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How long will Apple have 2012 refurbs?

H

heckofagator

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 19, 2014
22
0
Looking for my first Apple PC and I think I've decided on the 2012 MacMini. I'd like to pick up a refurb unit before they disappear. How long do you think Apple might have these? Will they be available closer to Christmas, or should I pick one up now if a 2012 version is important?

ALso, is RefurbMe the best place to sign up for notifications? The $419 i5 and $589 i7 seems like really good prices.

Thanks!
 
heckofagator said:
Looking for my first Apple PC and I think I've decided on the 2012 MacMini. I'd like to pick up a refurb unit before they disappear. How long do you think Apple might have these? Will they be available closer to Christmas, or should I pick one up now if a 2012 version is important?

ALso, is RefurbMe the best place to sign up for notifications? The $419 i5 and $589 i7 seems like really good prices.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

When the i7s appear on the refurbished site, they will be gone in minutes. That doesn't bode at all well for Christmas.
 
Yes, for whatever reason, the mini section always seems to be hit or miss with the refurbs. But they always seem to come back in stock eventually.

So I'm assuming they'll have more pop up eventually. I'm just wondering your guys' thoughts on how much longer. Heck, they still have 2012 macbooks and imacs for sale as refurbs.
 
Either not many people buy them, or they rarely have problems. I'm guessing it's a combination of both, and Apple simply doesn't receive very many back to be refurbished.
 
Id rather buy a second hand model with a year or warranty left on it (like an education machine which came with 3 years) that bother over paying for a refurb.
 
Buy it if you see it, especially the quad i7. They get snatched up quick and there's no way to guarantee any future availability.
 
VTECaddict said:
Buy it if you see it, especially the quad i7. They get snatched up quick and there's no way to guarantee any future availability.
Click to expand...

I tried Apple's site and the i7's rarely there and never last. I just lucky enough to find an open box 2012 i7 from Best Buy this weekend.
 
heckofagator said:
Looking for my first Apple PC and I think I've decided on the 2012 MacMini. I'd like to pick up a refurb unit before they disappear. How long do you think Apple might have these? Will they be available closer to Christmas, or should I pick one up now if a 2012 version is important?

ALso, is RefurbMe the best place to sign up for notifications? The $419 i5 and $589 i7 seems like really good prices.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Son of a bitch. The entry level 2012 is $469 in Canada.

----------
dannys1 said:
Id rather buy a second hand model with a year or warranty left on it (like an education machine which came with 3 years) that bother over paying for a refurb.
Click to expand...

Refurbs come with full warranty. And re-sellers are notorious for asking ridiculous prices for used macs. I'd much rather buy from Apple.
 
MacTCE said:
I tried Apple's site and the i7's rarely there and never last. I just lucky enough to find an open box 2012 i7 from Best Buy this weekend.
Click to expand...

refurb.me is great, but you have to act very quickly. They notified me of availability this past Friday morning (day after 2014 model was announced) and I bought it immediately. They had the base 2012 and the quad i7 server as well. All were gone shortly after I purchased.

But you're right, the Mac mini refurb in general is hardly ever available. Those wanting the 2012 quad core should jump on whatever they can find in stores or online, as once the last of the 2012 stocks dry up your only option will be eBay. I've been keeping an eye on eBay and most recent auctions are selling for around the $650-700 range.
 
dannys1 said:
Id rather buy a second hand model with a year or warranty left on it (like an education machine which came with 3 years) that bother over paying for a refurb.
Click to expand...

I bought from Apple for $589. Total $633 and change with CA sales tax. This includes a 1 year warranty from Apple. Most eBay listings are ending for $650-700 for used models without warranty.

I highly suspect that this set of "refurbs" were Apple's remaining new stock of the 2012 minis, since they were put on the site the day after the new ones were announced, and included all the normally stocked non-CTO models (base, 2.3 quad, 2.3 quad server).
 
I was able to snag a quad i7 Friday around noon from the Apple refurb section for $589 as some others here did as well. I wasn't even planing on buying it but couldn't pass it up at that price.


I highly suspect that this set of "refurbs" were Apple's remaining new stock of the 2012 minis, since they were put on the site the day after the new ones were announced, and included all the normally stocked non-CTO models (base, 2.3 quad, 2.3 quad server).
Click to expand...

I was thinking that as well. A bunch of Mini's all of suddenly showed up.
 
heckofagator said:
Looking for my first Apple PC and I think I've decided on the 2012 MacMini. I'd like to pick up a refurb unit before they disappear. How long do you think Apple might have these? Will they be available closer to Christmas, or should I pick one up now if a 2012 version is important?

ALso, is RefurbMe the best place to sign up for notifications? The $419 i5 and $589 i7 seems like really good prices.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Sign for refurbme
but
keep checking this link. They appear in the store 5 to 10 miuntes ahead of refurbme's notice.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini?
 
T5BRICK said:
Either not many people buy them, or they rarely have problems. I'm guessing it's a combination of both, and Apple simply doesn't receive very many back to be refurbished.
Click to expand...



They are highly sought after because of 2 main reasons.

-Cheapest Apple computer

-The 2012 Mini's are very upgradable for a small Apple computer.


They are a great buy because you can snag a quad core i7 model for $600 dollars and turn it into a 16GB, 750 GB Fusion computer for under $900.

There's a reason why a lot of laptops and iMacs that just sit there forever. Many are basically crap buys because you are stuck with their default configuration. I mean who the heck would want to buy a 21" iMac with a 5400rpm drive and 8 GB of ram for $1300? If you could easily swap out the HD and Memory on a 21" iMac I guarantee they would start selling really fast.
 
fathergll said:
They are highly sought after because of 2 main reasons.

-Cheapest Apple computer

-The 2012 Mini's are very upgradable for a small Apple computer.


They are a great buy because you can snag a quad core i7 model for $600 dollars and turn it into a 16GB, 750 GB Fusion computer for under $900.

There's a reason why a lot of laptops and iMacs that just sit there forever. Many are basically crap buys because you are stuck with their default configuration. I mean who the heck would want to buy a 21" iMac with a 5400rpm drive and 8 GB of ram for $1300? If you could easily swap out the HD and Memory on a 21" iMac I guarantee they would start selling really fast.
Click to expand...

You have to remember that people who would do that are the minority, even here on MacRumors. And even then, the subset of Mac users represented by this forum isn't an accurate representation of the overall Mac user base.
 
ZebraDude said:
The whole Mac mini section is empty
Click to expand...

This can change on a daily basis. Some refurbs showed up briefly on Sunday but were gone in a few hours. They only appear on the site once Apple has a certain amount in stock.

Also, apparently you can still walk into an Apple Store and buy the 2012 model for $100 off if they still have any in stock. But a refurb will be a better deal.
 
T5BRICK said:
You have to remember that people who would do that are the minority, even here on MacRumors. And even then, the subset of Mac users represented by this forum isn't an accurate representation of the overall Mac user base.
Click to expand...

I disagree when it comes the refurb section. While i obviously don't have any tangible metrics I guarantee there is a much higher percentage of users who perform aftermarket upgrades than through the normal Apple website or in a brick and mortar store.

I've actively watch refurbs all the time and notice the crap configurations usually sit for a reason while crap Mac Mini configurations will move faster. I truly believe they move simply because some people know they can upgrade them pretty easy.
 
fathergll said:
I disagree when it comes the refurb section. While i obviously don't have any tangible metrics I guarantee there is a much higher percentage of users who perform aftermarket upgrades than through the normal Apple website or in a brick and mortar store.

I've actively watch refurbs all the time and notice the crap configurations usually sit for a reason while crap Mac Mini configurations will move faster. I truly believe they move simply because some people know they can upgrade them pretty easy.
Click to expand...
I always buy the base model, I'm gutting it anyway.
 
There'll probably be a few more months of refurb minis but if you see a model you like I would buy it right away and not risk it.
 
T5BRICK said:
You have to remember that people who would do that are the minority, even here on MacRumors. And even then, the subset of Mac users represented by this forum isn't an accurate representation of the overall Mac user base.
Click to expand...

That is just joke. If the "minority" of people only upgrade ram and hard drives, companies that sell ram would go out of business. Ram sells all day long every day. Even grandma has a grandson that upgrades her ram. Stop with the FUD.

Why do you think apple made the ram non-upgradeable? Because EVERYONE upgrades their ram and they were not getting sales. Duh.
 
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