Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How to tell if a MAC has ever been refurbished
- Thread starter nfs2
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I have 2 refurb ipods & I could not tell they were refurbished. All the packing and everything was perfect.
What makes you think it is a refurb?
What makes you think it is a refurb?
Just a hunch.. My iBook's screen looks old, kinda unevenly lit. Barley noticable though, and the whole lid assembly was slightly "off" being crooked. Again, very slight.
Those could be just manufacturing issues, i know nothing is perfect, but there is one thing that made me think its a refurb. The plastic inside the ethernet port is a slightly different color then the plastic in the modem port. The modem port has the standard grey plastic inside that matches the rest of the grey plastic found on my iBook, but the plastic in the ethernet port is kinda beige.. A color found nowhere else on this laptop.. Seems like a replacement
Those could be just manufacturing issues, i know nothing is perfect, but there is one thing that made me think its a refurb. The plastic inside the ethernet port is a slightly different color then the plastic in the modem port. The modem port has the standard grey plastic inside that matches the rest of the grey plastic found on my iBook, but the plastic in the ethernet port is kinda beige.. A color found nowhere else on this laptop.. Seems like a replacement
Apple will not sell something as new that has been refurbished. If you got it from a reputable reseller, you have nothing to worry about. I think the refurbs say so in the battery compartment when you take off the battery.
If you carefully look under the surface you can see a few layers of paint and some nice brown 1970's wallpaper.. Oh wait that's houses 
Only other way to tell is that they usually ship in a plain brown box.
Only other way to tell is that they usually ship in a plain brown box.
MacRumorUser said:If you carefully look under the surface you can see a few layers of paint and some nice brown 1970's wallpaper.. Oh wait that's houses
Only other way to tell is that they usually ship in a plain brown box.
Mine came in all the fancy packaging that apple stuff usually comes in
I guess thats a good sign
nfs2 said:Mine came in all the fancy packaging that apple stuff usually comes in
I guess thats a good sign
Look's like it
As long as it's all working and makes you happy, what more could you ask for MacRumorUser said:Only other way to tell is that they usually ship in a plain brown box.
Not necessarily... my refurb iMac came in the pretty box, although there were bright yellow 'Apple Certified' stickers on it. However since I peeled the stickers off there's no way of telling that it's a refurb and the unit itself is in mint condition.