Apple on Thursday began selling certified refurbished M1 Mac mini models for the first time in the United States and Canada. The refurbished minis offer a nice 15% or so discount over brand-new Mac minis.
Buyers can score a refurbished Mac mini with the M1 chip, 256GB of SSD storage, and 8GB of unified memory is available for $589, compared to $699 brand new. Availability of other models of the M1 Mac mini fluctuates, so be sure to check the store on a regular basis.
Apple also began selling refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with the M1 chip in select countries earlier this week.
Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple’s stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, every unit is evaluated to ensure it meets Apple’s quality standards.
Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:
- undergoes full functionality testing and any defective modules identified in testing are replaced.
- Apple Watch and Apple Pencil devices that require replacement parts are not included in the Apple Certified Refurbished Program.
- is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
- is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes).
- includes either the Operating System originally shipped with the unit or, in some cases, a more recent version.
- is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.
Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple’s Finished Goods testing procedures.
Apple’s refurbished Macs are covered by a one-year limited warranty and have a 14-day return policy. AppleCare+ coverage is available as well.
