My company's seriously considering buying a number of Macbooks for new hires to our company but because we're on a limited budget, was looking at the refurbished Macbook 2.1 ghz 1GB DDR2RAM 120GB HDD Superdrive on sale for HKD 5,188 at the Hong Kong Apple Store. Question: We all know that refurbished Macbooks are covered by the 1 year limited warranty but how reliable are they? Do refurbished units break down more often than brand new units? Appreciate feedback on the matter. Alfie
No, they are good as brand new units, since they are reconditioned to match brand new quality units. I've had a couple of refurbs before, and non have had problems until now.
the more important thing is that applecare can still be purchased for them. so that can cover some of the intangibles.
Yeah, I think it's better than buying a 2nd hand unit from a private owner, since with refurbished units, they already checked the unit before reselling, you still get a 1 year warranty, so that's another plus.
i had a weird experience with a refurb iPod touch that i got as a gift. after a week the touch screen was acting up, often non-responsive. i took it to liteware kamias and after a week, my refurb was replaced by a new unit daw. so i guess refurb or not, if apple ought to replace a defective unit, then apple will replace it. this is why i *heart* apple!
Had the same concern 3 months ago.. had to get some macbooks for our office.. but with budget considerations.. We got some macbooks from philmug pre owned sellers @ 30-35k with applecare till 2010. theyre quite practical. our office was able to save thousands of pesos.. 1 unit just didnt start when we upgraded the OS. Senco replaced the motherboard, hassle lang pag may nag conkout but @ least may apple care.. OT: Ditoy is selling his brand new MB @ a good price got it from infinity plan..
yup, the refurbs are just as good as the brand new ones! you might even get an extra vga cable! apart from this, refurbs more often than not are already running Snow Leopard so really, it's a no-brainer!
I got my refurb iBook from Apple US in 2005. It's still my primary computer. Not only do Apple refurbs come with a 1 year warranty, but the qualify for Apple Care too. Not bad for a couple of hundred dollars less.
Wow, this reminds me of my really old thread on iPhone refurbs! http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=25184 A bit nostalgic to see it again. When there was no cut and paste, app store, 3G... Leo
just to add, yes, they're just as good as brand new ones. i'm using a refurb mbp myself, saved somewhere between U$500-600
Refurbished units form Apple are very reliable. My auntie's small business in the states buys nothing but refurbished Macs from Apple for over a decade already and never had one problem. The good thing about refurbished is that the unit has been inspected and checked more then a brand new one. Unfortunately (at least in the US) referb units only ship in plain brown boxes.
Refurbished macs are reliable. You might even get a free upgrade for your hard disk or your RAM. Got an iMac 24" 2.8 ghz IC2D Extreme a year ago. The 500GB hard disk turned out to be 1TB. I have now added an APP for it. Recently bought a refurbished MacMini, and a friend got a MacBook Pro 2.4. All is well. They all came in white boxes.
I hope there will be refurbished units in the Phil Apple store soon. We need them more than other developed countries.
+1 for buying refurb units. in fact, even if the brand new mac is within budget, I'd still go for the refurb. why? we have applecare as the (great) equalizer.
my 1st mac was a refurb, and it was perfectly fine. I suggest go for it, you save so much money from it, plus you can still avail of applecare for it too!
yup, apple store sg have refurbished units... but i'm not sure how you'll be able to ship them to the philippines... i don't think they ship outside of singapore... guys/girls, any ideas?
from http://www.techound1.com/blog/ Why buy refurbished? The best-kept secret at the apple store is the refurbished mac. What’s so great about it? It performs and looks like new You get the same one-year warranty as new The computer carries the same eligibility for Apple Care as new It is fully tested (including full burn-in testing) It is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing It is thoroughly cleaned and inspected It is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.) – nothing is missing It includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system It is placed into a final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock You get a savings several times that of any coupon or promo code ($150 on a low end MacBook; $750 on a high-end MacBook Pro). Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple’s Finished Goods testing procedures. Anecdotal evidence on several mac fora indicates a universal pleasure with apple’s refurb work. Users report receiving computers indistinguishable from new (save for the different packaging refurbs receive), and fewer problems than the users of brand new machines. And this makes sense – refurbs have gone through a second and more rigorous testing procedure.
I'm using a refurb MacBook Pro right now. No problems encountered except for the Nvidia videocard issue that hit a lot of Mbp's before. Ordered from the online store in the US. Only downside of buying refurb is you don't receive it in the nice box. Just a brown one, well worth the $200 we saved on it.
As loko_loko quoted in this thread: (2) What should I expect when I purchase an Apple Certified Reconditioned Product? Substantial savings A fully functional unit with complete documentation The assurance that the unit meets Apple's premiere quality standards, and that its defective components have been replaced by genuine Apple components The risk that your unit may present minor cosmetic imperfection, such as scratches, marks, discolouration, etc.
