Written by
Rivers Wong
Everything You Need to Know about a Refurbished Mac
Summary: Buying a refurbished Mac has become an increasingly popular choice nowadays. This article will explain to you what is a refurbished Mac, and other things you need to know about it, including its downsides, where to buy it, etc.
Apple's computer is highly praised by users all over the world because of its stable and reliable macOS over the years, but its price is rather higher compared to its competitors like Microsoft.
For those who want to enjoy the high performance of a Mac, but don't want to cost too much buying one, a refurbished Mac is a good choice. This article tells everything you may be interested in refurbished Macs, read on for more!
Table of Contents:
- 1. Refurbished Mac: What is it?
- 2. Refurbished Mac, used Mac, and resold, what's the difference?
- 3. Refurbished Mac: Why should you buy it?
- 4. Refurbished Mac: Is there any downside of it?
- 5. Where to buy a refurbished Mac for yourself?
- 6. FAQ about refurbished Mac
Refurbished Mac: What is it?
Also known as a reconditioned Mac, a refurbished Mac is a pre-owned product that has been returned to Apple by its buyer either because there are flaws on that Mac - like a broken Thunderbolt port - or its buyer simply lost interest in the Mac. Apple allows any customer to return their Macs bought from the Apple store within 14 days for a refund.
After the Mac is returned to Apple, they will perform a thorough refurbishment process it, including a full test, replacement of malfunctioning parts, and also a comprehensive inspection. Then, Apple will place it back for sale in its Refurbished Store at a lower price than brand-new products.
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Refurbished Mac, used Mac, and resold, what's the difference?
The refurbished MacBook is not the same as the used Mac, or the resold Mac. Suppose you buy a MacBook Air from your friend at a low price, who bought it almost two years ago. In this case, you get a 'used' Mac, and as for your friend, he 'resold' it to you. That is to say, you get a Mac used for two years and will have to face either minor or big problems along with it.
But a refurbished Mac, as we mentioned above, is sold to you at a lower price after some 'touches' Apple put to it. According to Apple, every refurbished product meets the same functional standards as new Apple products, they are just in used condition. You see, that's the difference.
Refurbished Mac: Why should you buy it?
There are a lot of good reasons for you to buy a refurbished MacBook. If you are still worried that you could end up with a damaged or malfunctioning Mac, or the refurbished one will never be as good as a new one, don't!
Let's check out the following reasons why you should buy a reconditioned Mac, and you may rest assured that getting one for yourself is such a good idea.
- Low price but same performance: When the pre-owner returns his Mac, Apple will make a thorough inspection of it, and replace all faulty parts if necessary. In this situation, you can buy a refurbished MacBook Pro or a refurbished MacBook Air, which has the same performance as a brand-new one, at a discount.
- Chances to get older version Macs: In the local Apple Store, at an Apple Authorized Reseller, or on Apple's official website, you will find that you can only buy the newest version of a particular Mac. But in Apple Refurbished Store, you may run into some Macs from the past few years, and get them at a low price.
- Quality guaranteed: You may be worried about the quality of those refurbished MacBooks, what if they have been returned to Apple due to some faults with them? This concern is totally reasonable, but hey, don't worry about it. Every refurbished product will be fully tested, and cleaned thoroughly. Also, the Mac you buy will experience more checks than those coming straight from the Apple factory.
Moreover, if you purchase any refurbished Mac models from the Apple Refurbished Store, you can get a one-year warranty and 90 days of tech support. Also, Apple will ship it to you, for free. If you think the product is not as good as you think, you are allowed to return it back, no question asked, within 14 days.
Refurbished Mac: Is there any downside of it?
A coin has two sides. Despite the benefits you can get from buying a refurbished Mac, of course, there are some downsides to it, let's check them out:
Buying a reconditioned Mac is likely to mean you are buying an Intel-based Mac, you may not be allowed to enjoy the high performance that M1 or M2 Apple silicon Macs bring to you. Also, You may fail to get the wanted Mac models from the Apple Refurbished Store, since it only offers Macs sent back from other customers.
Where to buy a refurbished Mac for yourself?
To buy a refurbished MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or other Mac models, we recommend you buy it from the Apple Refurbished Store. But, there are many more places where you can get a reconditioned Mac:
- Apple Refurbished Store
- Amazon
- eBay
- Back Market
- Mac Of All Trades
- Best Buy
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Conclusion
In this article, we tell you about what a refurbished Mac is and also help you determine whether you should buy a refurbished one for yourself. If you are not so clinging to a brand-new Mac, then a refurbished Mac will be a good choice for you. Hope you can get your own Mac finally!
FAQ about refurbished Mac
A
Buying a refurbished Mac from the Apple Refurbished Store is totally safe. But, if you want to buy a refurbished Mac from other channels, like a local Mac dealer, you'd better be careful about it.
A
Technically speaking, there's no difference between a refurbished Mac and a new one, if you are talking about the same Mac model. The refurbished Mac will be examined comprehensively by Apple before they are sold to customers.
A
Yes, refurbished Macs are better than used. Because for those used Macs, you have to face the same minor or big problems that its pre-owner faces in its usage. But for the refurbished Macs, each one of them will be returned to a close-to-original condition, just like a new one.
