AppleCare - what for?

i would buy applecare-it could save you $600 if your screen broke.

native00 said:

i bought my G4 Powerbook almost two years ago and got AppleCare because I figured it may come in handy with a laptop. I feel kinda silly for buying something that made me feel "safe", yet not knowing exactly what I was dropping the extra $100 for. So if any of you have found AppleCare to be of use...let me know how, because Im just wondering what I could possibly get out of it.

In a related note - my battery is soooo awful that i was considering buying a new one. It goes dead in like a half hour. My buddy, who has religiously used macs for over 10 years, said that because he had AppleCare, they gave him a new battery at our nearest Apple Store. I don't think he's a liar and I'm not sure exactly what he told them over there, but I'm just wondering if you all feel this an awful battery can somehow be covered by AppleCare.

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Regarding the battery deal, yes, Apple has been known to replace batteries for free, assuming you have Applecare. Just call up the Applecare number and tell them that you're having problems with the battery holding a charge. They'll run you through a bunch of steps, but eventually tell you that you're battery is done. You'll get a new battery in the mail and you put the old one back in the box to send back to them.

Keep in mind, I don't think its official policy to replace a battery for normal wear and tear (and in my mind 2 years is normal). They replaced my iBook's battery around the 1.5 year mark.

As always, YMMV.

I had my battery replace on my ibook after 6 months since it was not regaining a full charge. I think if you had it over 1 year apple care won't cover it. Batteries naturally loose their charge.

macEfan said:

i would buy applecare-it could save you $600 if your screen broke.

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This isn't always true. If Apple determines that the screen damage was due to an accident or fall, they won't replace it.

Applecare is only for manufacturing defects. A cracked screen isn't necessarily a defect.

ft

Yes, but the backlight can go out, and Applecare would cover, the connection between the logic board and the LCD could fail, again Applecare would cover.

There are many possible scenarios where Applecare would save money.

The main question to ask. Is it worth the gamble? I have owned many macs and I rarely have a problem with them. The 3 times I had a serious issue requiring service, 2/3 Apple took care of for free and I was within the first 1 year warranty with no Applecare. The third time the machine was 5 years old, with an expired Applecare and they offered e a substantial discount towards a new Powermac in lieu of repairing an old Sawtooth tower.

I have only purchased Applecare for 2 of my Macs, one being my Powerbook. It is a gamble, in general Macs are reliable. Most often a manufacturing failure will occur in the first 12 months, so you could be very safe. but you do get better service with Applecare, no doubt about it.

ftaok said:

This isn't always true. If Apple determines that the screen damage was due to an accident or fall, they won't replace it.

Applecare is only for manufacturing defects. A cracked screen isn't necessarily a defect.

ft

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This is why when my original 1 year of AppleCare was drawing to a close for my 12" PB, I chose to go w/ CompUSA's coverage.

They cover 2 LCD screen replacements-- regardless of accidental damage or not. The service manager specifically told me it covers accidents, and you get TWO replacements/repairs (I got the 2 year extended warranty).

They also give you a one time OEM battery replacement.

I figured I was more likely to accidently harm my screen than for an actual manufacturer's defect during the next two years. I believe it was also cheaper than AppleCare.

seamuskrat said:

Yes, but the backlight can go out, and Applecare would cover, the connection between the logic board and the LCD could fail, again Applecare would cover.

There are many possible scenarios where Applecare would save money.

The main question to ask. Is it worth the gamble? I have owned many macs and I rarely have a problem with them. The 3 times I had a serious issue requiring service, 2/3 Apple took care of for free and I was within the first 1 year warranty with no Applecare. The third time the machine was 5 years old, with an expired Applecare and they offered e a substantial discount towards a new Powermac in lieu of repairing an old Sawtooth tower.

I have only purchased Applecare for 2 of my Macs, one being my Powerbook. It is a gamble, in general Macs are reliable. Most often a manufacturing failure will occur in the first 12 months, so you could be very safe. but you do get better service with Applecare, no doubt about it.

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seamusrat,

Oh, I agree with you that AppleCare can be a worthwhile purchase. I made out with my iBook as I had a faulty video wire and the bad battery replaced under Applecare.

Incidentally, a bad backlight or a faulty connection between the logic board and screen is a defect. I wouldn't consider that a broken screen.

I wanted to clear the air for anyone reading the original statement that Applecare will cover a broken screen, when in fact they won't. And by broken screen, I mean that the owner dropped it or sat on it, etc. There are many posts in these forums where people complain that Applecare won't cover accidental damage. Just wanted to make sure anyone reading this thread is aware.

BTW, I'm not saying that MacEfan was implying that accidental damage is covered. Just wanting to cover all angles for anyone who may be reading.

applecare is useless...i have damage protection on my laptop only (through safeware.com). any manufactuers defect is most likely to show up within a year of owning the computer anyway and you already get 1 year of warranty with the computer.

Insurance is always a case of risk management

Insurance is by its nature a tradeoff between premium and risk. I would say it depends very much on how you use your computer. Do you travel much, do you use it for business etc. Obviously the risk is much less if the thing just sits on your desk!!

Applecare is a question of how you use your computer!!

pscott said:

applecare is useless...i have damage protection on my laptop only (through safeware.com). any manufactuers defect is most likely to show up within a year of owning the computer anyway and you already get 1 year of warranty with the computer.

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Applecare is FAR from useless and my situation is a perfect example of what was said here. My Dual G5 one day suddenly started bugging where it would load up with just one processor nad then would freeze within minutes of starting it up. Since I had Applecare, they sent a tech over and they deemed that I had a dying processor and something else that had to do with the motherboard. Suffice to say, they replaced my dual processors and motherboard, with an invoice showing the repair totalling about $2000. But since I had Applecare, it completely covered the costs. Otherwise, I would've been screwed, since it was past the initial manufacturers warranty too.

Whenever making large purchases, always get some form of insurance or coverage as you never know what can haapen. I certainly didn't know this was going to happen and I'm glad I got the Applecare.

yeah, Im getting a mini with my cinema display 23" mostly becose I want to get it covered by apple care (cant cover display without the computer).

But Im sure the mini is quite a nice small machine to do my thesis redaction (word,illustrator, etc...)