Macworld
Apple makes nice computer systems, however they’re not low-cost. Even if you’re joyful to pay the entry worth for a brand new iMac or MacBook Professional, you might be painfully conscious that for just some hundred kilos or {dollars} extra you could possibly get a way more highly effective mannequin. However are you able to justify the additional spend?
Fortunately you don’t must, as a result of typically you’ll find a earlier technology Mac and generally even the present technology mannequin, on sale for much less at Apple’s Licensed Refurbished retailer.
It’s not solely Apple that gives refurbished Macs although. There are different locations you should purchase used Macs which have been refurbished, however not all refurbished Macs are pretty much as good as those Apple sells, so you need to watch out for the pitfalls. Fortunately we will likely be working via the issues to keep away from on this article, so that you may be assured you’ll get the perfect refurbished Mac or MacBook to your wants.
We’ll additionally clarify what the Apple Licensed Refurbished Retailer is, what worth you possibly can count on to pay for a refurbished Mac or MacBook, and different methods to purchase an inexpensive Mac. We’re additionally highlighting a number of the finest refurbished Mac offers accessible proper now.
Ought to you purchase a refurbished Mac?
Now we have an article devoted to this query right here: Why you should purchase a refurbished Mac. However to summarize, there are many the reason why shopping for a Mac from the Apple Licensed Refurbished Retailer is a good suggestion.
The Refurbished Retailer is a piece on Apple’s web site the place you should purchase refurbished Macs and MacBooks, in addition to different Apple merchandise together with the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod and Apple TV.
These refurbished Macs might be fashions from a earlier yr, or they might be present fashions. A reconditioned Mac might be an ex-demonstration mannequin used throughout Apple educating packages, or it might be a unit offered to a buyer who determined to return it underneath the usual sale-and-returns process. (Apple permits any buyer to return a Mac purchased from the Apple Retailer inside 14 days for a refund. See Apple’s Normal Returns Coverage U.S. and Normal Returns Coverage U.Okay.).
It’s additionally potential {that a} buyer returned the Mac because of a fault, however that fault would have been rectified by Apple earlier than the Mac might be resold. In reality, Apple states that: “Each Apple Licensed Refurbished product completes a rigorous refurbishment course of that features full testing that meets the identical purposeful requirements as new Apple merchandise. Your refurbished machine is actually ‘like new.’”
As well as, every Mac:
- Can be completely cleaned and inspected
- Consists of Apple’s commonplace one-year restricted guarantee
- And as much as 90 days of complimentary technical assist
- Comes with all equipment, cables, and working techniques
- Is packaged in a brand-new white field
- Is dispatched with free transport and returns
- Could be bought through financing choices
- And may be delivered subsequent day
The essential factor to notice is that Macs purchased from the Apple Licensed Refurbished Retailer aren’t discernibly totally different from new ones purchased straight from the Apple Retailer. All Macs purchased from the Refurbished Retailer are cleaned, checked, examined, and visually indistinguishable from brand-new fashions.
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Causes to not purchase refurbished Macs
As you possibly can see there are many good causes to purchase a refurbished Mac from Apple. Are there any disadvantages?
One drawback is that purchasing refurbished Mac will probably imply that you just aren’t shopping for a present technology mannequin, though, as we’ve already stated, it’s potential to search out present technology Macs on the Apple Refurbished Retailer, however not till at the very least half a yr after launch. Proper now the shop is now flooded with M1-series and M2-series Macs, with a number of older Intel-powered Macs lucking within the depths of the shop (for those who really need an Intel Mac that is one of the simplest ways to purchase one, however first learn: Ought to I purchase an Intel Mac).
The opposite draw back to purchasing from Apple’s Refurbished Retailer is it could not all the time have the mannequin you’re after. Because the inventory is determined by the variety of returns made or traded in, Apple might have extra of 1 merchandise than one other, which is when you might want to show to different retailers.
One other drawback is that the reductions you get from shopping for on the Apple Refurbished Retailer aren’t all the time pretty much as good as you’ll get for those who purchased the identical mannequin from elsewhere. However shopping for from somebody aside from Apple may be dangerous.
For instance, you may get refurbished Macs on Amazon U.S. and on Amazon U.Okay., however the majority of those are usually outdated Macs and never fashions we might suggest shopping for. There are numerous different locations that promote refurbished Macs and MacBooks that we are going to run via beneath. There are various different locations that can promote you a ‘refurbished’ Mac, however not everybody performs the identical checks as Apple does. Discover out why we don’t suggest shopping for a Mac second-hand if the Mac isn’t licensed refurbished in Ought to I purchase a used Mac?
The place to purchase refurbished Macs
Apple isn’t the one firm to resell second-hand, refurbished Macs. You might additionally decide up a refurbished and reconditioned Mac from resellers listed beneath:
Within the U.S.:
- Apple
- Amazon
- Again Market
- Greatest Purchase
- Decluttr
- Gainsaver
- OWC
- Mac Of All Trades
- Refurb.me
Within the U.Okay.:
- Reasonably priced Mac
- Apple
- Amazon
- BackMarket
- Hoxton Macs
- Laptops Direct
- MacFinder
- Mac 4 Sale
- Music Magpie
Shopping for refurbished, even when it’s not from Apple, ought to imply that the Mac has been inspected by a certified Apple technician and, if crucial, defective components changed (however we advise that you just examine this). Shopping for the identical Mac second-hand for much less may look enticing, but it surely’s not assured to work. It’s value paying slightly further for a refurbished mannequin for peace of thoughts. It’s like shopping for a automotive from a storage relatively than somebody on Gumtree.
Simply bear in mind that you just don’t have to purchase a refurbished Mac to get an excellent low cost aren’t equal. Amazon, for instance, typically reductions previous-generation Mac fashions, so you could possibly purchase a reasonably new mannequin at a reduction. The distinction is that whereas Apple might be promoting a mannequin that had been returned because of a fault (which has been repaired), the opposite reseller might be promoting an an identical Mac that’s by no means been used.
If you wish to discover a deal, try our articles about the perfect iMac offers, finest Mac mini offers, the perfect MacBook Professional offers, and the perfect MacBook Air offers to search for the perfect reductions on new Macs and MacBooks. Be sure that the mannequin that you just discover on Apple’s Refurbished Retailer isn’t being offered as new by another person.
Greatest offers on the Apple Refurbished Retailer
U.S. Apple refurbished offers
- MacBook Air on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save $150 on an M2 MacBook Air: $849
- MacBook Professional on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save $240 on an M3 MacBook Professional: $1,359
- iMac on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save $200 on an M3 iMac: $1,099
- Mac mini on the Apple Refurbished retailer – reductions accessible for M2 Mac mini
- Mac Studio on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save on M1 Max, M1 Extremely, and M2 Extremely Mac Studio fashions
- Mac Professional on the Apple Refurbished retailer – reductions accessible
U.Okay. Apple refurbished offers
- MacBook Air on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save £180 on an M2 MacBook Air: £1,019
- MacBook Professional on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save £260 on an M3 MacBook Professional: £1,439
- iMac on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save £210 on an M3 iMac: £1,189
- Mac mini on the Apple Refurbished retailer – reductions accessible for M2 Mac mini
- Mac Studio on the Apple Refurbished retailer – save on M2 Max and M2 Extremely Mac Studio fashions
- Mac Professional on the Apple Refurbished retailer – reductions accessible
Once more, it’s value evaluating whether or not different retailers are providing higher costs for a similar fashions when shopping for new. Amazon and different stockists typically have good reductions on new Macs. To seek out the perfect costs take a look at our offers round-ups:
- Greatest MacBook Air offers
- Greatest MacBook Professional offers
- Greatest iMac offers
- Greatest Mac mini offers
- Greatest Mac Studio offers
- The place to purchase a Mac or MacBook
How less expensive are refurbished Macs and MacBooks?
The worth for reconditioned Macs on Apple’s Refurbished Retailer adjustments ceaselessly, however is often 15 p.c lower than the unique worth, as you possibly can see from the costs quoted above. With Macs commanding a excessive retail worth, this may be fairly a major distinction.
Remember the fact that inventory is restricted on refurbished fashions from Apple, and also you’re unlikely to search out each type of Mac always. Different Mac resellers may provide even decrease costs than the Apple Refurbished Retailer, so it’s value purchasing round – notably throughout gross sales occasions like Black Friday.
What’s the oldest MacBook/Mac I should purchase?
Apple
With the arrival of the brand new Apple chips you need to consider carefully earlier than shopping for an outdated Mac as a result of Intel-powered Macs are prone to lose worth a lot faster than Macs with Apple silicon inside. However with the primary M1 MacBooks arriving on the finish of 2020 there are many older M1, and M2 fashions available for purchase refurbished–you possibly can even discover M3 Macs. The query is do you have to?
For those who can afford to we suggest sticking to fashions with Apple M1- or M2-series chips, but when that’s too costly for you we might recommend that you just don’t purchase a Mac that’s greater than seven years outdated. It is because older Macs might not run a model of macOS that Apple helps with safety updates. Even when the Mac you purchase now could be supported by Apple it could solely be the case for a yr or so. See: How lengthy does Apple assist Macs and MacBooks?
Right here’s an outline of the Macs that can run Ventura which launched in late 2023:
- MacBook fashions from 2017 or later
- MacBook Air fashions from 2018 or later
- MacBook Professional fashions from 2017 or later
- Mac mini fashions from 2018 or later
- iMac fashions from 2017 or later
- iMac Professional (all fashions)
- Mac Professional fashions from 2019 or later
- Mac Studio (all fashions)
We don’t but know what Macs will likely be supported by the follow-up to macOS Ventura, however in order for you a Mac you possibly can comfortably use in three years from our advice is don’t purchase something older than these fashions.
What if I’ve an issue with a refurbished Mac?
For those who purchase from Apple you might be in good palms. Apple states: “All Refurbished Mac fashions embrace full purposeful testing, real Apple half replacements (if crucial), a radical cleansing, the unique Working System or a newer model, a model new field with all equipment and cables.”
Extra importantly, a reconditioned Mac or MacBook comes with a one-year guarantee (extendable to a few years with AppleCare safety). You additionally get the identical gross sales and return process with Apple as you’ll with any new mannequin, so you possibly can return a Mac purchased from the Refurbished Retailer inside 14 days for those who’re not pleased with it. (However observe you’ll must submit it again, as Apple won’t settle for returns to a bodily Apple Retailer on refurbished merchandise).
Not that we expect you will have to return your Mac. Now we have loads of expertise shopping for from Apple’s Refurbished Retailer and have but to choose up a Mac from the Refurbished Retailer and discover it wanting.
Wish to promote an outdated Mac? Listed here are our suggestions: Methods to promote a Mac or MacBook. You may also commerce in your Mac to economize on a brand new one, together with buying and selling in your outdated Mac at Apple.
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