15” MacBook Pro Retina: 221 PPI (pixels per inch), iPad Air: 264 PPI, iPhone 6 Plus: 401 PPI. That covers three of the four Apple devices I use regularly. Is it any wonder that I feel like something is wrong with my eyes whenever I login to my 2009 27” iMac with its paltry 109 PPI? And to think, I used to believe the big guy with its 2560 X 1440 display was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Now, compared to all my other Apple devices, every pixel on the 27” screen looks as big as a golfball. Somethin’s gotta give.
Enter the new 27” iMac 5K Retina. With its 5120 X 2880 resolution and 218 PPI density, Apple’s most recent desktop offering is just what the doctor ordered to relieve my blurry vision. I looked at one at my Apple store and it is as beautiful as all the reviews say. There’s only one word for the 5K display: Stunning! And now, I can get one at a significant discount. It’s been just long enough after the launch for the big beauties to start showing up on Apple’s refurbished site. So far, I haven’t found the exact machine I’m looking for, but sooner or later it’ll show up and I’ll be on it like a duck on a Junebug. I like my Macs like I like my Thanksgiving turkey, stuffed. Almost every Mac I’ve ever bought for myself has been a BTO (build to order) machine with every checkbox on the order form checked. I want the Core i7 and the upgraded GPU with at least 512 GB of flash storage (I’d prefer the 1TB flash, but the 512 will do). It’s a tall order, I know, but with a bit of patience and a lot of page refreshes I’ll find what I want. If you’ve never bought an Apple certified refurbished device, I urge you to check Apple’s site before you pay “full boat” for a new goodie. It isn’t unusual to find a current-generation machine at as much as 20% off the normal price. This applies to almost everything Apple makes, iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs and accessories and it all comes with the full original warranty. I’ve purchased more Macs (for personal and business use) than I can remember from Apple’s refurb site and every one was nearly impossible to discern from brand new. The only problem is, refurbished Macs show up on the site seemingly randomly and you can’t modify its hardware configuration. Getting exactly what you want often requires checking the site frequently and when a Mac you want shows up, snatch it! There’s no guarantee it’ll be there five minutes later.
So, now I’m in “hover” mode, circling the Apple refurb site like a buzzard, waiting for my dream machine to show.
Sorry. Gotta go. Time to check the site again.