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Refurbished iMac - What's In The Box?

B

BlueSquidDoug

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 25, 2010
19
0
Maryland
When buying a refurbished iMac from Apple, what exactly will it come with?

Will it come with a mouse (Magic Mouse?) and keyboard? (Wired or Wireless?)

I haven't found any horror stories of refurbished Macs, so is buying it refurbished worth it?

And one more random question - What do I need to hook up a second monitor to the iMac, and can I hook up a third?

Thanks!
 
What's in the Box

Refurbished iMac
Apple Wireless Keyboard
Magic Mouse
Power cord
Install/restore DVDs
Cleaning cloth
Printed and electronic documentation
Click to expand...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC508LL/A?mco=MTkwMjE2MzY

They are basically new Mac but come in brown box instead of the white retail box. There are some horror stories with refurbs but there are horror stories of brand new units as well. Refurbs should be individually tested to they should work. It's great way to save some money, IMO it's worth it
 
Thanks so much guys!
Another quick question (iMac related) How does Final Cut Studio run on an iMac? Any money-saving tips for Final Cut Studio? (I'm on a really tight budget, haha)
 
The only real downside to a refurb is you can't order the BTO options, but occasionally you will get one with an unexpected option (more memory or larger hard drive).

I haven't bought an iMac refurb, but I have bought two MacBook and two Mac mini refurbs which have been perfect.
 
talmy said:
The only real downside to a refurb is you can't order the BTO options, but occasionally you will get one with an unexpected option (more memory or larger hard drive).

I haven't bought an iMac refurb, but I have bought two MacBook and two Mac mini refurbs which have been perfect.
Click to expand...

Some BTOs such as better CPU (i7), SSD or hi res screen you can but things like RAM and memory you can't (can be added from aftermarket though)
 
If you want new in box

If you are looking for the last gen iMac 27" i7 2.8ghz, check out either macconnection or powermax. They are selling these new in the retail box for $1699 (same as apple refurb). Plus you may be able to avoid sales tax, that sealed it for me. No more risk than buying from Apple. If you have an Apple store nearby they will fix it under warranty.

I 'tried' using Powermax b/c they had good reviews and trade in program. Surprisingly it was a horrible experience trying to get in touch with anyone and then they tried to upsell me by sending me an invoice with quadruple priced RAM and applecare that I never asked for. Ha! Ended up using Macconnection, it was pain free. Either one should be fine though.
 
Refurbished iMac - What's In The Box?

Got the new 21.5 refurbished 2 weeks ago. So far so good. Also bought refurb airport express which is also working fine.
 
refurb are same as new, i bought two and saved around $800 on two macs, i could tell the difference if they are refurb or new, the only difference is box. i bought applecare from saved money.
 
I'm going to buy a 27in refurb next month.

First time going Refurb. What's the exact story there? Are they units people bought and then returned back to Apple? Or are they units that people ordered and never went through with the sale?

I hope they're not units that had something wrong with and are basically returns?
 
OW22 said:
I'm going to buy a 27in refurb next month.

First time going Refurb. What's the exact story there? Are they units people bought and then returned back to Apple? Or are they units that people ordered and never went through with the sale?

I hope they're not units that had something wrong with and are basically returns?
Click to expand...

They are basically units with something wrong with them (in the case of the iMac 27, it is likely a yellowish screen issue). They repair them, but because of the law that states that they can't resell it as "new", they resell it as "refurbished."
 
AlphaDogg said:
They are basically units with something wrong with them (in the case of the iMac 27, it is likely a yellowish screen issue). They repair them, but because of the law that states that they can't resell it as "new", they resell it as "refurbished."
Click to expand...

Your explanation is only partially correct. Products enter the refurbished program for a variety of reasons including when NPI are released old inventory is routed to refurbished. Customer returns for ANY reason, for example you buy it, take it home and the wife/husband/so gets angry because you bought it. The possibilities can be endless.

The good news is all products that enter the program are re-tested, re-serial numbered, and made to be as new or better. In short the refurb program is a pretty good deal.
 
Thanks for the info guys. So really, there shouldn't be a possibility of a yellow screen say with a refurb? If it was given back because of this it would be repaired and then put out for sale?
 
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