How to determine the release date of Apple equipment by serial number

How to determine the release date of Apple equipment by 12-digit serial number

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Every Apple device comes with a standardized serial number. All current models from 2010 to 2022 have a 12-digit serial number, which replaced the old 11-digit one.

The apple serial number includes information about the manufacturer, year of manufacture, identification number, as well as information about color and memory parameters. The serial number is located in the system settings, on the device body and on the box.

And until 2010, in the serial number, the release date was encoded in the 3rd, 4th and fifth digits of SN. The third character indicated the year of manufacture (for example, 8 = 2008); the fourth and fifth gave information about the week in which the device was released (from 01 to 52 weeks). Below is a clear example of the serial number of the popular iPhone 4 phone

Since 2010, the encoding of Apple product serial numbers has changed significantly. Now the number began to consist of 12 characters (instead of the old 11) and there were more letters in it.

The structure of Apple's 12-digit serial numbers is as follows:

• the first three characters are the code of the factory that produced the device. Unfortunately, we have not found the decryption of these codes in the public domain.
• the fourth character is the code of the half-year in which the device was released
• the fifth character is the release week code within this half-year
• sixth, seventh and eighth digits – unique code for each device
• the last four characters are the model code indicating the generation, memory size, color, characteristics, etc.

Let us explain how to find out the year and week of release of a specific device (above the serial number of the MacBook Air). You need to pay attention to the fourth and fifth digits of the serial number. The fourth character, in our case “M,” encodes the half-year, and according to a very strange system - the counting of half-years begins in 2010, and the numbering is alphabetic, starting with the letter C. The letters E, I, O and U cannot be found in the numbering. In total, 20 letters are involved in the encoding, i.e. Apple will use 12-digit serial numbers for exactly ten years, and in 2020 it will switch to a new format (presumably 13-digit numbers). The correspondence table between letters and years is as follows:

What to do when buying a MacBook?

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The release date of a 12-digit number is determined by the fourth character of the number

Pros and cons of buying a used Mac

The biggest and fattest benefit of buying a used Mac is the cost savings. By choosing the right moment and carefully monitoring the market, you can find great deals that would not fit into your budget when buying a new computer. This is the most important advantage and it justifies all the troubles.

There is, perhaps, only one drawback - the complexity of the procedure and the high probability of making a mistake in the absence of experience. You can run into scammers who will sell you a defective or refurbished Mac, or even lose money altogether. If you do decide to buy a used Mac, keep in mind the possible consequences.

The week of the semester is encrypted in the fifth character of the number.

The following symbols (seventh to twelfth) are individual for each individual product

A little confusing, right? Let's look at the serial number from the middle of the article using a practical example: DMPMK096FKYC

The fourth sign is M, this is the first half of 2014. The fifth sign is K, we take into account the first half of the year and get the 16th week of 2014.

Delivery

Selecting a delivery method

You shouldn't skimp on shipping, at least for such expensive purchases you shouldn't choose the cheapest option. It is mandatory to have insurance covering cases of damage or loss of a precious parcel. I think it’s better not to trust Russian Post with such things and use the services of EMS or regional delivery services. Ukrainian State Post is a bit slower, but there are many alternatives available that offer higher quality services.

Insurance

As mentioned above, insurance is required, and for the full amount of the purchase. When sending, the seller can evaluate the parcel, indicating any value. This service costs money and depends on the amount of insurance, so you may be offered to save money by insuring the shipment for, say, 50% of the cost. Do not agree, this is exactly the case when it is better to overpay and be calmer.

Delivery payment

Typically, shipping costs are borne by the buyer, and even if the seller indicates that shipping will be at his expense, the cost of delivery is most often included in the price of the product. This nuance can be discussed even if you pay for the delivery - as a bargaining chip, you can ask to drop a small amount that will cover your expenses.

Precautionary measures

Even if the seller turned out to be a very polite and decent person during communication, it is better to play it safe and take some precautions. You can protect yourself from replacing your Mac when you see one computer in the photo and description, but upon receipt it is completely different - you can ask the seller for serial numbers and then check them at the courier service office. Ask to send you the serial number, as well as a photo of it on the screen and the device itself.

Checking information by Serial Number (Automatic decryption of Apple S/N)

There are several specialized services and utilities that allow you to automatically decrypt serial number data.

• Official Apple website . On the service page, you can check your device for an active warranty and technical support.
• Chipmunk website . The resource provides a complete decoding of the serial number, including the device model, year and month of manufacture, as well as basic technical characteristics. Free verification is available for up to 10 serial numbers per month, after which a paid subscription will be required. Registration is not required.
• Mactracker utility . It is the most comprehensive database of all Apple devices. The utility will not be able to determine the release date of a specific model, but a search by serial number will provide all available information about the device, including hardware parameters and the current price. Mactracker is available for Mac and PC.

If you have any questions or can’t find the information you need by serial number, call us and we will help you solve the problem.

And if the article turned out to be useful, share it on social networks or rate it in the comments below.

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Expert advice: How to choose the right service?

Never needed electronics repair before?

Don't know where to start? First of all, don’t worry! Signs of good and quality service are immediately visible. We have prepared instructions for those who are looking for a workshop or service center for Apple repair

Real, honest and transparent prices on the site

Real deadlines and a guarantee are respect for you

Reputation of Apple professionals and several years of experience

Read the checklist for choosing an Apple service

Who needs it?

Most often, people buy second-hand Macs when they want to get acquainted with OS X. Many people don't want to spend money on a new computer, fearing that it won't work for them. Another common scenario is buying a used Mac for iOS development. A developer may give preference to other brands and operating systems, but to create applications for Apple gadgets, you need a Mac. Otherwise, people buy used Macs when they want to save money or get a better investment by buying a used, but more powerful Mac.

Where to repair Macbook, iMac and iPhone

Checklist for choosing a reliable service center for repairing Apple equipment

Prices

Fair, not overpriced and not underestimated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without asterisks, clear and detailed, where technically possible - as accurate and conclusive as possible.

Deadlines

If spare parts are available, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs require much less time. The website shows the approximate duration of any repair.

Warranty and responsibility

A guarantee must be given for any repairs. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.

Stock

Half the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works with suppliers directly, there are always several reliable channels and your own warehouse with proven spare parts for current models, so you don’t have to waste extra time.

Free diagnostics

This is very important and has already become a rule of good manners for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you don't have to pay a penny for it, even if you don't repair the device based on its results.

Service repairs and delivery

A good service values ​​your time, so it offers free delivery. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of a service center: they can be done correctly and according to technology only in a prepared place.

Convenient schedule

If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient to fit in before and after work. Good service works on weekends and holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00

The reputation of professionals consists of several points

Company age and experience

Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time. If a company has been on the market for many years and has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, and recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the service center are restored. Other service centers trust us and refer complex cases to us.

How many masters in areas

If there are always several engineers waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure: 1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken care of right away. 2. you give your Macbook for repair to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices

Technical literacy

If you ask a question, a specialist should answer it as accurately as possible. So that you can imagine what exactly you need. They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, from the description you can understand what happened and how to fix the problem.

Openness of the service is the key to mutual trust and cooperation

Social media

If they are trying to organize a convenient service for you, you will definitely find the company on VK, Facebook, Instagram, and of course, on the Youtube channel. Here you can always, in an informal setting, look at the life of the service from the inside, evaluate examples of repairs, and communicate with specialists live. It’s convenient, and now you simply can’t live without social networks

Faces of the company

Apple's seasoned experts and engineers are superheroes, but they don't wear masks. On the website and on social networks you can always see who you are going to, see photos and learn a little about the engineers and service managers. You can write to each of them, suggest or clarify something with someone with whom you have already communicated.

Reviews

You can understand a lot from reviews if you treat them correctly. The overall assessment of the service should be positive and high. But the rating cannot be maximum. Reviews can be both positive and negative, the main thing is that they respond to them, communicate, make decisions, help, that is, treat them like a human being.

Ask a Question

MITROSHKIN VITALY NIKOLAEVICH May 28

Question: HELLO. WHEN AN OUTGOING CALL THE SUBSCRIBER HEARS ME VERY BADLY. SOMETIMES A GRADIENT OF ALL COLORS JUMPS OUT IN HALF THE SCREEN. iPhone 7+ 128 go.

Answer: Good afternoon, Vitaly! There are two options in your case: the speaker is simply clogged and will need to be cleaned, or the speaker itself is faulty and is failing and will need to be replaced (unlikely, since they rarely break, but possible). In any case, you need to watch. After diagnostics, we will be able to accurately tell you the problem, offer a solution, and guide you on the timing and amount of repairs. Contact us, we will be happy to help. Best regards, MacPlus!

View full commentHide

KANEEV MARAT RAVILIEVICH August 13

Question: I accidentally touched a glass of orange juice and spilled water on my keyboard. I immediately turned it off and turned it upside down, then wiped it and let it dry for two days. When I turned it on, the laptop started up, but I didn’t like the sound of its operation, the fan was running at high speeds, some keys did not produce the symbols that were written on them. I turned off the car and haven't turned it on again since then. Have you ever encountered such a repair? How and where to send a “MacBook Air 13' 2012” for repair, what should I indicate in the address when handing over the parcel to the delivery service? My location: Northwestern region, Komi Republic, Ukhta.

Answer: Good afternoon, Marat! Our service center is located at: Moscow, Russia, 105120, Kurskaya metro station, Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya, 11 k. 1 We encountered this type of malfunction and corrected this problem. But to determine the exact cause of the malfunction after flooding, diagnostics are required, which our service center performs for free.

View full commentHide

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Question

Repair request

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Payment

Final price

Keep in mind that even if the seller has not indicated negotiability in the description, he may still agree to renegotiate the final price. The chances increase if you have compelling arguments, which could be external condition, battery wear, performance, lack of necessary upgrades, boxes, documents and other important details.

Payment method

Of course, your most preferred payment method is to transfer money after the desired purchase is in your hands. If we are talking about an online purchase, then this is cash on delivery (payment upon receipt). You will have to pay extra for it to the courier service separately, but it will be safer.

If you trust the seller, perhaps making a purchase on the recommendation of friends, or trust thousands of reviews from previous buyers, then you can choose prepayment. In this case, you transfer the agreed amount of money in a way convenient for you (most often a transfer to a bank card), after which the seller sends you the purchase.

Guarantees

It is definitely worth mentioning guarantees. If the seller is willing to give you at least a little time to check the Mac or the moneyback, then in most cases everything should be fine. Otherwise, you need to be more careful and perhaps even refuse the services of this seller.

Run Hardware Test

After checking the basic parameters of the Macbook, you should restart the laptop. The restart is done while holding down the D (Option (⌥) + D) keys. This combination will enable Hardware Test, which will determine the main errors in the operation of the laptop.

You should wait 5-25 minutes, after which the test results will appear on the screen. You can get a detailed explanation of each code on the Apple technical forum. Below are the main ones:

• ADP000 - everything is fine;
• CNW001-006 - complications with Wi-Fi;
• CNW007, 008 - can’t find Wi-Fi;
• NDC001-006 - problems with the camera;
• NDD001 - difficulties with the USB port;
• NDK001-004 - problems with the keys;
• NDR001,003,004 - trackpad problems;
• NNN001 - serial number cannot be found;
• PFR001 - problems with firmware;
• PPM002-015 - hard drive failure;
• PPP001-003, 007 - problems with charging. The cord should be removed and reinserted;
• PPT002,003, 007 - critically low battery power. It is worn out and needs replacement.
• VDH005 - System Restore cannot be started;
• VFD001-007 - difficulties with the monitor.

Useful information: Which MacBook to choose in 2022: review, comparison, reviews

To exit, you need to click “Reboot” or “Shut Down” at the bottom of the window.

Testing a MacBook before purchasing may take 20 minutes to 1.5 hours, but it is a necessity. Thanks to it, you can be confident in the flawless operation of your laptop.

conclusions

And yet, despite the potential difficulties and a bunch of nuances, people buy both old (inexpensive) and modern, very expensive Macs on the secondary market. If you live in a metropolitan area or have experience with online shopping and are computer savvy or have friends who are, there is no reason to miss out on the opportunity to buy a good Mac at an affordable price. Apple technology is very reliable and becomes obsolete much faster than physically. A Mac that no longer meets the demands of a professional will serve you well for many years to come.

Apple is the standard of quality. A MacBook released in 2015 can match the performance of Windows laptops from 2022. However, you should check the MacBook on key parameters before buying. Below you can read how this is done thoroughly, with a precision that can be envied.