MP 6,1 2013 Mac Pro Serial Number

[SpotOnT]

Bit of an odd question. Anyone ever come across a Trash Can Mac Pro where the last four digits of the serial number were: N1VX?

I have never seen a reference to this model before, but just came across one by chance and am trying to determine what was the original configuration (CPU/GPU/RAM/SSD) and if it was a refurbished model.

Only reference I could find to it on Google was from the open core GitHub, which basically just confirms it exists.

 

[MisterAndrew]

Refurbished model will have a 6 in the second digit instead of 5. The last four digits don't really match up with a specific configuration (we found several different configurations with the same last four digits and same configuration with different digits).

 

[SpotOnT]

Refurbished model will have a 6 in the second digit instead of 5. The last four digits don't really match up with a specific configuration (we found several different configurations with the same last four digits and same configuration with different digits).

Thank you for the reply! That is really interesting. For some reason I was under the impression that the last four digits signified build configuration, and I simply have never seen the N1VX build before.

The system in question has the serial F5KCW***N1VX, which would imply that Apple was still manufacturing the 2013 Mac Pro in June of 2020....which I find completely amazing. I could see them still refurbishing units in 2020 with leftover pieces, but manufacturing new Mac Pros that long after discontinuing the device really surprises me.

This all came up because I recently helped a friend order a 2013 Mac Pro from OWC that is supposed to be new (not refurbished) and have full Apple Care. Apple is giving him a really hard time about applying the Apple Care to the device (saying it is long expired already) and is also telling him that they can't verify on their end if a computer is new or Apple Refurbished. But even setting aside any bureaucratic frustrations, I just find the idea that Apple was still making Mac Pros in the middle of 2020 very interesting.

 

[tsialex]

Thank you for the reply! That is really interesting. For some reason I was under the impression that the last four digits signified build configuration, and I simply have never seen the N1VX build before.

The system in question has the serial F5KCW***N1VX, which would imply that Apple was still manufacturing the 2013 Mac Pro in June of 2020....which I find completely amazing. I could see them still refurbishing units in 2020 with leftover pieces, but manufacturing new Mac Pros that long after discontinuing the device really surprises me.

This all came up because I recently helped a friend order a 2013 Mac Pro from OWC that is supposed to be new (not refurbished) and have full Apple Care. Apple is giving him a really hard time about applying the Apple Care to the device (saying it is long expired already) and is also telling him that they can't verify on their end if a computer is new or Apple Refurbished. But even setting aside any bureaucratic frustrations, I just find the idea that Apple was still making Mac Pros in the middle of 2020 very interesting.

The real build date is hidden inside the MLB sector of the BootROM, at the very end of the image. With SIP disabled, you can dump the BootROM with ROMTool.

Btw, if you dump it, I'd like to take a look at it.

 

[SpotOnT]

Btw, if you dump it, I'd like to take a look at it.

This is not my device and if Apple won't honor Apple Care on the unit, I am not sure my friend plans on keeping it, but if I get a chance to try a dump, I will definitely give you a heads up! I too, would be very interested in the details.

 

[MisterAndrew]

This all came up because I recently helped a friend order a 2013 Mac Pro from OWC that is supposed to be new (not refurbished) and have full Apple Care. Apple is giving him a really hard time about applying the Apple Care to the device (saying it is long expired already) and is also telling him that they can't verify on their end if a computer is new or Apple Refurbished. But even setting aside any bureaucratic frustrations, I just find the idea that Apple was still making Mac Pros in the middle of 2020 very interesting.

One is reason is probably because OWC is not an authorized Apple reseller.

 

[chrfr]

This all came up because I recently helped a friend order a 2013 Mac Pro from OWC that is supposed to be new (not refurbished) and have full Apple Care. Apple is giving him a really hard time about applying the Apple Care to the device (saying it is long expired already)

You'd need to take this up with OWC, who is, or was, likely misrepresenting what they were selling. Since they're not an authorized Apple reseller, the warranty would have started when Apple sold the computer to whoever they sold it to, which maybe was OWC, but maybe wasn't. Apple hasn't sold these as new or refurbished in long enough that I'm sure the original warranty has expired on all of them.

 

[SpotOnT]

One is reason is probably because OWC is not an authorized Apple reseller. Another reason is that Apple does not want to sell AC+ warranties for the 6,1 anymore, because in their greediness, they sold all of their remaining 6,1s (e.g. to OWC). Therefore, they don't have any warranty replacement units. So if a problem arises that requires replacement of the machine Apple has to give you a 7,1 and they don't want to do that. An issue arose with one of my 6,1s (that has AC+) this year that Apple has had trouble fixing and there has been enormous pushback against providing a replacement, even after an Apple Store manager promised it to me. Unfortunately it was a verbal agreement and in the case notes they only wrote something like, "talked to customer about replacement."

Yes, that is exactly my guess. This was probably a final dump from Apple through some off-channel sales distribution network. It just would be nice if Apple would actually confirm if the thing is refurbished.

What did Apple end up doing for you regarding a replacement for your 6,1? I have another friend who managed to find one of these things a few months ago at their local Micro Center (an authorized Apple retailer). Apple gave him a really hard time about the Apple Care, but eventually agreed if he brought the computer into a store for "inspection". So he brought it down, still factory sealed in the retail box. The whole store had a laugh over that, but he was able to get his 3-year Apple Care. No idea what they will do for him if something goes wrong in 2024 though.

 

[MisterAndrew]

They said the only thing they can do is send it to the depot for repair.

 

[SpotOnT]

They said the only thing they can do is send it to the depot for repair. I don't know if a replacement option will magically become available if it reaches a certain number of repair attempts. Some people on the forums say 3 or 4 repairs, but it might depend on the state or country which have different consumer rights laws. Apparently they have it easy in the UK. There's a video on YouTube that says you just have to say 3 words to Apple, but that doesn't work in the US I guess.

If some issue develops with his Mac they can't fix they'll either continue to give him the runaround or replace it with a 7,1 or newer, depending what they have available to give as a like for like exchange. Of course never ever intentionally cause any damage to the Mac because that violates the terms of the AppleCare+ agreement. I don't know how it works out if there's an issue they can't duplicate. Just keep sending it back I guess.

Good heavens, that is nuts! What is the problem with the device?

Well just an update on my friends 6,1. Apple did agree to provide Apple Care on the unit from OWC, and he purchased AC+, so I guess he has official Apple coverage until 2025. He needs a system that runs macOS 10.12, so hopefully if anything happens with the hardware down the road, they will be able to repair the thing rather than upgrade him to something newer. I am not convinced Apple Care was a smart purchase for him, but he wanted it.

Only bummer is Apple is still unable to verify if the thing is new, refurbished, or what. Seems like they absolutely should be able to lookup a devices history from the serial number, but they mainly seem confused that the device has a manufacturing date of June, 2020 when it was discontinued in Dec. 2019.

If my friend lets me, I will try to do a ROM dump, just to see what that shows.