I had posted this a while ago on the forums but I feel it’s as much a review/blog post and thought I would also update it with my long term experiences.

Recently purchased a refurbished MacBook Pro via Apples online store.
I was a little unsure of how ‘refurbished’ my new laptop would be – is it second hand? is it a lemon from someone else?
If there was one reason I could be reasonably sure of quality is that all refurbs come with the standard 12 month international warranty and Applecare can be added at anytime in the first 12 months. Giving you 3 years total hardware coverage available anywhere in the world. The cost of Applecare does increase the price by another $495 – and it’s a must have. My last MacbookPro purchase was a 17″ 1st Gen MacBookPro – and after 2 years of problems has the whole machine replaced via Applecare. Although not perfect, the service from Apple was complete and I feel you do get a more complete warranty cover than other Notebook brands.

Anyway, back to the refurb, I had heard stories that some people recieved units in America with (*gasp*) fingerprints on it but over all found an almost new computer. Apple was listing a current generation 15″ Macbook Pro (2.4Ghz C2D Penryn, 2gb, 200gb HD, 8600GT 256MB) listed at 22% off the RRP.
No matter how ‘used’ the computer could be, these models were only introduced 6 months ago, I knew the machine couldn’t be that beat up. So I ordered the computer.
It was 4.06pm on Monday.
It arrived 10.31am Tuesday (yes the very next day).
From Sydney!
Seriously scary service! I’ve order things from Auckland and they’ve taken longer to arrive. Shipping is done via TNT and all the necessary taxes are dealt with on Apples end. A paper reciept arrives a week later via the snail mail, funnily enough my credit card was charges as ‘iTunes New Zealand’.

As it’s a refurb, the unit came in a nondiscript whte box, with the computer surrounded in some solid yet basic padding and a long white Apple branded box (with all the standard cables/DVD/clothes inside).
Leopard was installed by default (as it is on all refurbs from Apple).

I took the computer out and it looked mint. I gave it a smell, it smelled brand new (you know the smell). It looked brand new. To be honest you wouldn’t know it wasn’t a fresh out of the box orginal if I threw it in a similar box.
The battery was brand new (as was the power adaptor) and showed 1 charge.

I don’t need to take you on a full review of the comp, I’ve written this to pass on my experience of Apple Refurbishments more than cover a 15″ MacbookPro.  So I got what seems to be a brand new $NZ3200 laptop for $2499 – A real bargin. I would highly recommended this way to get a good deal on a Mac. If you want to see what current deals are available look for the link on the bottom left side of the site – there’s plenty of iMacs, Macbooks/MacbookPro’s and even Air’s and AppleTV’s.

And finally, what’s broke? theres a couple of slight issues

The left side USB port isn’t quite flush with the casing. This is inside the case not outside, and the plug still fits all the USB cables I’ve tried, so it as much an aesthetic (and microscopic) issue.

Also I’ve had a total of 4 occourances of a strange banding in the bottom of the screen similar to the pic below. It isn’t life threatening and looks likely to be software more than hardware. I could kick up a fuss and get it replaced but for now it’s just not a biggie.

MacBook Pro liney's from Apple Discussion user 'Docfilm'

Since buying this my flatmate also took advantage of the same deal (15″ MacBook Pro) and his came in exactly the same state – a seemingly brand new laptop and a lower price.