Why does everyone recommend AppleCare? It seems very expensive for 3 yrs of warranty

[DblEGT]

I really dont get it. $249 for extra insurance in case something were to break? If it were $99, I might go for it, but not $249.

How reliable are Macs anyway? My theory is, if it doesnt break within the first year, it'll probably be good for the next few years. Realizing you can get insurance on every product in your house, there has to be a line you draw where you say, "ok, not for THAT price".

Im sure the people whose machine broke in year 1-3 will swear by it, but Im sure there are thousands of people who buy the AppleCare and NEVER USE IT.

Thoughts?

 

[Mrbobb]

Everyone? You have not read this forum enough.

Not gonna comment further, 'coz I'd just regurgitating. You must read more.

 

[jedolley]

I'm not going to debate whether one should get it or not, but will state that IMO the only issue I have with AppleCare is usually the price... The service/benefit has been stellar. As for the price, if you are financing your Mac, then adding AppleCare really only adds a few dollars to you monthly payment. If you are not financing, then I recommend buying it from a third party retailer. For example, when I just bought my 13" MBA, ordering through my EPP Portal would have cost me an extra $219 (I believe), but B&H had it for $179.

In the end it's a personal choice. I don't get it for every device, but when I do it's for peace of mind. If you want something similar, but not from Apple, check out SquareTrade. I don't know what their prices are for a MBA, but they are usually competitive. I have gotten warranties from them before, but have never had to file a claim. The good thing about SquareTrade is that if you cancel a policy they will refund you the pro-rated amount back for what you did not use.

 

[nariza7]

I think I'd go with squaretrade too. They normally have discounts for like 20-40% off (sometimes with max of $30 off). Plus squaretrade covers accidental dmg. I'm not sure if apple covers accidental dmg like water

 

[DblEGT]

I think I'd go with squaretrade too. They normally have discounts for like 20-40% off (sometimes with max of $30 off). Plus squaretrade covers accidental dmg. I'm not sure if apple covers accidental dmg like water

Great advice....thanks for the tip guys on Squaretrade!

 

[unlimitedx]

Also remember a lot of credit cards already come with built in extended warranty of up to an additional year.

 

[DblEGT]

Great advice....thanks for the tip guys on Squaretrade!

Just checked Squaretrade..... $299 for my new MBA. WOW !!

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Also remember a lot of credit cards already come with built in extended warranty of up to an additional year.

Great advice! Forgot about that....

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Also remember a lot of credit cards already come with built in extended warranty of up to an additional year.

You Da Man!! Here is what I just found out from the AMEX site:

Extended Warranty♦
up to a year on eligible purchases

Use your American Express Card on eligible purchases and membership can extend your manufacturer’s warranty for up to one year.

 

[DblEGT]

So glad I used my AMEX card to purchase.....1 additional year of free warranty on my new MBA ! So cool!

Heres their website with all the info:

http://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/card-benefits/extended-warranty.html

 

[Chundles]

AppleCare is not insurance. It doesn't cover if you break the machine.

It's warranty and phone support with international coverage.

 

[SusanK]

L.A. Computer

They discount. Apple Care is available for $170. I am considering it for my 2012 MBA. It is pretty stable but I do notice some weirdnesses occasionally. I have a few more months to decide.

 

[DblEGT]

They discount. Apple Care is available for $170. I am considering it for my 2012 MBA. It is pretty stable but I do notice some weirdnesses occasionally. I have a few more months to decide.

If it breaks in the future (which it probably wont), just use the $170 to help buy a new laptop.

 

[rocknblogger]

I normally don't buy extended warranties but I had a 2010 MacBook Pro that came with it. About 15 months in the logic board had to be replaced. It would have cost me $500 if I had no warranty. Obviously I walked away not paying a dime. When it comes to computers it's not true that if it doesn't break within a year that it never will. You can almost be sure that something will go wrong eventually. Whether its a cheap spin drive or an expensive logic board is just the luck of the draw. The more you use your computer the greater the chance of something going bad.

 

[SusanK]

If it breaks in the future (which it probably wont), just use the $170 to help buy a new laptop.

Makes sense. I charged it to AmEx so the warranty is extended to the end of the second year. I never used that protection so I don't know how much of a hassle it is.

I purchased AC on an iBook a lifetime ago. I only used it to replace a $50 keyboard. Definitely was not necessary on the purchase. That iBook is a solid machine. It's still going from 2003.

 

[Fifteen20s]

I bought AppleCare for my iMac.

Having converted from Windows to Mac this past year I have called tech support a few times with stupid questions. Every time they have been helpful and humored me.


1 week after the 1 year warranty expired on my iMac the screen quit. I took it in for repair and walked out with a new vid card, screen and logic board (which was the real problem) all with no charge.

 

[SusanK]

The more you use your computer the greater the chance of something going bad.

Thanks for the info. I use my MBA a lot. I am in love with this computer! Looks like it's Apple Care for me.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm a huge fan of Applecare for computers, (although not for iPods).

One of the reasons I 'switched' to Apple in the first place was the excellent customer service when two classic iPods (with the old HDD, which occasionally died) died, in fairly rapid succession, and were replaced, without a murmur, immediately as they were still under warranty.

I bought a MBP in spring 2008, and currently have a MBA, which I bought in late 2010. In both cases, I bought Applecare, and in both cases, it has been used, saving me quite a sum of money. The MBP suffered a HDD failure (when it was almost three years old, a repair that was covered by Applecare). Thus far, on the MBA, the Magsafe has been replaced, as has the keyboard, again, both under Applecare.

My view is that Applecare gives you peace of mind for three years, and, as such, is an investment well worth considering. Just because a computer was designed by Apple does not mean that device will not have glitches and hiccups and the occasional breakdown. In fact, I'll go further, and will never buy an Apple computer without also purchasing Applecare.

 

[Fifteen20s]

Really, I suggest this.


If you flip PC's every 1-2 years I would pass.

If your going to keep your Mac for 2+ years Id get Applecare. The longer you have your machine the more time you have to run into issues.

 

[SprSynJn]

My MacBook I bought AppleCare, but everything after that (iPad, iPod Nano, iPhone) I have passed on. Mostly because nothing has happened to any of my iDevices, knock on wood. If it were cheaper, I'd get it also. Now when I buy a new computer at some point in time, I'll probably consider getting it just because it's such an expensive piece of equipment.

 

[DisMyMac]

It's like buying consumer rights. Lemon laws should apply to everything, not just cars.

 

[SR71]

I'd recommend getting it, but not from Apple (unless you can get the student discount which brings it down to $183 instead of $249). I'd get it from B&H as they have it for $179.99 with no sales tax.

I got my 2012 MacBook Pro on launch day and 3 weeks into ownership the speakers started messing up. Brought it to Apple, got it back a day later and didn't pay a dime. Would've been a $100 fix. 8 months into ownership the logic board was messing up. Got that replaced and had my MacBook back after 3 days and didn't pay a dime. That would have been $600 to fix without AppleCare. Then, a month ago my MagSafe port stopped working. Would've been $100 to fix. Again, didn't pay a dime. So in total, AppleCare has definitely paid for itself... over $800 in repairs. Similar incidents can happen to anyone, at any time. At $179, AppleCare is a steal, IMO.

 

[MBAir 2012]

Warranty

I'd recommend getting it, but not from Apple (unless you can get the student discount which brings it down to $183 instead of $249). I'd get it from B&H as they have it for $179.99 with no sales tax.

I got my 2012 MacBook Pro on launch day and 3 weeks into ownership the speakers started messing up. Brought it to Apple, got it back a day later and didn't pay a dime. Would've been a $100 fix. 8 months into ownership the logic board was messing up. Got that replaced and had my MacBook back after 3 days and didn't pay a dime. That would have been $600 to fix without AppleCare. Then, a month ago my MagSafe port stopped working. Would've been $100 to fix. Again, didn't pay a dime. So in total, AppleCare has definitely paid for itself... over $800 in repairs. Similar incidents can happen to anyone, at any time. At $179, AppleCare is a steal, IMO.

Surely this is all covered by the first years warranty which is FREE?

I personally would use the laptop for the 1st year and if you are having issues you always have the option to extend the warranty before the 1st year expires. Purchases can get quite expensive by the time you decide all the upgrades and accessories you'd like so to be able to pay later is a bit easier financially. It also depends on how long you plan to keep the laptop, anything longer than 2 years maybe worth it but a lot of people do upgrade before then. Also as said above your purchase can be covered by other methods, credit card, home insurance etc...

Just out of interest, isn't the $249 AppleCare for 2 years extended warranty as you get the first year free?

 

[Riker88]

If you flip PC's every 1-2 years I would pass.

I used to believe this also since I usually change laptops every 2 years and all of my previous laptops (Windows) over the years have continued to work beyond 2 years.

Then my 2011 MacBook Air developed a logicboard failure after only 18 months. Had to pay $500 to replace despite complaining to Apple.

It is disappointing that my top of the line MBA only lasted 18 months. iDevices are now mass commodity items with questionable quality control. Logicboard failures seem strangely very common when compared to Windows laptops

IF I buy another Apple laptop, I would purchase AppleCare and factor in this price hike when comparing to other laptops.

 

[ftaok]

So glad I used my AMEX card to purchase.....1 additional year of free warranty on my new MBA ! So cool!

Heres their website with all the info:

http://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/card-benefits/extended-warranty.html

just keep in mind that you have to charge the entire purchase amount on the Amex card. If you put a portion of the purchase on a gift card or something like that, Amex has the right to deny the coverage. In pretty sure that all Credit card warranties work like this.

 

[kahkityoong]

Bought my ultimate edition 13 MBA at an Apple Store. Was surprised to find that apple care cost only $130 AUD. Given that it covers battery replacement and I'm a very heavy user, seemed like a good deal.

 

[DisplacedMic]

As for the price, if you are financing your Mac, then adding AppleCare really only adds a few dollars to you monthly payment.

i agree with everything you said except for this. first of all, full disclosure, i think "financing" a Mac, or any computer, is almost always a terrible idea. Unless this is a business purchase or you're a student and you have to have a laptop rolled into your loans there are very few reasons to be financing a purchase like this.

Even still, another way of saying it "only adds a few dollars to your monthly payment" is "it costs even more"