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Refurbished apples - what exactly is getting refurbished?
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: here
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As Apple doesn't buy used computers, what are then these refurbished Macs?
Units that were exchanged because of technical problems?
And what does Apple do when it refurbishes these computers?
What's the chance you get a lemon?
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Michigan, USA
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They spell it out pretty well on the Apple site. Look it up if only to read how Apple puts it.
I bought a refurb mini for my mom a few months back, and it is as good as new.
p.s. minis are awesome. My new 24" iMac is awesomer, but minis are sweet for mini money.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Originally Posted by MichiganRich 
They spell it out pretty well on the Apple site. Look it up if only to read how Apple puts it.
I bought a refurb mini for my mom a few months back, and it is as good as new.
p.s. minis are awesome. My new 24" iMac is awesomer, but minis are sweet for mini money.
Congratulations to your 24" iMac! Great machine!
Regarding the refurbished apples, apple doesn't say exactly what they are. I guess some of them may be trouble machines, that were exchanged and rebuilt. Others may be returns (if at all Apple allows returns). But with a one year warranty, doubled by Amex, it doesn't sound too risky.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
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They've been returned due to problems and fixed.
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Senior User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Minnesota
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From what I know, these are repaired in the US (not were they were built). I have purchased a mini and a mac pro refurb and have had zero problems. When shipped to you, same warrenty as if purchased brand new.
Randy 
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2010 Mac Mini, 32GB iPod Touch, 2 Apple TV (1)
Home built 12 core 2.93 Westmere PC (almost half the cost of MP) Win7 64.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Garland, TX USA
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Originally Posted by Veltliner
Congratulations to your 24" iMac! Great machine!
Regarding the refurbished apples, apple doesn't say exactly what they are. I guess some of them may be trouble machines, that were exchanged and rebuilt. Others may be returns (if at all Apple allows returns). But with a one year warranty, doubled by Amex, it doesn't sound too risky.
No risk at all, really -- perhaps less if you consider that on many of these machines a part that was going to fail already did and that's why they were returned. Dead-on-arrival machines that are replaced rather than repaired because they failed so early after purchase, or returns within the 10 day return period. Sent to Apple's stateside repair facility and restored functionally and cosmetically to design specification. Come with standard Apple 90-day phone support, 12-month hardware warranty, and you can buy AppleCare 2-year warranty extension (total of 3 years) for them any time during the first year, just as with non-refurbished equipment.
The only reasons not to be a refurbished unit is, one, availability -- may not have what you want when you want it -- and, two, if you just have this thing to be the original one and only owner. I have that thing, so I don't buy refurbished Apple equipment; but that's all in my head and there's no risk reason that I don't buy them. Just silliness on my part.
Oh, you don't get the pretty box. Just plain cardboard.
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Singapore
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Nothing beats unpackaging a NEW Mac or iPod (or {insert Apple product name here} ) outta the box 
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mac.goodies webstore / Switched to an iBook in November 2002. Never looking back.
iBook R.I.P. 20 Nov 2002 - 2 Aug 2005
Hello Leopard! On iMac 17" Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz 2GB, iPod 5th gen 30GB and iPhone
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
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Originally Posted by andretan
Nothing beats unpackaging a NEW Mac or iPod (or {insert Apple product name here} ) outta the box
No box for refurbished Macs? Do they wrap it in paper? 
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Beaumont Texas
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It comes in a plain brown box, not the nice new Apple box.
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32GB iPad 2 | 32GB iPhone 4 | 11' MacBook Air 1.6 i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
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Hm ... thought they’d have enough spare boxes. But then, for 15 to 50 percent off I can live with a brown box.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2006
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50 percent off? I guess the maximum is about 30% off. Usually more like 25.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
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Originally Posted by Veltliner
50 percent off? I guess the maximum is about 30% off. Usually more like 25.
Maybe your guess is wrong. Check with http://store.apple.com/. Currently I see being offered at more than 50 % off: - 62 % off: Apple Cinema Display (20-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 63 % off: Apple Cinema HD Display (23-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 55 % off: Apple Cinema HD Display (30-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 71 % off: AirPort Extreme Card
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Minnesota
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Originally Posted by Veltliner
As Apple doesn't buy used computers, what are then these refurbished Macs?
Units that were exchanged because of technical problems?
And what does Apple do when it refurbishes these computers?
What's the chance you get a lemon?
I've got a refurbished Mac Pro. It came with a clear vinyl sheet that covered one side as though it was in a rack with another Mac Pro and IT didn't want the two boxes rubbing on each other. It came with 500 GB HDD instead of the 250 GB HDD I expected and it was clear that all four internal HDD bays had been used. It came with 4 GB of RAM instead of the 2 GB of RAM I expected. It also came with the outer DVD trap door stuck in the down position. Who was I to complain? For an extra $1400 (at the time) of RAM and HDD space I was happy to take the Mac apart enough to free up the stuck trap door.
Bottom line: My Mac was a server at Apple; stuck in with another server in a rack in server farm. This Mac was never sold to a client and it never broke. I was and am very happy with the value of my purchase and this was the third refurbished Mac I've purchased.
Full disclosure: I own Apple stock and I was once an Apple VAR selling business to business.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
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It's fairly common to receive a refurb with better specs (HD, RAM, or even GPU as in the case of a refurb 24" iMac we recently received) than originally stated.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Originally Posted by Moonray
Maybe your guess is wrong. Check with http://store.apple.com/. Currently I see being offered at more than 50 % off: - 62 % off: Apple Cinema Display (20-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 63 % off: Apple Cinema HD Display (23-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 55 % off: Apple Cinema HD Display (30-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 71 % off: AirPort Extreme Card
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I was looking at the computers... Didn't know there were such great discounts for displays.
Are you sure these displays are current models?
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Originally Posted by Simon
It's fairly common to receive a refurb with better specs (HD, RAM, or even GPU as in the case of a refurb 24" iMac we recently received) than originally stated.
Good to hear that, and glad you were lucky.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2001
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Originally Posted by Veltliner
I was looking at the computers... Didn't know there were such great discounts for displays.
Are you sure these displays are current models?
There’s a “Learn More” link for each item that tells you exactly what it is.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Originally Posted by Moonray
Maybe your guess is wrong. Check with http://store.apple.com/. Currently I see being offered at more than 50 % off: - 62 % off: Apple Cinema Display (20-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 63 % off: Apple Cinema HD Display (23-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 55 % off: Apple Cinema HD Display (30-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
- 71 % off: AirPort Extreme Card
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I just found out why those great discounts aren't a good deal.
Example>
20inch cinema display.
Original Price: 1,299.00
Your price: 499.00
You save 62%.
It's been a while the 20inch display cost 1299.00$
Now the 20inch display costs 600$.
So you are getting an old 20inch display from the time it cost 1299.00, and pay 500$ for it, only about 15% less than buying a new and up-to-date unit.
That's a bad deal. All those refurb cinema displays look that way.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hong Kong
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Originally Posted by Veltliner
As Apple doesn't buy used computers, what are then these refurbished Macs?
Units that were exchanged because of technical problems?
And what does Apple do when it refurbishes these computers?
What's the chance you get a lemon?
The units are not always faulty. A friend of mine works for an Apple Store and he told me that a large percentage of returns are due to buyer's remorse (due to having spent X amount on a new computer and having second thoughts), fear of the switch to OS X, or to upgrade to a higher spec.
Mostly, the returned Mac will have been used, but occasionally, they've not even been opened. But because they're returned goods, Apple have to sell them as refurbished, having first wiped the HDs and installed a clean install of OS X.
I returned a PowerBook once, because the price had dropped since I bought it, and I was still within the 14 day return period. It worked out that I got a price reduction, and a boost in spec!
Of course, you'll never really know if the refurbished Mac you buy, was returned because it's faulty or not, but, you can be guaranteed that if any problems arise, you can always get Apple to fix or replace it.
Also, if you buy refurbished Macs from the bricks and mortar Apple Store, you get it in the original packaging.
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24" 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme iMac | Powerbook G4 12" 1.5Ghz 1.25GB RAM 160GB HD | 4G iPod photo 40GB | 5.5G iPod 80GB | 1G nano 4GB | 2G nano 4GB | 2G shuffle 1GB
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Staffs, UK
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A colleague just bought a refurb Macbook pro, and I can tell you that these refurbs are as good as 'new' hardware. In fact, they might even be better, as you can be certain that the unit has had a thorough test and has gone through the critical early period where most problems occur.
The only downside I can see is the limited choice of models available.
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