB.

I do wish Apple would mark down the previous generation refurbs a bit more. I find the PowerBook G4s still cost a lot relative to the price of refurbed MacBook Pros. I'm sure they're still making a healthy margin on refurbed PowerMac G5s for those who can't cope with Rosetta for the next 6-8 months...
 
My MBP is a refurb and I've had no issues with it (other than the whine and heat, which have been fixed with shhMPB and the fan controller software).

I've been more than happy with it and I wouldn't hesistate to purchase another refurb from Apple in the future.
 
Silencio said:
<snip>

I do wish Apple would mark down the previous generation refurbs a bit more. I find the PowerBook G4s still cost a lot relative to the price of refurbed MacBook Pros. I'm sure they're still making a healthy margin on refurbed PowerMac G5s for those who can't cope with Rosetta for the next 6-8 months...
Click to expand...

I'll second that! I was surprised that the discount on the older generation processor models wasn't more aggressive than what it is.
 
So, I had a friend get a great refurb ibook G4 last year. I decided to get a refurb Macbook 2.0 since the updates still hadn't come and I didn't feel like waiting anymore. Well, the refurb showed up yesterday with a chip out of the bottom right of the case and the palm rest peeling up from where it was chipped. The trackpad button also seemed to be less than ideally responsive. Apple has already arranged for a refund. I decided just to drive up to the Apple Store last night and pick up a new one with my educational discount.
Long story short, refurbs are hit or miss, but from what most people say, it sounds like mostly hits.
 
mopppish said:
Well, the refurb showed up yesterday with a chip out of the bottom right of the case and the palm rest peeling up from where it was chipped. The trackpad button also seemed to be less than ideally responsive.
Click to expand...

That's unfortunate. Normally they'll show up with small imperfections, such as hair line scratches, if anything.
 
Well, my new refurb MBP 17" has turned up and fingers crossed this one seems fine (no marks, scratches etc and best of all the trackpad actually works!) Added bonus was I just went into the 'About this mac' screen and found they have sent me one with 2gb of ram in it :D Not gonna complain about that one and kinda makes up for having to send the last one back :D
 
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