New or Refurbished iMac i7?

Except for this current iMac, I have always had refurbs (in this case, I just couldn't wait for a refurb to become available - I had to have it now..); I've never had a "lemon", they've always looked brand new, included a new keyboard and mouse and of course, include the same one year warranty. Plus you can buy the extended Applecare if you want. I'd say go for it - note: those refurbs usually disappear rather quickly; if you are set on one particular model, check the site several times a day and jump on it when you see one.

I agree with Barbara. I've only gotten one refurb Mac (and an Airport Extreme), but it's great.

Some folks say they're actually more reliable than a brand new one, since the Apple techs test them extensively, which doesn't happen with the new ones.

And you can't go wrong with AppleCare. I usually don't get extended warranties, but it's quite worthwhile.

Especially with a desktop, since if you live within 50 miles of an AppleStore, they'll send a tech +*to your home+* if necessary. I had to drag my old 17" G5 to the Apple store several times and even in the original box, with carrying handle, it was a pain. I can't imagine doing that with my 24", much less your 27".

Have fun with your new Mac!

Same here - refurb'd 27" i7 - ordered today and already received the shipping notice! Totally stoked!!!

I'm in the same boat...I can buy a refurb i7 imac or a new one for $180 more (with a discount). Are you happy you went with a refurb? Other than coming in a plain box, was there anything that wasn't "like new"?

Haven't received it yet, but I'll let you know once I do and get set up.

You can't tell a refurb from a new one once out of the box, they're virtually identical. The only difference is the box and that's it.

The website does say that refurbs could have cosmetic blemishes. I've never experienced this and the refurb I just got was in perfect condtion.

Glor

Glorfindeal wrote:
The website does say that refurbs could have cosmetic blemishes.

Thanks wasn't aware of that, however I have never seen or heard of one that did have any cosmetic blemishes.

Ditto.

Got the machine today, in a plain white box as mentioned, without anything to indicate even the tiniest flaw on the machine itself. Set it up, ran Software Update, tested all the ports, Airport, ethernet, etc, then took it for a little spin and can happily say this is probably the best deal I've ever gotten! This thing rocks! And I haven't noticed any hints of yellowing on the screen either (probably my biggest concern). No complaints and only the highest recommendations for Apple's refurb'd product!

Slightly off-topic, this is my first experience with the mini wireless keyboard (I have a wired full-size keyboard on my other iMac) and I have to say that it just feels kind of weird - I keep missing the 'j' key and offsetting my entire right hand because the keyboard just feels 'shrunk'. Guess I'll get used to it eventually, but I'll probably hook up the wired keyboard on this and use the wireless one for the iPad/travel.

Congratulations and glad you're happy with it.

You will get used to the keyboard, if you don't you can always buy a wired keyboard that has the 10 key pad, Apple still sells them. That's my preference but most people learn to love wireless everything.

Stonefingers wrote:
. . .
Slightly off-topic, this is my first experience with the mini wireless keyboard

That's why I still use the big, extended wireless keyboard from my old G5 iMac (now 6 years old). It still works fine, but gets dirty easily and isn't easy to clean.

Stonefingers...Thanks for the update on the refurb. The screen quality is a big concern of mine as well, so I'm glad to hear yours didn't have any yellowing.

I'm sticking with my wired apple aluminum keyboard...I just like the keypad too much. It feels strange when I type on my macbook keyboard, and get frustrated when I have to punch in a lot of numbers for something.