# WHOA! Major finds in the Apple refurb store!



## iLabmAn (Jan 1, 2003)

Refurbished Mac mini 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Apple Store (Canada)


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Yep, that's a decent price. The 2.26Model for $499 is a better find, imho


----------



## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

The $699 24" ACD's were back yesterday as well. had me seriously considering one.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

fyrefly said:


> Yep, that's a decent price. The 2.26Model for $499 is a better find, imho


I didn't know about this one. It has 2gb of ram and a larger HDD correct?


----------



## fellfromtree (May 18, 2005)

The new 21.5 iMac has been there a couple times. 1099.


----------



## Trevor... (Feb 21, 2003)

Apparently a large number of the new iMac's are having their LCD's smashed enroute - might prove to be a permanent fixture in the refurb store.


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

dang!!! I MISSED IT! 

Sold out


----------



## satchmo (May 26, 2005)

FYI, the MacBook Pro 13" 2.26 Unibody has recently come down $100 to $1099 and the 15" 2.53 was spotted at $1499.

I know it's normal for prices to drop, but one can't but wonder what's around the corner in January. Although no longer tied to the MacWorld expo, I would still expect new offering in January or February.


----------



## wslctrc (Nov 13, 2007)

I caught one of the 2ghz refurbs a few weeks back and love it. Got the mini wireless kb and magic mouse to boot, have it in out media centre hooked up to out 46" samsung lcd.


----------



## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

wslctrc said:


> I caught one of the 2ghz refurbs a few weeks back and love it.


Me too!


----------



## Newdeal (Nov 2, 2009)

*...*

The MacBook pro may get a refresh soon but the price drop was in the Canadian store only. The US store didn't drop the price of the MacBook pro and likely the only reason it dropped was because the price in the Canadian store was 20% more than in the US store when the differance on the money is only 5%


----------



## screature (May 14, 2007)

fyrefly said:


> Yep, that's a decent price. The 2.26Model for $499 is a better find, imho


When did you see that? I have been looking a lot and every time I see a 2.26 refurb it has been the same price as a new 2.26... $649... which I couldn't understand, made no sense.


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

screature said:


> When did you see that? I have been looking a a lot and every time I see a 2.26 refurb it has been the same price as a new 2.26... $649... which I couldn't understand, made no sense.


it may have been an upgraded model - ie. lower model with upgrades


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

screature said:


> When did you see that? I have been looking a lot and every time I see a 2.26 refurb it has been the same price as a new 2.26... $649... which I couldn't understand, made no sense.


It was last available 7 days ago, according to refurb.me, which is when I grabbed it:

Refurbished Mac mini 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Apple Store (Canada)

Mine even came with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD.


----------



## screature (May 14, 2007)

fyrefly said:


> It was last available 7 days ago, according to refurb.me, which is when I grabbed it:
> 
> Refurbished Mac mini 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Apple Store (Canada)
> 
> Mine even came with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD.


Nice score ff!! 

I don't understand why the ones I have been seeing have been posted at the same price as a new one at $649... It makes no sense at all. However, $499 is a fantastic deal, makes me wonder if it was a mistake on Apple's part.


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

screature said:


> I don't understand why the ones I have been seeing have been posted at the same price as a new one at $649... It makes no sense at all. However, $499 is a fantastic deal, makes me wonder if it was a mistake on Apple's part.


Nah, it's just the older "early 2009" model with the upgraded processor. It's been in and out of the store before, I'm sure it'll come back again. I'm just glad I was able to snag one


----------



## screature (May 14, 2007)

^^^ Ahhh, I see Ok, now it makes sense.


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

the store was just refreshed .. and in 1 minute all stock was Sold out!! :yikes:


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

screature said:


> When did you see that? I have been looking a lot and every time I see a 2.26 refurb it has been the same price as a new 2.26... $649... which I couldn't understand, made no sense.


okay.. now I'm SEEING the same thing you saw!!?? Doesnt make sense!!!


----------



## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

I wish there was a way to get text messages whenever new stock of refurbs arrives on the website. The good stuff goes pretty quick.


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

gmark2000 said:


> I wish there was a way to get text messages whenever new stock of refurbs arrives on the website. The good stuff goes pretty quick.


there is online service which will email you.. refurbme.com though I found it was unreliable today.


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

I've found refurb.me very unreliable with the e-mails lately. The only good thing is their widget has Growl notifications that flash a notification to my screen when the store updates.


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

Saw the Mini's again today.. managed to snag one - then at the last miniute I decided that the extra $110 for a late 2009 is worth it for the long run .. so I cancelled the order... 

the extras on the late 09 model - extra 40GB HDD/256 Video/1-> 2 GB RAM. I didnt feel like taking a chance that my refurb would have the "extra" upgrades there and I dont want to dick around trying to install memory myself and void warranty.


so, I wil have a new late 2009 mini soon


----------



## Manatus (May 11, 2009)

Isn't the 9400M video based on RAM? i.e. if you have a mini with 1G RAM and 128mb video, won't the video automatically become 256 if you upgrade the RAM to 2G? I remember reading that somewhere.


----------



## screature (May 14, 2007)

Manatus said:


> Isn't the 9400M video based on RAM? i.e. if you have a mini with 1G RAM and 128mb video, won't the video automatically become 256 if you upgrade the RAM to 2G? I remember reading that somewhere.


That is correct.


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

*Mac Minis Refurb in STOCK!*

If anyone is following this, Mac Mini Refurbs are in stock NOW.. including current models!!!

I grabbed the Base model of the Current generation for $549 !  

Sweet!


----------



## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

psxp said:


> If anyone is following this, Mac Mini Refurbs are in stock NOW.. including current models!!!
> 
> I grabbed the Base model of the Current generation for $549 !
> 
> Sweet!


Nice find!


----------



## MacDaddy68 (Dec 1, 2009)

I recently picked up a brand new (Fall 09 revision) 2.26 Mini from Apple.ca for $599 (when they were $699). I had heard that you could get it through the Educational Store without having any student I.D. (and I don't... shhh). For laughs, I gave it a try - and I'll be damned, it worked! 

I chose BC, then Camosun College... if it make any difference. I saved $100 at the time, but if you did it now, you'd only save $50. Not a huge deal by any means - but hey, I guess it's something.


----------



## Manatus (May 11, 2009)

I'm waiting for that $499 2.26 Mini to come back on the refurb site... it looks like all of the others keep going on there, except that one! I guess I could pay an extra $50 to get the 2GB version, but since I'm planning to upgrade to 4GB anyway that seems like a bit of a waste. Or there's the $469 2.0 Mini, but $30 for the processor bump seems like too good a deal to be impatient on.


----------



## wslctrc (Nov 13, 2007)

minis are up!

check it out!


----------



## mikef (Jun 24, 2003)

Minis up are right now as well...


----------



## greensuperman32 (Mar 28, 2005)

just noticed the 3.06GHz 27" iMac was in the refurb section for $1549!


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

greensuperman32 said:


> just noticed the 3.06GHz 27" iMac was in the refurb section for $1549!


It's been there a couple of times. The i5's popped in once or twice at $1799 as well.


----------



## DDKD726 (Feb 21, 2005)

Plus 1 for the refurbs. I just opened up the UPS box containing my refurb 2.26 Mac Mini. When I ordered it the specs were 2.26 processor with 320 gb hdd and 2 gb of Memory. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened up "about this Mac" and discovered I had 4 gb of DDR3 installed! 2 gb for free, woohoo!


----------



## mikef (Jun 24, 2003)

I'd send it back. You obviously didn't get what you ordered


----------



## jwootton (Dec 4, 2009)

Mini's up right now, great deal on 2.26 and server models


----------



## mikef (Jun 24, 2003)

Just Mini Servers left now...


----------



## J-Money (Jul 30, 2005)

How much was the 2.26??? I was waiting for this for a while.... missed it.


----------



## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

$549


----------



## timski (Nov 11, 2009)

I also received a 27" 3.06 1TB iMac in early January from the refurb store free of yellow tint and flicker problems. 

The unit was in new prestine condition with wrapping on the screen. The keyboard and mouse came in a generic box but were brand spanking new.

Never will you regret refurb from Apple. Plus I have one year to get apple get for 2+ more years.

Still learning Mac, by day XP on a Dell laptop, by night iMac and love it.

Tim


----------



## wslctrc (Nov 13, 2007)

mini's are up, don't wait!


----------



## titans88 (Oct 3, 2007)

Have you guys come across 13" MBP on the refurb site? I check a couple times a day and never see them!

I'm so torn. I know there will be an update soon, and I imagine there will be a slight price drop on them. I could buy now, at full price, continually look for a refurb, at a slight discount or wait until the new updated line is released and perhaps get a slightly larger discount.


----------



## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

There's a 13" MBP up there now.


----------



## DDKD726 (Feb 21, 2005)

titans88 said:


> Have you guys come across 13" MBP on the refurb site? I check a couple times a day and never see them!
> 
> .


I saw one this afternoon around 4ish for $1099.


----------



## bikemd (Sep 19, 2007)

You were asking about the 13" MBP on the refurb site. Currently, there is one listed. It's the one with the 2.26GHz processor for $1099.

As others might have pointed out, use the refurb.me website to keep track of recent and current offerings at the Apple Refurb store.

K


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer?


----------



## ldphoto (Jul 9, 2009)

Chas3 said:


> Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer?


Many people that use the computer for typical household ad family tasks will be quite happy with a mini. And you avoid all the display problems that seem to be the bane of iMacs now.

Luc


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Chas3 said:


> Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer?


Lots of people must - since the minis sell out the quickest of any of the macs once they're posted to the site.

Also, you probably mean "THEIR main computer"


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

fyrefly said:


> Lots of people must - since the minis sell out the quickest of any of the macs once they're posted to the site.
> 
> Also, you probably mean "THEIR main computer"


Knew I would miss that, I even looked it over, I'm usually a grammar nazi. I just think its silly to buy a mini when they just have those awful internal integrated graphics.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

mac minis are actually good value when you factor in their form factor. WHICH IS THE WHOLE POINT OF A MAC MINI.


----------



## Manatus (May 11, 2009)

Well really, if you're not a hardcore gamer or audio/video type producer, there's nothing really wrong with the (new) integrated graphics or the (relatively) slow processor etc. I use mine for Internet, some movie watching, some light gaming and office software tasks, and it performs just fine. Put it another way, people are still using PPC machines out there. There's no sense for a lot of people to spend $1,000 or more on a machine when they will probably never use more than 5% of its capabilities. I figure when it's time for me to upgrade, the Mini can either be sold pretty easily, or put to use as a media centre. It really depends on what you need a computer for - I'm sure there are some people out there who will use an iPad as their "main computer" and be perfectly happy.


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

i-rui said:


> mac minis are actually good value when you factor in their form factor. WHICH IS THE WHOLE POINT OF A MAC MINI.


Notice I said main computer. Don't hate on people that like to challenge apple.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

maybe it's not right for YOUR main computer. It's certainly not right for MY main computer. But for A LOT of people it IS. 

Don't hate on people who don't need to run the latest PC games at maximum frame rates.


----------



## wslctrc (Nov 13, 2007)

Chas3 said:


> Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer?





Chas3 said:


> Knew I would miss that, I even looked it over, I'm usually a grammar nazi. I just think its silly to buy a mini when they just have those awful internal integrated graphics.


We have 3 minis, 1 is used for our media computer driving a 46" LCD tv ! 1 is for our business computer and the other is because I got it for a good deal.


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

i-rui said:


> maybe it's not right for YOUR main computer. It's certainly not right for MY main computer. But for A LOT of people it IS.
> 
> Don't hate on people who don't need to run the latest PC games at maximum frame rates.


Lol well I do, for the same price, although not in the same factor as you said before. I suppose it is fine for general use, but coming from experience with my just plain horrible integrated graphics in my Macbook, which isn't just bad for gaming, it's just bad for general use, it struggles on HD Video etc. Thats pretty much the main reason I have a problem with any integrated graphics, experience.


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

i-rui said:


> maybe it's not right for YOUR main computer. It's certainly not right for MY main computer. But for A LOT of people it IS.
> 
> Don't hate on people who don't need to run the latest PC games at maximum frame rates.


I'm interested in what your main system is.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

Mac Pro 3.2ghz 8 core


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

i-rui said:


> Mac Pro 3.2ghz 8 core



How much was that when you bought it?


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

i got an amazing deal on it.


----------



## screature (May 14, 2007)

Chas3 said:


> Lol well I do, for the same price, although not in the same factor as you said before. I suppose it is fine for general use, but coming from experience with my just plain horrible integrated graphics in my Macbook, which isn't just bad for gaming, it's just bad for general use, it struggles on HD Video etc. Thats pretty much the main reason I have a problem with any integrated graphics, experience.


Not the case with the latest gen of Mini they handle HD no problem... you really should try to stick to speaking about things which you have experience with.


----------



## screature (May 14, 2007)

Chas3 said:


> Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer?


Lots of people...  my wife for one. Not everyone who uses a computer is a geek you know.


----------



## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

Chas3 said:


> Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer?


For work (software development) I use a MacBook connected to an external monitor. Same performance as a Mac mini.

At home, I'd use a Mac mini if not for photo work. Unfortunately, iPhoto and PhotoShop want a real video card for decent performance when editing.


----------



## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Chas3 said:


> ...but coming from experience with my just plain horrible integrated graphics in my Macbook, which isn't just bad for gaming, it's just bad for general use, it struggles on HD Video etc. Thats pretty much the main reason I have a problem with any integrated graphics, experience.


Integrated Graphics are terrible regardless - but does your MacBook have the GMA950 or X3100 Intel graphics? Or the 9400m?

The 9400m, while an "integrated" chip, isn't a high-end card by any means, but it's heads and tails over the Intel GMAs.


----------



## Chas3 (Jul 14, 2007)

screature said:


> Not the case with the latest gen of Mini they handle HD no problem... you really should try to stick to speaking about things which you have experience with.


Implying that even matters, Integrated Graphics are a ball and chain for a desktop.


----------



## ScanMan (Sep 11, 2007)

screature said:


> Lots of people...  my wife for one. Not everyone who uses a computer is a geek you know.


+1 wife.


----------



## iLabmAn (Jan 1, 2003)

Bought a refurb 2.0 GHZ Mac Mini yesterday. Visited the site: nothing. A few seconds later....four models for grabs. Opted for the 2.0 GHZ with 320 HD rather than the 2.26 GHZ with a 160 gig HD for the same price: $549.00

That makes two Minis in the family.


----------



## titans88 (Oct 3, 2007)

bikemd said:


> You were asking about the 13" MBP on the refurb site. Currently, there is one listed. It's the one with the 2.26GHz processor for $1099.
> 
> As others might have pointed out, use the refurb.me website to keep track of recent and current offerings at the Apple Refurb store.
> 
> K


It seems every time I have the opportunity to check, all the 13" MBP are gone! 

I'll definitely use the refurb.me website to track. Thanks for the heads up everyone!


----------



## Mckitrick (Dec 25, 2005)

27" iMacs on there now.. I've never seen them on there so far...


----------



## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

The 27"'s have been showing up fairly often lately...but they don't last long.


----------



## mrlarter (Nov 25, 2007)

so far I've had a lot of success from the refurb section of apple.


----------



## Trevor... (Feb 21, 2003)

I'm a geek and I am about to buy my third Mac Mini.


----------



## wslctrc (Nov 13, 2007)

Trevor... said:


> I'm a geek and I am about to buy my third Mac Mini.


We have three now, 2.26 (media), 2.0 (office) and 1.83 (office)


----------



## Trevor... (Feb 21, 2003)

For me I just like their modular nature, I am still using the same screen I bought for my original Mini five years ago.

I also upgraded my original Intel mini three times. 

I also have four computers at my desk (2 PC's, the Mini and an iMac) so I appreciate anything that saves a little space and can share a monitor.


----------



## iLabmAn (Jan 1, 2003)

wslctrc said:


> We have three now, 2.26 (media), 2.0 (office) and 1.83 (office)


We now have two and loving each one. 

2.0 GHZ: main office
1.66 GHZ: entertainment center

Now, it's surprising to find that the 1.66 GHZ is slightly more responsive than our new one. The only explanation I have is that the former was recently upgraded with a larger, faster internal HD.


----------



## wslctrc (Nov 13, 2007)

iLabmAn said:


> We now have two and loving each one.
> 
> 2.0 GHZ: main office
> 1.66 GHZ: entertainment center
> ...


I find they all take the same time to boot to desktop.


----------



## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

" ... ]Who actually wants a Mac Mini, at any price, as there main computer? ..."

I love the two Mini's I have. I picked up a Mini Server which is doing an excellent job, and I use a PPC Mini as a music server, hooked up to the audio system. They are compact, low power devices that perform admirably.

Because I'm doing a fairly long-term home renovation (and living in the home at the same time) the PPC Mini has been my "main" computer for about the last 8 months. It is compact, low power, and easily moved to another room (which is essential; the house under reno is quite small) in about 20 minutes. I have nothing to complain about; it is an excellent desktop machine for anyone who does not need specialized cards, which describes the vast majority of users.

I recently picked up a Macbook Pro which will take over as the "main" computer.

The server is doing an excellent job and there's nothing I've thrown at it that it doesn't do with speed and efficiency. It is the main repository for all my files (some dating back as far as two decades), serves iTunes and video to any connected Mac, is a central point for onsite and offsite backups, handles Time Machine backups for all the machines I use (3 other Macs), and runs a 4-camera (firewire) security system 24/7. That is by no means a lightweight task load, and gives a great example of the abilities of a modern Mini.

As for desktop use, even though the Macbook Pro is a "better" computer for everyday use, there is nothing beyond portability and some overall speed that the PPC Mini really lacks.

You could easily set up a very viable home desktop system with a used Mini and a commodity LCD screen for money that might run as little as $400. As far as I'm concerned, that's a good answer as to why anyone would "actually want a Mini as their main computer".

Getting back ontopic, the combo of Refurbme and Growl is the way to go if you have a certain Mac configuration in mind and want to grab a deal from the Refurb store quickly. If you move within about 5 minutes of a Growl notification, you probably will get what you want. Models in the refurb store are definitely limited quantities, in some cases there is just one machine available.

---------------------
Notasig:
MacBook Pro 17" Antiglare; 2.8 GHz
MacBook 13"; 2 GHz Core Duo (being retired)
Mac Mini Server (Server)
Mac Mini G4-1.5GHz (iTunes to hifi)
Quicksilver G4-867; RME Digi96/8 (8-ch audio recording)
21" LCD monitor
8-port Gigabit router


----------

