Buying a macbook that's a 'display model'

Lily-Rose_3

A good idea or not?

We went to Currys/PC World yesterday, and saw a macbook down from a £1000 to £775, but it was a display model.

I think that Apple products are overpriced anyway (sorry if this offends anyone, it's JMO,) so I think even £775 is a lot, ESPECIALLY for a shop floor model that has been messed about with and has probably had the buttons and mousepad bashed. In addition, it's probably been on for 1000s of hours!

You can get a guarantee and the 'care package' or whatever it is, but they will probably say it's 'wear and tear' or something!

What would you do?

Oh, it's my husband that wants it...not me.

Peter333

Avoid.

Like the plague.

Macbooks are intricate and delicate, and the display model may well have been on 12 hours a day for a year!

In addition, the keys could be wobbly, the screen may have been prodded and poked, toddlers could have bashed it and sat on it, and you probably won't have the original instructions, or leads, or box.

It may even have been brought back by a customer previously!

It's not even that much of an amazing reduction.

Leave it. I would.

jaybeetoo

Peter333 wrote: »

Macbooks are intricate and delicate,

Nonsense!

... and the display model may well have been on 12 hours a day for a year!

In addition, the keys could be wobbly, the screen may have been prodded and poked, toddlers could have bashed it and sat on it, and you probably won't have the original instructions, or leads, or box.

It may even have been brought back by a customer previously!

It's not even that much of an amazing reduction.

Leave it. I would.

I agree!

BertieBark

Peter333 wrote: »

Avoid.

Like the plague.

Macbooks are intricate and delicate, and the display model may well have been on 12 hours a day for a year!

In addition, the keys could be wobbly, the screen may have been prodded and poked, toddlers could have bashed it and sat on it, and you probably won't have the original instructions, or leads, or box.

It may even have been brought back by a customer previously!

It's not even that much of an amazing reduction.

Leave it. I would.

I totally disagree with this. Macbooks are rock solid and hold their value better than anything else out there.

The Macbook I bought it 2008 (which my wife now uses) has been dropped and trodden on, and bar a few cracks it's still working great.

The Macbook Pro I had 2011-2013 was used out in the field, knocked, bashed, rested on tarmac, taken on countless flights, and again apart from some minor cosmetics it was spot on.

Compared with the Dells and HP's that I've owned (which normally show some fault after 18months or so - worn screen cable, knackered battery, failed CD drive etc..) the Macbooks are well worth the extra cost.

paddyrg

Take it on its individual merits, I bought an HP laptop, ex-display, incredible spec i7, beautiful display, mounds of ram, etc for half the final list price from Curry's - really solid, lasted 3 years to date of working hard. I was expecting to spend over a grand on a machine, so £600 saving was worth it.

Only issue was that it had the display store presentation burnt into the screen a little to begin with, but that soon went.

I_have_spoken

Not nearly a big enough discount, the battery will be knackered for a start

supersuzie50

My mac has been wonderful, reliable and brilliant. As a full time carer - it has has been my life saver.

Handsome90

I would never buy anything from Curry's no matter how cheap the item it is. They have terrible customer service. You could check out the Apple refurbished macs here http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

They have the same warranty as a new one and I reckon the battery should have been changed as well.

shortchanged_2

Grab yourself a bargain...................................don't get a Mac.

Peter333

BertieBark wrote: »

I totally disagree with this. Macbooks are rock solid and hold their value better than anything else out there.

The Macbook I bought it 2008 (which my wife now uses) has been dropped and trodden on, and bar a few cracks it's still working great.

The Macbook Pro I had 2011-2013 was used out in the field, knocked, bashed, rested on tarmac, taken on countless flights, and again apart from some minor cosmetics it was spot on.

Compared with the Dells and HP's that I've owned (which normally show some fault after 18months or so - worn screen cable, knackered battery, failed CD drive etc..) the Macbooks are well worth the extra cost.

Not for one that has been on probably 12 hours a day for a year.

I think anyone who pays £800 for a floor display model needs their head testing.

Glad to see the majority agree that buying a shop floor model is a bad idea.

What did you decide to do Lily-Rose?

Personally, I find Apple very over-priced, and frankly, no better than anything else, and IMO, they are just surviving on their name alone. My laptop (a Toshiba) has lasted 7 years. It cost £350. That has ALSO been battered and dropped and had stuff spilt over it and God knows what else. And it still works as well as the day I bought it. Some macs (like the pro,) are £1500! Insane price!

Mac books, I-macs, I-pods etc, I think are over-rated and over-priced fancy gadgets.

JMHO.

GwylimT

I have a MacBook at the moment, the old style white one which I bought in 2008, it was a display MacBook in the apple store in Birmingham, although my discount was 50%. It has never had any problems and it was once run over by my wife's electric wheelchair.