apple should have a 2 year protection plan, too

[jefhatfield]

compaq has two and three year protection plans

some people only keep their machines two years these days before it becomes too obsolete for their home and business needs

gamers i know rarely keep a machine two years

apple should definitely have a two year protection plan also

[ftaok]

Why bother with a 2 year plan? Seriously.

Most computers come with a 1-year warranty these days. Just by it with a credit card that offers extended warranty protection (i.e. American Express) and you'll get a 2-year warranty (minus toll free tech support) for free.

OK, so not everyone can afford an Amex card. I'm sure there's plenty of Platinum Visa cards out there, with similar extended warranty plans, that have $0 annual fee.

[Ensign Paris]

I though you could increase the plan (like when it has finished)

Probably just me, it would be a good idea for people with servers (especially now the xserve is out) to have a longer plan, we replace our servers every 2 years, so it could work out quite well. I would voice this over at the apple osx feedback centre (http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/)

Ensign

[jefhatfield]

hey, whassup ftaok?

i didn't know you could get two years with a credit card purchase

i just can't see keeping my next machine for over two years

have you seen how fast technology is moving now? and it really takes no time before the software one buys outstrips a two year old machine

in the old days, many good software programs could be used on computers several years old

many 2000 era ibooks cannot even run os x with a minor game or photoshop for just cropping photos...the ram limit on these machines is 320 MB and some users wouldn't even attempt to run os x alone on just that much ram

[jelloshotsrule]

i guess the question is how much to charge for 2 years... i mean, if you have at least enough money to get a new machine every 2 years, you can probably afford the 3 year protection without TOO much fuss.

this isn't to say they shouldn't offer a 2 year option, but why would they if they can get away with charging for 3...

and if you resell with a year of applecare left, wouldn't that possibly increase the value of your machine a bit...?

i've heard both ways, that the care won't be transferred and that it would... so i'm not sure on that. i do know alphatech said he traded in his tibook with apple care left and that increased the value some..

[iGav]

It'd be quite handy that if you had Applecare on a machine, that if you buy a new machine before the Applecare expires, that the existing remainder of Applecare is transferred to the new machine if requested...... unlike now, where it stays with the machine and not the owner.......

[Beej]

It's sweet being a student... you get 3 years warranty free. :D

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by Beej
It's sweet being a student... you get 3 years warranty free. :D

you do? is that only down unda or what? and is it through apple?

cause i got a machine last fall as a student and i didn't hear anything about this..... what up wit dat?

[ftaok]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
hey, whassup ftaok?

i didn't know you could get two years with a credit card purchase

i just can't see keeping my next machine for over two years

have you seen how fast technology is moving now? and it really takes no time before the software one buys outstrips a two year old machine

in the old days, many good software programs could be used on computers several years old

many 2000 era ibooks cannot even run os x with a minor game or photoshop for just cropping photos...the ram limit on these machines is 320 MB and some users wouldn't even attempt to run os x alone on just that much ram Yo jef,

Things are going quite well here on the East Coast. Just trying to keep out of trouble.

Yeah, the extended warranty thing is really nice. I'm gonna have to decide to purchase Applecare or not for my iBook. My 1-year period is up in July and I'm not sure if that 3rd year is worth $250.

The way it works with Amex is this. Suppose something happens to my iBook after the warranty runs out. I call up Amex to get a claim number and such. Then, I call up Apple and have them ship me a box and such. Apple gets it, fixes it, and sends it back -- along with a bill. I pay that bill and submit it to Amex, who then re-imburses me.

It works the same way with other stuff as well. The key is that you have to have the same people work on it that would normally do the warranty work. Therefore, the iBook work would have to be done by Apple. With an iMac, I could take it to my local reseller.

It's really good, although I've never had to use it.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by ftaok
Yo jef,

Things are going quite well here on the East Coast. Just trying to keep out of trouble.

Yeah, the extended warranty thing is really nice. I'm gonna have to decide to purchase Applecare or not for my iBook. My 1-year period is up in July and I'm not sure if that 3rd year is worth $250.

The way it works with Amex is this. Suppose something happens to my iBook after the warranty runs out. I call up Amex to get a claim number and such. Then, I call up Apple and have them ship me a box and such. Apple gets it, fixes it, and sends it back -- along with a bill. I pay that bill and submit it to Amex, who then re-imburses me.

It works the same way with other stuff as well. The key is that you have to have the same people work on it that would normally do the warranty work. Therefore, the iBook work would have to be done by Apple. With an iMac, I could take it to my local reseller.

It's really good, although I've never had to use it.

that is a great selling point for amex!

all you have to do is imagine yourself with your ibook more than a year from now

if that seems ridiculous because you are a gamer or an adobe fan, then skip the warranty

but if you use it for surfing the net and word processing and you need these functions for work, then get that third year

but i bet if you were to buy a computer like an ibook today with the current specs, one would be hard pressed to stretch the machine for three full years as one's sole computer

i can imagine getting three years protection if i bought a 800 mhz tibook maxed with ram and keeping it and using it effectively for three years

but three years from now, with tech moving like it is, a three year warranty would be a joke

i used to see five year computer warranties...he he

[eyelikeart]

I suppose it also depends from who u buy your Mac...

in my case...I'm able to hold off on the warranty until something goes wrong if I want...then my warranty is "extended" so to speak...

it's not ethical I'll say...but if u buy from an independent dealer...u can do it...

just my .02¢ ;)

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by eyelikeart
I suppose it also depends from who u buy your Mac...

in my case...I'm able to hold off on the warranty until something goes wrong if I want...then my warranty is "extended" so to speak...

it's not ethical I'll say...but if u buy from an independent dealer...u can do it...

just my .02¢ ;)

so you're saying you don't actually purchase the warranty til you need it?...

i did notice that apple had "apple care protection plan" packets out and about on the shelves in the apple store. is that for sale, or just for a new computer? how do they work that?

[peterjhill]

2 year vs 3 year, what is the difference in price? Probably not much. Even if you only keep your machine for two years, if you sell it, you can use the fact that it has another year under applecare to help sell it. If I were buying a used Mac, that would definitely sway me to buy one machine over another.

there are already enough options for me, and if Apple would expand any custom build choices it would be the video subsystem of their laptops. With Dells you can opt for better graphics in a portable, why not in a mac?

[ftaok]

Originally posted by peterjhill
there are already enough options for me, and if Apple would expand any custom build choices it would be the video subsystem of their laptops. With Dells you can opt for better graphics in a portable, why not in a mac? The reason that Dell can offer 42 different video card/screen resolution options for each of their laptops is because they sell only via Mail Order. Every Dell is a BTO.

If Apple were to offer different resolutions for both the iBook and TiBook, combined with different HD and optical drive options, they'd kill their resellers. Think about it, how many different iBooks does CompUSA want to carry? The 3 that they have now is a little too many.

[cleo]

Ok, from what I understand Apple isn't allowed to sell AppleCare in FL because of the state's insurance laws. But could I purchase it at, say, the enw Atlanta store and it be valid for my machine (back home in FL)?

[Backtothemac]

I could not agree more with them offering a two year, but I think they should lower the prices on AppleCare. When compared to PC's warranties, Apple has a short one. Even more important though would be to extend the phone support to 1 year standard. 90 days is a joke. For real. But with most people keeping machines for two years, I think that it would be a good idea.

[wsteineker]

Jef is right. The faster technology advances, the more ridiculous the 3 year Apple Care warranty becomes. The current problem with obsolescence has a bit to more do with Apple's (or Motorola's) lag in processor speed and feature sets over the past two years than it does technological advancement. Still, things are moving faster and faster. Damned Moore's Law.