My refurb MBA seems brand new... EOL Sell-off?

[anotherNick]

Hey all,

I got my 1.6 rev A MBA a week ago and, in all honesty, it looks, feels and even smells brand new (yes, I've been breathing in that lovely 'fresh apple' smell).

I was expecting some scratches or marks, or maybe for the keyboard to feel loose and used, or the trackpad to feel slightly slick from use... but no, it all seems brand new. The casing is immaculate inside and out, the keyboard is perfectly responsive (tactile to the touch and clicky when pressed) and the trackpad... well, it feels brand new. It arrived in the standard non-retail refurb box, but with sticky polystyrene covers on it and poly screen cover that suggested 'newness' (plus all the accessories etc were clearly brand new).

CoconutBattery says the mac is 5 months old and has been through 4 load cycles, but this is exactly the number I've put it through so far.

So, I'm almost wondering... are Apple selling a backlog of brand new 1st gen MBAs as refurbs? Maybe this is just incredibly wishful thinking on my part, but the AppleStore does seem to have an awful lot of 1st gen MBAs to sell off in the refurb store. Could they be clearing End-Of-Life stock?

If not, I'm staggered at the quality of their refurbished units. Maybe I just got extremely lucky and bought one that someone returned almost immediately for whatever reason. Just interested in what other people might think, particularly those who have bought refurb MBAs recently.

 

[dborja]

I've been buying refurbs (Macbooks, iPhones, Airport stations, AppleTV, etc) from Apple and they've been immaculate. They do a great job of refurbishing and testing so I actually prefer them over brand new for their price and quality...

 

[Pupator]

I've been buying refurbs (Macbooks, iPhones, Airport stations, AppleTV, etc) from Apple and they've been immaculate. They do a great job of refurbishing and testing so I actually prefer them over brand new for their price and quality...

Agreed. Every Apple refurb I've ever had has been indistinguishable from new.

 

[spacecadet610]

All of my refurbs looked brand new too

 

[justit]

Yes, possibly the best refurb quality in the business.

I think Steve spent too much time both in Jan 08 and then again in Oct 08 bragging about it. It's clearly the centerpiece of their marketing conversation.

They may not sell as many units, but I think that's because of its price point. If anything, maybe they are learning that it should have started as a $1K unit.

 

[wingnut8]

Same goes with iPods. I bought a 30gb video a while back and it seemed to be brand new. I'm assuming they replace the casing on refurbished products. I've been looking at the refurbished Airs as of late.

 

[dborja]

Same goes with iPods. I bought a 30gb video a while back and it seemed to be brand new. I'm assuming they replace the casing on refurbished products. I've been looking at the refurbished Airs as of late.

I remember reading somewhere that, most of the time, the casing is replaced...

 

[NATO]

My MacBook Air came totally mint as well, Coconut Battery reported my Mac to be 5 months old as well, with 13 battery cycles. I honestly can't tell it apart from a new model. I never hesistate to consider a refurbished model given my past experience of them and the huge savings on offer

 

[weckart]

Refurb covers the following: Repairs, returns, cancelled orders that shipped and EOL.

I have bought reduced items instore. If they are not repairs, they get labelled 'refreshed', the difference being that they are sold in the original boxes at a typical 10-20% discount. A little more than you would pay from the refurb store online.

 

[children]

another reason to go refurb..
mine also looks spanking new..
that said, my refurb imac also looked incredibly new, with not a single mark. I just think apple does everything they can to make the machine look and feel like new. no doubt they factory clean them too (thus the new smell).

 

[silverthunder]

I'm also pretty sure mine was brand new...

6 months old, 1 battery cycle and in pristine condition.

 

[Hey Jude]

My Air is only three months old, and one cycle on the battery when I got it.

It looked like a brand new machine and there were no blemishes at all to be found on the computer. This was my first Apple refurb, and based on this experience, I am not sure that I would ever purchase another new unit from them.

Jude