hi guys,
i have been using macbook pro for quite sometime an very happy with it. now i am looking for second unit. i cam across a second hand unit of 2013 macbook air. how do i make sure this unit is original? are there any fake product in the market? how do i recognise them?
regards
You could check the product serial number against the online identification sites, that of course
could be faked. Also, if the computer has an OS X and is able to tell you in System Profiler or
other listing of internal hardware, a regular PC hardware would appear a bit different than Mac.
With the questionable product in your possession or close proximity for inspection, you may
find more information. If you can start it & read the information inside, much more is learned.
•How to identify your MacBook Air - Apple Support
Specifications could be cross-checked with online accessible databases, http://everymac.com
shows builds of Apple product listed and if you use an identify by serial number database, to
see what the alleged Apple or PC-fake isn't or is, that should be easy... Easier if you have it.
•Apple MacBook Air Specs (All MB/Air Technical specs) - everymac.com:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/index-macbook-air.html
•Identify your Mac - Lookup unit by Serial Number or Model Number:
https://www.powerbookmedic.com/identify-mac-serial.php
http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/
If you have downloaded the MacTracker database, it can show you more information on each
model across nearly the entire brand. http://mactracker.ca is a source for this application D/L.
How to find your Mac's model and age? - ASC user tip
Some of these sites also offer visual identification of models, where to look for in-device
serial numbers, some may be hidden or inside; others visible if unit is On, in software.
Hopefully this helps somewhat. Also an indicator may be price. If a new Apple computer or
an iDevice relies on the original owner's Apple ID and their information, it may not be worth
owning unless they transfer it. If the unit has a tie-in to an AppleID and they haven't set it
up for a new user, you may have to take the unit to an Apple Authorized service provider to
have them help set up a new owner (appleID) if you don't know how. -- And take along the
original owner whose ID set up the Mac in the first place, so they can transfer ownership.
A fake product should not need an AppleID or it may have an illegal clone on board. A fake
would probably either be a hack- in tosh or a windows pc that looks like MacBook Air. Or a
copy made by some contractor to look like a Mac. You could look into the Apple site and
check to see how to inquire deeper, in Apple Legal site. Or how to report a fake.
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
You could check the product serial number against the online identification sites, that of course
could be faked. Also, if the computer has an OS X and is able to tell you in System Profiler or
other listing of internal hardware, a regular PC hardware would appear a bit different than Mac.
With the questionable product in your possession or close proximity for inspection, you may
find more information. If you can start it & read the information inside, much more is learned.
•How to identify your MacBook Air - Apple Support
Specifications could be cross-checked with online accessible databases, http://everymac.com
shows builds of Apple product listed and if you use an identify by serial number database, to
see what the alleged Apple or PC-fake isn't or is, that should be easy... Easier if you have it.
•Apple MacBook Air Specs (All MB/Air Technical specs) - everymac.com:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/index-macbook-air.html
•Identify your Mac - Lookup unit by Serial Number or Model Number:
https://www.powerbookmedic.com/identify-mac-serial.php
http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/
If you have downloaded the MacTracker database, it can show you more information on each
model across nearly the entire brand. http://mactracker.ca is a source for this application D/L.
How to find your Mac's model and age? - ASC user tip
Some of these sites also offer visual identification of models, where to look for in-device
serial numbers, some may be hidden or inside; others visible if unit is On, in software.
Hopefully this helps somewhat. Also an indicator may be price. If a new Apple computer or
an iDevice relies on the original owner's Apple ID and their information, it may not be worth
owning unless they transfer it. If the unit has a tie-in to an AppleID and they haven't set it
up for a new user, you may have to take the unit to an Apple Authorized service provider to
have them help set up a new owner (appleID) if you don't know how. -- And take along the
original owner whose ID set up the Mac in the first place, so they can transfer ownership.
A fake product should not need an AppleID or it may have an illegal clone on board. A fake
would probably either be a hack- in tosh or a windows pc that looks like MacBook Air. Or a
copy made by some contractor to look like a Mac. You could look into the Apple site and
check to see how to inquire deeper, in Apple Legal site. Or how to report a fake.
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
In addition to checking serials & specs, boot it, try Mac specific startup keys
T = target disk mode - does the disk mount on your Mac?
S = single user mode
alt = boot picker
p+r+cmd+alt = zap pram
Many others…
Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs - Apple Support
Hackintosh's don't support all OS X startup commands… if they do, congratulations you have found a good clone 🙂
Since the MBA's body has not changed since 2010, you have to be wary of buying used MBA's where sellers are claiming it is the newer version. I have heard of cases on Craigslist where the seller advertised a 2013 MBA, but it turned out to be an older model. You will need to go into the system info and make sure it is the correct model with the correct specs.
This are the specs of the MBA i am about to buy. Is it original. How about the OS X?
how to identify fake macbook air
