Regardless of what people say, it's completely up to you. If you want peace of mind that if anything goes wrong that's not your fault for 2 extra years, then it's worth it. If you wouldn't mind too much shelling out $400 for a repair in 2 years, then you probably don't have to get it. It's for peace of mind, IMO. I'd say that before the rMBP, the most common failure was the HDD. Since they now have SSD's standard, that probably lessens the chance something goes wrong significantly. However, these are portable machines and anything can go wrong- if the logic board goes out, that's probably $700. It's all a numbers game, and I'd think odds are nothing goes wrong in 3 years. However, if anything
does go wrong, you'll be covered.
2 things to think about-
1) Accidental damage is definitely not covered. If you think something will happen that's your fault (if you're clumsy
) then don't waste your time with Applecare
2) There are warranties via third parties, though I can't think of any off the top of my head, that will cover accidental damage, sometimes theft, manufacture defects, etc., and they might have a similar cost to Applecare. The nice thing about Applecare, however, is that it's through the manufacturer so you don't have to go through any trouble getting something repaired- especially if you live near an Apple Store. Apple, for the most part, is very good of taking care of their customers and usually has speedy turn arounds. You never know when you buy via third party whether they'll have some ridiculous contract clause or how long it'll take to get repaired, if they're Apple certified, if they'll use genuine parts, etc.
Just some things to think about- however, if I were you, I'd probably get Applecare!