Is buying Apple Care worth it?

If your AppleCare has come in handy for your PowerBook, then it's pretty much a no-brainer, as you know the benefits already.

If your portable is necessary for your lifestyle (work, play, etc.) such that any downtime would be a real interruption, AppleCare is a must.
Personally, I recommend it for all portables.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes again. A hundred times yes. A thousand.

My iMac G5 is nearing three years, and suddenly everything from the DVD burner to the VRAM is starting to fail. Without AppleCare, I'd be out hundreds of dollars for repairs -- or well over a thousand if I simply bought a new computer.

My iBook has functioned perfectly for seven years, but again AppleCare paid for itself when some peripherals (AirPort) went on the fritz.

Laptop, desktop, iPod... doesn't matter. I wouldn't consider buying any Apple product without AppleCare.

eji said:

Yes, yes, yes, and yes again. A hundred times yes. A thousand.

My iMac G5 is nearing three years, and suddenly everything from the DVD burner to the VRAM is starting to fail. Without AppleCare, I'd be out hundreds of dollars for repairs -- or well over a thousand if I simply bought a new computer.

My iBook has functioned perfectly for seven years, but again AppleCare paid for itself when some peripherals (AirPort) went on the fritz.

Laptop, desktop, iPod... doesn't matter. I wouldn't consider buying any Apple product without AppleCare.

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Do you have to buy it on the time of purchase or can you do at anytime during the one year warranty?

Strom1 said:

Do you have to buy it on the time of purchase or can you do at anytime during the one year warranty?

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Any time during the first year.

To the OP...yes. I'd buy it for that computer. But try eBay or somewhere besides Apple. You can get it cheaper than full retail.

I feel that if something was wrong due to manufacturing or parts that it would happen within the time that you are covered for free. I have never purchased applecare because I frequently buy and sell computers so fast that the machine is never to old to crap out.

One time my iPod color was messed up, walked into the store to see if they could help, ended up walking out with a new one...I didn't even have a receipt or anything and I didn't even buy it through Apple?

Strom1 said:

Do you have to buy it on the time of purchase or can you do at anytime during the one year warranty?

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You can buy it anytime within the first year of purchase. I usually hunt around for some good deals before buying -- places like Expercom and even Amazon sometimes offer it at a price cheaper than the Apple Store. Check the DealMac RSS from time to time too.

applemacman said:

One time my iPod color was messed up, walked into the store to see if they could help, ended up walking out with a new one...

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Then you're lucky. But I'm telling you from multiple firsthand experiences that if I hadn't bought AppleCare I'd be considerably poorer at the moment. Barring massive Apple-initiated recalls, if your product is out of the standard one-year warranty and something goes wrong, you're SOL.

eji said:

My iMac G5 is nearing three years, and suddenly everything from the DVD burner to the VRAM is starting to fail. Without AppleCare, I'd be out hundreds of dollars for repairs -- or well over a thousand if I simply bought a new computer.

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Yikes! I hope that's not normal behavior for Mac's. I had PC's running that were almost 10 years old without ever having to repair anything. (I'm quite new to Macs: My mini is almost a year old now, and I just ordered a Mac Pro)

--Erwin

I too would recommend holding off and taking it out anytime within the first year, shop around like people have suggested. Where ever you buy it from, it's still AppleCare, so browse ebay and what not.

Although the benefits of buying AppleCare sooner than later are extending the 90 days telephone support to 3 years and if you purchase a cinema display then that will be covered too. But if you have an Apple store close by then you would not have to worry about telephone support and if you dont need a cinema display then.. hold off for a better deal

Lets hope new macbook pro's do come sometime soon, I would like one too

Get it. It saved me from shelling out $600 when my PB 12" started having problems.

If you can't buy it now at time of purchase of the laptop, then start saving for a buy during that year. AND, it ups the resale if you decide to eBay before the 3 years is up.

I wouldn't bother with an iPod though. Just my opinion.

Erwin-Br said:

Yikes! I hope that's not normal behavior for Macs.

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Well, like I said, I have a 7-year-old iBook G3 that's been running without a hitch (knock on virtual wood) since I bought it.

As for the iMac... I don't know what the deal is. It's functioned perfectly more or less until now, and I'm quite surprised that these problems developed at all.

I'm definitely a Mac advocate, but I have to say that my recent experience has shaken my faith in Apple's quality control. I've seen the same opinion expressed elsewhere on these forums, though I don't know if it's a subjective "gut feeling" or something that can be proven with lots of nice charts and graphs and statistics.

AppleCare is a waste of money. Your hardware will either malfunction or it will function well beyond the 1 year period; barring any bone headed catastrophes.

I thought long and hard about getting it for my MBP but eventually reasoning prevailed.

applemacman said:

I feel that if something was wrong due to manufacturing or parts that it would happen within the time that you are covered for free. I have never purchased applecare because I frequently buy and sell computers so fast that the machine is never to old to crap out.

One time my iPod color was messed up, walked into the store to see if they could help, ended up walking out with a new one...I didn't even have a receipt or anything and I didn't even buy it through Apple?

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And I've had an 800MHZ G4 iMac's logic board die on the 18th day of the last month of the 3 year Applecare warranty.. Because I plunked down that $149 I walked out of that store with a brand new 1.9 GHZ G5 iMac that I'm using right now.. I actually felt guilty walking out with the brand new unit, but hey, the G4's were long gone and they couldn't locate a logic board for it..

AppleCare is a no brainer- IMHO- it's a must have...

Personally i have never purchased or suggested Applecare.

Ive owned MANY macs. The only hardware problem i've had was a defective hard drive on my white macbook and it was covered under the regular Applecare. Even if it was out of Applecare, i would rather shell out $100 and replace it on my own than spend $250+ for Applecare.

The risk is very low considering the volume of computers Apple sells.

Just think, there's a reason why every company in the world tries to upsell you these conditional warranties.

It's because they make huge profit margins on them...repeat after me, Apple is not your friend.

I don't lose sleep over the possibility of my electronics spontaneously combusting/failing due to a manufacturing defect after 1 year of use...doesn't cover anything you do. Just things they've messed up already...but what wouldn't be revealed fairly quickly? Law of inertia says things don't just happen spontaneously.

As a stockholder, I urge you to buy AppleCare.

iBook- 3 logic board replacements later it sits dead because it's out of AppleCare coverage and I'm not springing for a 4th..
G4 iMac 1 logic board died and they replaced it with G5 iMac
G5 iMac - on it's 3rd logic board and 2nd optical drive
1.25GHZ eMac- on it's 2nd optical drive..

I don't even count the many iPods over the years which I wouldn't even consider getting AC for because they get replaced in a year anyway..but most of them need some type of service which usually results in Apple just replacing them on the spot at the store.. Plus the iPhone, which I think eveyone's gotten at least one replacement for -I'm on my 3rd-..LOL...

I'm sorry, I love Apple, and all things considered I think they've treated me pretty well- but they've got some QC issues on the hardware side of things.. I'd never consider switching back and dealing with the windows problems, but yeah, I'll make sure I've got AC and a fresh backup on every Apple product I own..

Get Applecare if you can afford it. I had to replace my G5 Logic board and power supply right after the warranty expired and it set me back about $1100. Now I get Applecare with everything I buy, especially if it's a laptop.

iPods would get use out of them as well.

IJ Reilly said:

As a stockholder, I urge you to buy AppleCare.

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I think this depends on the person. I know that my computers will have their warranties violated instantly anyway, and I do not want to leave repairs/authorizations in the hands of any corporation. For me and the way I use things, no extended warranties ever, because there is no point.

For the girlfriend's computer, applecare all the way! There is no reason to do anything warranty-violating, and I do not want to put myself in a position where I am trying to fix something of hers and then assume all liability. Did I feel like I was throwing money away getting applecare? For sure! But in this case I am prepaying to prevent relationship issues. The laptop is just the vehicle...

Radio Monk33 said:

Just think, there's a reason why every company in the world tries to upsell you these conditional warranties.

It's because they make huge profit margins on them...repeat after me, Apple is not your friend.

I don't lose sleep over the possibility of my electronics spontaneously combusting/failing due to a manufacturing defect after 1 year of use...doesn't cover anything you do. Just things they've messed up already...but what wouldn't be revealed fairly quickly? Law of inertia says things don't just happen spontaneously.

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It's the same as insurance. They're the pricing risk you no longer face and adding it to the premium to the expected cost of repairs from years 2 and 3.

They can arbitrage it because the real costs will converge with the predicted costs with large volumes and the long run whereas you, as an individual, have to deal with the risk of having only one sample.

At least they don't try exploit you further, like insurance companies do, by trying to limit their liabilities when things they cover happen. Apple is pretty good about accepting most issues when AppleCare is there.

It's a gamble you make with yourself.

It should be a calculated risk though.

On a computer...yes.

On an iPod, no...where the cost for Apple Care is almost 1/3 the cost of the device, that's ridicilous. At that price, I'd rather get a new unit if the repair cost were high enough.

Different story on a laptop when a motherboard fails, hard drive craps out, battery melts or the keyboard needs replacing 3 times.

If you are working in an environment where you have to wear protective clothing then you should probably get it. But remember that the apple care is just an extended warranty, no extra special care that you don't get in the warranty.

mrsmcj said:

My plan is to purchase a 17" 2.6G MBP (once the new updated versions come out in the next week or so.) I currently have an iBook G4 which I purchased Apple Care for, mainly because it's a laptop and they are prone to more accidents than a desktop. It actually came in handy once when my AC cord decided to spark out.

But should I purchase Apple Care for the MBP? Is my money better spent on an add-on feature or saved for life's necessities, like food?

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Buy Applecare...not from Apple though. Either eBay or LA Computer or any other place that offers it cheaper. I see LA Computer has it for $235. You can probably get it on eBay for less.

Think of it this way....buy your MBP....then save up for the Applecare and buy it before the 1 year period is up.

If you have CompUSA stores near you, I hear they are selling them 50% off during their closeouts. You could always check there.

-Kevin