Is AppleCare worth it?

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Repairs on laptops are very expensive, ranging from 200-1700 dollars. Applecare will cover any problems that are not accidental or caused by physical abuse for a total of three years, so if you plan on owning your computer for more than a year, that might be a good idea. Also Apple products only come with 90 days of phone support; after that it is approximately 60 dollars PER ISSUE for phone support. If you have applecare you have unlimited phone support, which is handy if you do not live close to an Apple Store or authorized service provider. Applecare also increases the resale value of your computer if you plan to sell it after one year but less than 3 years from the purchase date.

Applecare isn't for everyone, some people have money and just like to buy the latest and greatest every year. And it is a sort of a gamble as well. Your computer may be trouble free for three years and you would've spent the money on Applecare for nothing, however if you don't purchase it you could be stuck with a 1700 dollar repair one month out of warranty which would not be fun.

From personal experience and from reading these posting. I would say yes, it appears that a lot of people seem to have something go wrong with there macbook within the first year or two.

can i still buy get applecare when the first 90 days support is up?

scouf said:

With all this talk about the new macbook on the verge of a secret release sometime in August, I was just curious as to know whether applecare is worth the money. Can anyone explain or give some obvious benefits of this applecare?

I am not a noob to pcs, but when it comes to mac comps I dunno my head from my ass.

Does mac offer the same quality of service as Dell does?

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All AppleCare is, is an extended warranty. The same sort sold with other computers; you can purchase the same sort of extended warranty through Lenovo as well.

As for whether you need it, I'm a firm believer in Murphey and his law. Don't tempt fait

mizzlinhie said:

can i still buy get applecare when the first 90 days support is up?

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you have to buy applecare before theone year limit of your warranty ends. So if you need support on day 91 or so you can buy applecare.

Everyone seems to be forgetting that Apple will not charge you any fees after the 90th day if you are having hardware issues.

If you call in with a software issue, they will charge you the fee to resolve it. But if you call in with a hardware problem, there will be no fee and they'll set up the repair without hesitation.

Edit: Forgot to add that AppleCare doesn't cover things that are covered standard by other warranties. Like accidental damage and such. Make sure your system is in good physical condition other than manufacturer defects before sending it in for repair as well, as the technicians will use any reason to get out of proper repairs.

Also, if you have a MacBook, you'll want to take clear video and pictures of every millimeter of the Mac before sending it off for repair, as Flextronics is known for damaging systems in their possession then lying about it afterwards.

Everyone with an expensive Mac should buy the AppleCare on eBay, it's very cheap.

I wanted the fans replaced because of a very small noise they made from time to time, which was fatal as the machine is in a music studio. The technician actually called me and said that he couldn't hear any of the fans sounding at all, since he was in a workshop. I told him that the front fans were faulty, and he replaced them directly.

This is awesome, the Apple Service Providers do whatever you ask, without it costing me anything other than $80 on eBay. And this protection is for 3 years - incredible!

It is worth it!! My macbook is now showing signs of the constant bluetooth drop outs and the built in isight is not working. I bought this in 2006 so i am covered until 2009.!

I'm not sure if Apple Care is worth spending the money. I have never had a computer fail on me since my very first one in 1993. I have always declined the offer when buying from BestBuy or CircuitCity. My first Mac was purchased a year ago this week and I have not purchased Apple Care for it either nor has it had any problems.

Someone a few months back on the Apple site even yelled at me for stating what I just did here over there. They even said they paid for the Apple Care but she did not need it yet she was glad that she paid for it
Nothing like being happy she threw away the money.

Will I regret it with four Macs here? Maybe, but I'm betting that the odds are in my favor that I won't need it within two years of purchase on any of them and that is exactly what Apple is betting as well. That's pure profit for them it it comes true.

It's not prudent to not have warranty coverage for a computer. Unlike home appliances, where the blender is $50 and the warranty is $30, and the repair would cost about the same (If you didn't just buy a new blender, which most people would do).

A computer on the other hand, especially a laptop, has expensive repair bills. Having a screen or logic board replaced is extremely expensive. Apple care is a good bet. You're using a few hundred dollars to protect yourself from a repair that would easily be three times as expensive.

I have found that a warranty on ANY notebook is always worth it.

I've never bought it until I got my MB, even though all my previous laptops have died outside the normal warranty timeframe. I had an HP that I got in 2001 that died in late '02(screen wouldn't turn on) and a Compaq in '03 that died in '05(wouldn't boot).

Well worth the price IMO.

Hi guys,

I agree 100% that laptop owners should buy Applecare but what about iMac users? I have an (almost) 1 year old iMac 2.4G and was trying to decide whether to buy Applecare or not.

I'm an experienced electronics engineer and am perfectly capable of disassembling and re-assembling computers (including laptops) but I'm not sure if I'd be able to buy the required parts to effect a fix. Also, my iMac is my main computer so I wouldn't want to be without it for long while I tried to source parts on ebay for example. I'm leaning towards buying Applecare but would appreciate any thoughts you may have.

Cheers,
Craig.

@craig1410:

Since it's a mac, definitely buy apple care. The only reason I say that is because, unlike a PC, Mac's can only use a mac main board. If it was to fail, you would easily spend more on a new mainboard than you would have on apple care.

Don't get me wrong, mac's are awesome but replacement part prices aren't...

Just say no to applecare.

Okay, really, I'm just being recalcitrant , but I do want to point out that Applecare isn't for everyone - if you subscribe to Make magazine, for example, you probably don't want AC because to you it is way more fun to take it apart than to send it away. If, on the other hand, the thought of opening up your computer gives you the willies, then it IS for you.

To craig, parts are readily available on ebay if nowhere else. I can get a part there faster (and install it) than the time it takes to send in my computer to be repaired. But, I live 3 hours from the nearest apple store, so it's the best option for my situation.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I appreciate what you are saying (techound1) but I just checked on ebay.co.uk and there are no iMac logic boards available at all at present. The situation might be different in the USA and I would expect more to become available as people break up their partially working machines for spares but as of right now I would have no option but to buy a new logic board from Apple if it went wrong. Obviously it's a different story with the HDD if it fails and this is perhaps one of the most likely parts to fail - I could easily replace the HDD and in fact intend to do just that if and when I fill up the 320GB drive it came with.

So, even though I am capable of replacing any part of my iMac if I can't get the parts then I think there is nothing else for it but to buy Applecare. Perhaps after 3 years the spare parts will be more freely available for DIY repairs.

Thanks again though, I do appreciate your views.
Craig.

You know its worth it when Consumer Reports said no way should you ever buy extended warranties unless its Apple who have the best there is.

craig1410 said:

I appreciate what you are saying (techound1) but I just checked on ebay.co.uk and there are no iMac logic boards available at all at present.

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Not to beat a dead horse ... Doesn't ifixit or one of the other bigger parts houses ship to the UK? I thought I remembered ordering a something fairly specialised to Manchester (or perhaps it was just wishful thinking...). Just a thought - they're a bit cheaper than apple if you find yourself in a pinch.

Cheers!

techound1 said:

To craig, parts are readily available on ebay if nowhere else. I can get a part there faster (and install it) than the time it takes to send in my computer to be repaired.

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I called Apple Monday afternoon once in regards to my MBP needing repair. I received the box to ship it back in Tuesday AM. I shipped it back Tuesday night. They received it, repaired it, and shipped it back on Wednesday (priority overnight). I received it before 10:00 AM Thursday. Total time away from me wasn't even two full days, but it only felt like a day since I got to use it most of Tuesday and pretty much all of Thursday (just didn't have it Wednesday).

I don't think I've ever won anything on eBay and received it within two days. I seem to always pick the slow shippers.

aristobrat said:

I don't think I've ever won anything on eBay and received it within two days. I seem to always pick the slow shippers.

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If you do the buyitnow (in the states and shipped to the states is my only experience on that one) for parts and check their feedback to make sure they ship quickly, you can do it. US-to-UK - I can get spudgers from Vermont to just about anywhere in the UK in under 5 days with airmail; time-through-customs for parts, however, can be highly (and painfully) variable. I don't think I can beat the speed that you had, though!

techound1 said:

I don't think I can beat the speed that you had, though!

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And unfortunately, I haven't heard that many stores of super-speedy AppleCare repairs outside of North America, so your route may be the best after all.

I also wanted to add that it's much cheaper to buy applecare after-market (not directly from apple). For example, amazon has macbook AC at a savings of around $50 off apple's price.

Its an Amazing Investment. picked up some macbook applecare for 175 off eBay... it's very useful if your mac starts farking up.. Apple has replaced my machines twice because of Apple Care.. and i've gotten a free upgrade when they hit the dumps so within 3 years you cant win.. i think a refurbished mac and a good deal on apple care off eBay i think you have good apple insurance over a few years..

Look at all the pics on the forums of broken parts and such and then make your decision.

My purchase of Applecare has already paid for itself (bad hard drive and bad battery).