I remember the horrified looks I’d receive from customers when a happy inventory specialist would bring me a replacement iPhone, iPad, or other Apple device from the back of the store. Don’t Be Afraid Of The Ugly Box: A Thank You To Apple Marketers If I was replacing a part for a customer and it displayed even the smallest imperfection, I’d send it back to inventory and request another. A close look at the warranty reveals that whenever anything breaks on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, Apple reserves the right to “repair the Apple Product using new or previously used parts that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability.”Īpple sets the standard for quality in personal electronics, and iPad, Mac, and iPhone owners have understandably come to expect near-perfection for the premium price they pay. How Do I Know If An Apple Part Is Refurbished? Apple sets a high standard and in my experience, almost always lives up to it. Truthfully, they should never be able to tell, because the part should always be indistinguishable from a brand new component. While I completely sympathize with this line of thinking, when you go through AppleCare or the Genius Bar, Apple techs never know whether a part they are giving to a customer is new or refurbished. Why are you giving me a refurbished part?” “I just bought a brand new iPhone and it broke due to no fault of my own. When a Genius pulls a part from behind the Genius Bar, nobody knows whether that part is new or refurbished.Īs an aside, one of the most common complaints I used to receive from people whose devices I was fixing went something like this: In truth, it’s a process shrouded in mystery. When I used to work for Apple, a common question I used to get was about how Apple refurbishes their products. (Drumroll, please.) The box! The Truth About Refurbished Apple Products There is one difference between new and refurbished Apple products. The One Difference Between New And Refurbished MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini, MacBook Air, and Other Apple Products If you’d like to read Apple’s official explanation about Apple Certified Refurbished Products, their website has a detailed explanation about all the steps they take to make sure refurbished products are as good as new. Just like the warranty process, both new and refurbished Apple products have the same 14 day return policy. Both new and refurbished Apple products come with the same One-Year Limited Warranty.