Apple Care for iPhone 5, is it worth it?

iMikeT · Nov 16, 2012

I have various Apple products and have purchased Apple Care for only for Macs.

Anyway, I have an original iPhone, an iPhone4, and my iPhone 5 is due to arrive on Monday. However, I have never bought Apple Care with any of them. I am currently thinking of purchasing Apple Care for my iPhone 5 this time around but wondering if it's worth having. Thoughts?

JayLenochiniMac · Nov 16, 2012

Why would the iPhone 5 be any different if you've never bought AC for any of your previous iPhones?

I upgrade yearly so I don't bother anyway.

AAPLinc · Nov 16, 2012

It seems the 5 is more susceptible to physical damage (scratches/scuffs/dings/dents) but it's up to you.

I'll never get Apple Care because I treat my phone like it's a dozen eggs.

tgi · Nov 16, 2012

JayLenochiniMac said:
Why would the iPhone 5 be any different if you've never bought AC for any of your previous iPhones?

I upgrade yearly so I don't bother anyway.

Good point about upgrading yearly. That should be a huge factor whether considering AC or not.

iMikeT · Nov 16, 2012

JayLenochiniMac said:
I upgrade yearly so I don't bother anyway.

Good for you for being able to upgrade annually. How do you manage to upgrade yearly and not pay the unsubsidized price of an iPhone?

JayLenochiniMac said:
Why would the iPhone 5 be any different if you've never bought AC for any of your previous iPhones?

For those of us that aren't able to upgrade annually, like myself, this is a decision that I am thinking about making this time around. I am looking to possibly use this iPhone until the end of the contract with my carrier, which is about 2 years from now. The reason why I am thinking about buying Apple Care now is the fact that despite taking good care of my previous iPhones, they have taken accidental damage and I like how Apple has included accidental damage with Apple Care, albeit for an additional fee but definitely not forcing a customer to have to go all the way to buying a replacement at the unsubsidized price.

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tgi said:
Good point about upgrading yearly. That should be a huge factor whether considering AC or not.

I've factored that in and I don't upgrade annually.

I guess I'm looking for stories of people who have had Apple Care with their iPhone and to see if it was worth it for them.

Masputo14 · Nov 16, 2012

I'm screwed. This was my last week to buy AppleCare and I broke my leg on Friday pretty bad. Now I won't have a chance to visit an Apple store to buy it.

jaw04005 · Nov 16, 2012

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/why_you_still_shouldnt_care_about_applecare

With that said, I usually get AppleCare+ on my iPhones. I tend to be rough on my iPhone and Apple-covered accessories (frayed cords, earbud issues, etc).

Also, Apple Store and AppleCare employees tend to be very accommodating to AppleCare owners (they've replaced my iPhones for very minor issues before).

I also have AppleCare on my iMac because it would be ludicrous to try and service it myself.

On my iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch, iPod nano and MacBook Air, I don't bother with it.

The secret with AppleCare is you can request a pro-rated refund. I always do when I upgrade my APP devices.

JayLenochiniMac · Nov 16, 2012

iMikeT said:
Good for you for being able to upgrade annually. How do you manage to upgrade yearly and not pay the unsubsidized price of an iPhone?

I have an additional dumbphone line (with at&t) that I keep unused for $9.99 per month for the sole purpose of upgrading to the latest iPhone. I pay the subsidized price by upgrading this line and device swapping to my personal line every other year and upgrading my personal line every other year. This won't work if you have the mobile share plan as even a dumbphone on that plan is $30 per month.

iMikeT · Nov 16, 2012

jaw04005 said:
On my iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch, iPod nano and MacBook Air, I don't bother with it.

I can understand skipping Apple Care with iPods but iPads and MacBook Airs? I'm surprised by that.

jaw04005 said:
The secret with AppleCare is you can request a pro-rated refund. I always do when I upgrade my APP devices.

Thanks. This is very good information to know.

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JayLenochiniMac said:
I have an additional dumbphone line (with at&t) that I keep unused for $9.99 per month for the sole purpose of upgrading to the latest iPhone. I pay the subsidized price by upgrading this line and device swapping to my personal line every other year and upgrading my personal line every other year. This won't work if you have the mobile share plan as even a dumbphone on that plan is $30 per month.

Isn't that a waste of $120 per year?

cruzmisl · Nov 16, 2012

Masputo14 said:
I'm screwed. This was my last week to buy AppleCare and I broke my leg on Friday pretty bad. Now I won't have a chance to visit an Apple store to buy it.

Call Apple and asked to be transferred to the applecare administrative folks.

They allowed me to buy it from over the phone. They might be sympathetic to your situation. Also wouldn't hurt to offer to send pics of the device or something proving it's not trashed.

Pillar · Nov 16, 2012

May I get some help with a question please.

This past Saturday at the Apple Store I received a replacement for my iPhone 5 that I had over a month. Am I able to purchase Apple Care+ for the replacement?

Thank you

numberforty1 · Nov 16, 2012

AppleCare+ is worth it to me.

I've already ALMOST dropped my ip5.

Nolander07 · Nov 16, 2012

I never got AppleCare before the iphone 5, but it is worth it to me to not have a case. Easy and inexpensive fix if I severely damage it.

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Also, I spent way more than $200 on cases for my iphone 4, just because I was always looking for that perfect case.

tgi · Nov 16, 2012

iMikeT said:
Isn't that a waste of $120 per year?

Not if you want to get a new iPhone every year.

For $120 a year you get the subsidized price of a 16 GB iPhone for $199 annually vs paying a no commitment price of $649 if you were on contract.

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iMikeT said:
I've factored that in and I don't upgrade annually.

I guess I'm looking for stories of people who have had Apple Care with their iPhone and to see if it was worth it for them.

If you plan on keeping the phone for 2 years I would say Apple Care is definitely worth every penny.

SCIONTX · Nov 16, 2012

Masputo14 said:
I'm screwed. This was my last week to buy AppleCare and I broke my leg on Friday pretty bad. Now I won't have a chance to visit an Apple store to buy it.

You can buy it over the phone.

acarney · Nov 16, 2012

Remember that AppleCare+ may also help set you apart when selling the phone. Not only are you selling them a phone that's only been used for about a year but they can get a brand new one for only $49 if they damage it any time for the NEXT year. You probably won't get the full $99 value out of it but you might get an extra $50 over the other guys.

Irock619 · Nov 16, 2012

tgi said:
Not if you want to get a new iPhone every year.

For $120 a year you get the subsidized price of a 16 GB iPhone for $199 annually vs paying a no commitment price of $649 if you were on contract

Well not really. Since you pay $120 a year for a dummy line you are actually paying $320 every year for a 16GB iPhone.

aDRock1154 · Nov 17, 2012

I upgrade once a year and go caseless.. When the next iPhone hits, my wife will get the 5.

I opt for the Apple Care because I don't wanna put a case on my phone and it will cover not only my time with the phone, but my wife's as well.

ToyGun1 · Nov 17, 2012

Applecare a must for the iphone 5 been through 7 iphone 5 within the last two months. All stuck pixels.

iMikeT · Nov 18, 2012

Thanks for all the input. I asked a friend who all ready has an iPhone 5 and he suggested for me to skip Apple Care and go for a case instead. The thing is, I don't like putting my iPhone in a case, it gets too bulky in my pocket and I like to have room for a different kind of bulge while wearing my Levi's 511 skinny jeans.

My iPhone 5 is due to arrive some time tomorrow so I think I'll call Apple and buy Apple Care+ over the phone before it arrives. The $49 "accidental damage" for a replacement phone in addition to the $99 two year coverage is nearly worth it to me. Besides, I'm locked in a contract for the next two years so why not?

PeterKG · Nov 18, 2012

iMikeT said:
Thanks for all the input. I asked a friend who all ready has an iPhone 5 and he suggested for me to skip Apple Care and go for a case instead. The thing is, I don't like putting my iPhone in a case, it gets too bulky in my pocket and I like to have room for a different kind of bulge while wearing my Levi's 511 skinny jeans.

My iPhone 5 is due to arrive some time tomorrow so I think I'll call Apple and buy Apple Care+ over the phone before it arrives. The $49 "accidental damage" for a replacement phone in addition to the $99 two year coverage is nearly worth it to me. Besides, I'm locked in a contract for the next two years so why not?

I plan on intentionally using my Applecare +. I'm going to replace my phone once each year, but will wait until later next year when the replacement stock has been refreshed with ones that have seen better QC.

If I decide to upgrade early, I will cause a replacement first so that I have a decent unit to give to family or sell. I've had many replacements and come to the conclusion as of this point there is no such thing as an iPhone 5 without defects.

jer04 · Nov 18, 2012

jaw04005 said:
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/why_you_still_shouldnt_care_about_applecare
The secret with AppleCare is you can request a pro-rated refund. I always do when I upgrade my APP devices.

just wondering how that pro-rata refund thing works?

tgi · Nov 19, 2012

Irock619 said:
Well not really. Since you pay $120 a year for a dummy line you are actually paying $320 every year for a 16GB iPhone.

Like I mentioned, that's still better than paying $649 for a no commitment iPhone.

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ToyGun1 said:
Applecare a must for the iphone 5 been through 7 iphone 5 within the last two months. All stuck pixels.

Wouldn't a stuck pixel be covered under warranty? Shouldn't you be able to get a replacement phone regardless of Apple Care or not?

aliensporebomb · Nov 19, 2012

Ah

My opinion is yes.

I babied my iPhone 4 and about six months before Applecare expired the ear speaker stopped working properly - if I took or made a call it sounded like the parents talking on a Peanuts cartoon ("Wah wah wah? Wah wah wah wah!").

They replaced it and I was out the door with no problems.

It would have been out of warranty for over eight months and I'd have been SOL if I didn't have the Applecare.

psywzrd · Nov 19, 2012

SCIONTX said:
You can buy it over the phone.

Pretty sure this isn't true. If you don't buy it at the time you buy the phone, they make you buy AppleCare+ in person so that they can verify that your phone isn't already damaged.

Apple Care for iPhone 5, is it worth it?

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