how are refurbs different from brand new?

[burnttoast0304]

Hey guys,

Im planning on purchasing a refurb air after the massive price drop today,

I was wondering what the difference a refurb vs brand new? I know the refurbs comes with the 1 year apple warranty, but my main concern is will the refub come with scratches/dents on the housing? or have potential problems? thanks

cheers

 

[mobilehaathi]

You won't be able to distinguish it from one you bought brand new.

 

[dudup]

They come completely new -- the only difference is the box.

People here have different opinions on refurbs. I have an 24" iMac and it's by far the best and most stable Mac I ever had in years.

 

[burnttoast0304]

They come completely new -- the only difference is the box.

Do i get a sketchy looking box?

awsome thanks guys, I didnt want to purchase a refurb and being all exciting and when it arrives it comes used with dents and scratches

 

[dibara2003]

if you order it soon, odds are it'll be new, esp. after a refresh. my friend bought a macbook after a refresh and it was new... at least the serial indicates it is. forgot to mention that the box is just a plain brown, padded computer box. No fancy retail boxes.

 

[dudup]

The serial number for refurbished Macs are reissued, alongside with a nice certification process:

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/apple_certified.html

So probably your friend got a refurbished unit.

About the box: yes, it is a brownish one, but that's just aesthetics. You can see an example here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/3972889/

Again, go for it. Once they are out of the box, no one can in the world can tell the difference. And to me, they have the added bonus of having passing thru a full certification procedure 2 times.

Even if it's the case of refurbished one being so because of a defective part, it's going to be replaced and tested all over again, so the all other parts will benefit from it. Plus, the secondary certification process is made on the US, which is much more reassuring than a manufacturing process on China, IMHO

 

[burnttoast0304]

The serial number for refurbished Macs are reissued, alongside with a nice certification process:

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/apple_certified.html

So probably your friend got a refurbished unit.

About the box: yes, it is a brownish one, but that's just aesthetics. You can see an example here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/3972889/

Again, go for it. Once they are out of the box, no one can in the world can tell the difference. And to me, they have the added bonus of having passing thru a full certification procedure 2 times.

Even if it's the case of refurbished one being so because of a defective part, it's going to be replaced and tested all over again, so the all other parts will benefit from it. Plus, the secondary certification process is made on the US, which is much more reassuring than a manufacturing process on China, IMHO

Awsome thank you so much for your advice, I just pulled the trigger on a refurb Air and haev pursauded my brother to get a Macbook too!

 

[jTreu]

Reurbs are great, the only difference is the brown box, my last tow laptops have been refurbs and I think their better because their checked over a second time.

 

[jbrenn]

right now you have the possibility of getting a new one from the refurbished store. that is one way apple gets rid of old stock. even if it is a refirb ther will be no scratches or dents.

 

[dinaluvsApple]

right now you have the possibility of getting a new one from the refurbished store. that is one way apple gets rid of old stock. even if it is a refirb ther will be no scratches or dents.

thats false, all the new ones returned are part of the clearance store.

 

[alexlovesmacs]

What if the refurb is scratched can you return it and get it exchanged?

 

[sangosimo]

all refurb products are covered by apples limited warranty

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Refurb from Apple for a 1.6ghz, 80GB HD Air is now $1350. Not bad, but you have to pay tax. That's another $100+ So I say go for a NEW one on Ebay and get the MSN Live 30% discount + free shipping. One thing you have to be careful about is. A lot of sellers on Ebay are misleading with their listing header "new". Always ask seller if it is "factory sealed". Most will say it's not.

 

[Lancetx]

thats false, all the new ones returned are part of the clearance store.

Only thing is that Apple is charging $1,599 for new ones in the clearance store, whereas Best Buy has new ones still left for only $1,399.

 

[cantthinkofone]

All my macs and ipods have been refurbs

No problems in any of them.

 

[burnttoast0304]

awsome thanks guys..after reading some of the replies what happens if the refurb arrives next week and theres scratches on there? Can i return it?

 

[jbrenn]

thats false, all the new ones returned are part of the clearance store.

I did not say all it does happen. search the trend you will find people that have ordered refirb and have received new ones. including me

 

[marvel2]

I can mind the fugly box if it means I get a good price on a MBA

 

[B Gallagher]

awsome thanks guys..after reading some of the replies what happens if the refurb arrives next week and theres scratches on there? Can i return it?

I bought my MBP in February this year, the day the new models came out. I got an old model, $800 off. It was the showroom model, and after I used it a couple of days I realised it had two big scratches of sorts on the LED. I was just about to head overseas at the time, and once I got to Japan, I took it into the Apple Store there. They were more than happy to replace the product, as it was 'defective' when I bought it (to use my words, not theirs).

BG

 

[zer0tails]

All my macs and ipods have been refurbs

No problems in any of them.

very clever !! I wish I had done that from the start. The only refurb I got is my mac pro, and it has been stellar to be perfectly honest.

But now I'll definitely be buying refurbs.

Big savings, more quality testing. What's not to like?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I can mind the fugly box if it means I get a good price on a MBA

The ugly brown box was the deal breaker for me.

 

[windowpain]

Mine came in the original box, just a small sticker in one corner saying it was a refurb.
Inside the box, all the accessories had original plastic seals on them, totally unused.
It looked just like someone had opened it, then put it back in the bag and took it back. Had no marks on it of any kind, not even a fingerprint, nothing.
It even had that new mac smell.

I forgot it was a refurb about 3 minutes after starting to use it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I saved a lot of cash.

Oh, and some people have been lucky enough to find extra ram or a bigger hard drive in theirs, sadly mine didn't.

 

[econoline06]

My refurbished MacBook was perfect in every way. No scratches, fingerprints, or anything else like that. It looked exactly like a brand new computer.

 

[dggraphics]

Perfect

i Love my refurb MBPro 2.5. It arrived in mint condition, not a fingerprint on it.

The only way you can tell if its a refurb is by removing the battery.

The original serial sticker is removed and replaced with one that says refurbished on it.

I saved about $600.

 

[andiwm2003]

i Love my refurb MBPro 2.5. It arrived in mint condition, not a fingerprint on it.

The only way you can tell if its a refurb is by removing the battery.

The original serial sticker is removed and replaced with one that says refurbished on it.

I saved about $600.

i hyave the same MBP. it's refurb, came in a brown box, looks brand new, not a fingerprint on it, not a spec of dust on the screen (how do they do that?).

the powersuppley was unwrapped so i guess they start it up and do some kind of diagnostics. but the rest was absolutely unused. it for sure was never opened or used by a customer.

i saved 500-1000 dollar depending on what current model you compare it to.