Right now, Apple's online Mac refurb section looks like a Piggly Wiggly in Atlanta the day before a big ice storm. The shelves are practically empty, waiting for a big restock. No MacBook Pros, no MacBooks, a few Powerbooks and iMacs, no minis.
So where have all the refurbs gone? Well items come and go all the time. Unlike the regular store, the refurb section only shows the available stock. And right now you can get some fabulous deals on iPods even if the Mac deals are few and far between. You can pick up a new, current generation 1GB shuffle for $49 or a pregnancy-test-style 1st generation 1GB shuffle for only $39. Nanos start at $119 and refurbished RED nanos are selling for $169 (4GB) and $209 (8GB). A refurb 5G 30GB video iPod will set you back just $209 and a newer 80GB model sells for $299.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-20-2007 @ 8:42AM
Ben said...
Must have been a glitch in the system or an update because there's no shortage of them now.
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3-20-2007 @ 10:00AM
fuddes said...
It was a blessing. Buying a refurb is like buying a problem.
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3-20-2007 @ 10:17AM
Saxon said...
Hey now, we don't have Piggly Wigglies in Atlanta. We clear the selves at Publix the day before an ice storm.
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3-20-2007 @ 10:17AM
Saxon said...
And by selves I meant shelves
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3-20-2007 @ 11:43AM
Thad said...
Just bought a refurb shuffle for my 6-year old...can I expect a near new condition? I have never bought from the Apple refurb site before.
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3-20-2007 @ 12:28PM
freshnminty said...
I bought my wife a refurb 30gb iPod. The packaging was just a simple brown cardboard box but the unit itself was completely identical to a brand new iPod. It included everything that would come with a new one as well. I would definitely buy a refurb again.
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3-20-2007 @ 2:23PM
Justin said...
There's no shortage that I've seen. They update the list in the morning, then most of them are gone by the afternoon. If you're looking for something, just check when you get up in the morning.
Apple refurbs come with the same 1 year Applecare that a new one does with the option of getting the full three year Applecare package. I've also heard that Apple is really good at dealing with any problem you might have with a refurb.
A friend bought a iMac Core Duo a little while ago and said it looked brand new out of the brown box.
I did buy a full size iPod from them a while ago and it also came looking brand new without a single scratch on the back. I also read in the iLounge forums that most people also said that theirs also looked brand new.
It could be either that they're getting rid of new overstock or they refurb the electronics and give it a new case.
Just bought a Black MacBook Core Duo for $999 this morning. So cross your fingers . . .
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3-20-2007 @ 2:36PM
Brent Crandall said...
Lots of refurbs this morning -- http://www.MacintoshOS.com
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3-20-2007 @ 8:17PM
Scott said...
but but there ain't no piggly wigglys _in_ Atlanta....
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3-20-2007 @ 9:11PM
JeffDM said...
"Buying a refurb is like buying a problem."
This is generally not true of Apple's refurbed products. I've bought four refurbed Macs and one refurbed iPod and have not had a problem yet.
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3-21-2007 @ 2:08AM
Patrick said...
I bought a refurbed MBP Core Duo last winter and it was absolutely perfect, or at least as perfect as any "brand new" one would have been. Buying that way saved me somewhere around $600.
Based on that good experience, I recently bought a refurbed 30G iPod Video, and it has also been perfect. That purchase saved me more than $100 compared to "new" pricing and puts the video iPod into a pricing position to blow away anything else on the market.
Both items come with the same warranty and manuals and software you get with a "new" one. That's assuming you use the official Apple Store. Independent dealers can offer whatever they want.
The only downside about this is that some people LIKE paying more for Apple because it gives them a feeling of superiority to spend more. The fact that poor folks can get their hands on the same hardware for less and have just as much or more fun with it causes no end of frustration and scorn.
Well, I don't care about that. I have better things to do with the money I saved. Anyway, I'd do it again without hesitation. No question.
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