[Mallrat]

Anyone ever buy one from Apple?

I assume they are just as good as new.

Where do they get them from, people that returned them?

[chabig]

They are just as good. I've bought several. They come with the same warranty as a new machine, too. I think they're less likely to fail than new machines too, because they've been used for a short while. So they're burned in, so to speak.

Don't know exactly where they come from. Some may be returned. Others may never have sold.

Chris

[NYCFarmboy]

Well.its not a laptop..but I purchased a refurbished ipod from Apple about a year ago.

It appeared to me to be completley brand new.
And worked fine until about 2 weeks ago.

Then it died and I sent it back to Apple under warranty (standard one year warranty) and Apple just this week sent me another brand new ipod exactly like the one I had purchased in the first place (mechanical scroll wheel 5 gig).

The new one again is in perfect mint condition and appears to be working perfectly.



So.. I guess what I'm sayinig is, you can really in good faith purchase something refurbished from them at a savings and enjoy all the benefits of a new warranty.

[mgehman]

Originally posted by Mallrat:
Anyone ever buy one from Apple?

I assume they are just as good as new.

Where do they get them from, people that returned them?

I bought a refurb from Smalldog. The first one I got was DOA. They replaced it immediately. The new one arrived and has been working great since. They do indeed have the same warranty as new.
My understanding where they come from is returns for repair while under the 30 day return for replacement.
I can tell you I am absolutely satisfied with my refurb. Really fast and a lot cheaper.

[rjt1000]

Hi,

One caveat though: not all refurbs are the same.

All of the refurbs directly from Apple include Apple's 1 year warranty.

But refurbs from other sources (MacZone, MacConnection, etc.) may be refurbished by the dealer and not by Apple. If so, they do NOT have Apples 1 year warranty and come only with the stores 90-ish day warranty. What is misleading is that they often do NOT specify that explicitly. You have to ask.

I would have no reluctance to buy a refurb directly from Apple. But if you buy it elsewhere be sure to ask what kind of warranty is included.

One other thing to keep in mind is that you can sometimes buy Refurbished or Demo models directly at brick and mortar Apple stores. Again, they come with 1 year warranties, and are often cheaper, esp the DEMO's. (e.g. this weekend I saw a PB 15 inch 867 mhz combo drive DEMO at a local Apple store for $1499.)

But I didnt take it--I worry that DEMO's have a lot of hours on em, and have been pounded on by too many hands. And I've waited this long, I might as well see what Steve has to say in Paris.

Best wishes,

Rich (Pismo G3 500)

[nobitacu]

Yes, some are used, but most of them are really brand new never been used. Just had a few error after it was made, so they had to open it and fix some of the stuff that didnt' work. So yes, expect most if not all of them to work just like new, because well... some are. If there are any problems, you can always exchange it for another one until you finally get a perfect working model.

Ming

[Mallrat]

Originally posted by chabig:
They are just as good. I've bought several. They come with the same warranty as a new machine, too. I think they're less likely to fail than new machines too, because they've been used for a short while. So they're burned in, so to speak.

Don't know exactly where they come from. Some may be returned. Others may never have sold.

Chris

anyone know if you can upgrade reburbished machines.. when I click on to buy them on apple sites, looks like you can't.

But I was thinking maybe If I called apple on the phone they could do something like add memory.

[chabig]

You can't order them built-to-order, no.

Chris