Is Applecare worth it if I don't even use the macbook pro to its full potential?

[AbyssImpact]

I am a student and only do browsing and chatting on aim/msn. I also use facebook and occasionally watch youtube videos. I also watch movies and maybe buy some program like adobe photoshop cs5 to play with since the base model 13 inch can handle that...

Should I pay $200 for Applecare?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Things can randomly break, even if you never move your computer.

It's up to you, but if something does break and you want Apple to fix it instead of anyone else, Apple overcharges so much you'll probably cover the cost of the Applecare in the first repair.

 

[Gr80Likes2Boogi]

It's not about using the computer to its full potential- it's about a logic board failure, a display hinge defect, a fan dying, a speaker blowing, an optical drive getting stuck.

Yes, it's worth it. Every single penny (imho, of course)

 

[josh1231]

It's not about using the computer to its full potential- it's about dropping your computer, it's about a logic board failure, a display hinge defect, a fan dying, a speaker blowing, an optical drive getting stuck.

Yes, it's worth it. Every single penny (imho, of course)

I agree it's worth it, however I don't think it is covered if you dropped it, as it doesn't cover accidental damage.

 

[Gr80Likes2Boogi]

Fixed- thanks for catching that.

 

[pullman]

Should I pay $200 for Applecare?

It's 249$ no?

(Or 249€ in Europe, ie 349$. Sigh)

But yeah it's worth it. And (imho) gives good secondhand value if you sell the laptop within the three years.

 

[gngan]

I am a student and only do browsing and chatting on aim/msn. I also use facebook and occasionally watch youtube videos. I also watch movies and maybe buy some program like adobe photoshop cs5 to play with since the base model 13 inch can handle that...

Should I pay $200 for Applecare?

Do you even know what Applecare is? Chatting on aim/msn,facebook, youtube doesn't mean your macbook won't fail.

Kids these days don't have common sense.

 

[sbf74]

I bought AppleCare with my early 2008 MBP. Very glad that I did.
Had a Logic board failure after 2 years and 10 months. Repaired within 48 hours, no cost! Money well spent.

 

[Mal67]

If you can afford it go for it. Personally I think goods like notebooks should have longer warranties anyway. For example a two year warranty for a low to mid-price notebook so the extended cover is for one year as opposed to two. Or if the notebook is really expensive then it should have a three year warranty.

 

[A.W.E.S.O.M.-0]

Depends on where you live. If you live in (western) Europe or countries with similar consumer protection laws, you have already 3 year full warranty by law on laptops in stead of the 1 year they provide standard. The period depends on the expected lifespan of the product, for laptops it has been established that they should work without hardware failure for three years.

Apple, like all major companies, will do everything they can to persuade you to buy such service programs and discourage customers to claim free repair during that period.

I would never, ever, buy Applecare out of principle. Except for the casing, everything in my 2007 SR MBP has been replaced, after the 1 year warranty without costs. Rightfully so, they should provide better components or stricter quality control for that money. Getting your rights is very hard, but in the end they'll comply.

But if you're not protected by such laws I'd get Applecare since the quality of their products hasn't exactly improved now that Apple is more and more mainstream. This is not an Apple rant, simply that as production scales up it's harder to maintain the same quality control as they did in the time of the Powerbooks etc.

 

[Mal67]

Depends on where you live. If you live in (western) Europe or countries with similar consumer protection laws, you have already 3 year full warranty by law on laptops in stead of the 1 year they provide standard. The period depends on the expected lifespan of the product, for laptops it has been established that they should work without hardware failure for three years.

Apple, like all major companies, will do everything they can to persuade you to buy such service programs and discourage customers to claim free repair during that period.

I would never, ever, buy Applecare out of principle. Except for the casing, everything in my 2007 SR MBP has been replaced, after the 1 year warranty without costs. Rightfully so, they should provide better components or stricter quality control for that money. Getting your rights is very hard, but in the end they'll comply.

But if you're not protected by such laws I'd get Applecare since the quality of their products hasn't exactly improved now that Apple is more and more mainstream. This is not an Apple rant, simply that as production scales up it's harder to maintain the same quality control as they did in the time of the Powerbooks etc.

We've just had our consumer rights in Australia with regards to warranties etc clarified nationally this year. But I have no idea how consumer protection laws work overseas. I have never taken out extended warranty for a computer and wouldn't hesitate taking a faulty machine back within a two year time frame.

 

[pullman]

If you live in (western) Europe or countries with similar consumer protection laws, you have already 3 year full warranty by law on laptops in stead of the 1 year they provide standard.

In EU there's a Directive that requires companies to offer two - not three - years of warranty.

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/gen_rights_en.htm#gar

Fwiw (not knowing where the OP lives) there are quite big differences between a warranty as it applies under EU consumer laws and AppleCare.

The EU warranty requires that the fault was present at the time of purchase or at the time of delivery/"performance" (depends on each country's laws). In other words, there has to have been a flaw in the product early.

AppleCare, however, does not require this but covers faults that appear later.

Under a consumer warranty the buyer may request certain things to be done to the computer. This is often replacement. However, it is free to the seller/company in charge of the warranty to first try to fix a problem by repairing.

The AppleCare is somewhat more flexible in this respect. In addition to being a service plan, AppleCare is a support plan, meaning that you can call for assistance. This doesn't exist under normal consumer warranties (at least in the EU).

Another benefit of AppleCare is that it is truly world-wide and that both mail-in and on-site service are offered. This is typically not offered by sellers based on the EU warranty.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html

The period depends on the expected lifespan of the product, for laptops it has been established that they should work without hardware failure for three years.

Not in the EU afaik.

Remember that you can buy AppleCare "anytime within the one-year limited warranty period". So if you're low on money you can wait a bit.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/faqs.html

/p

 

[AppleFan360]

$200 is a lot of money to gamble away and it's likely the Macbook won't fail. I've had several pieces of Apple hardware that I never bought Applecare for and saved hundreds of dollars. They never failed even after I sold them.

If you don't have $200 to spare, I would recommend waiting until the last minute just before the 1 year warranty is up and then decide. Extended warranties are costly and Apple makes a crap load of money selling them. Most economists recommend not buying them.

Besides, if you have a credit card that automatically tacks an extended warranty on the purchase, use that instead.

 

[dblissmn]

I've never not used extended coverage on a laptop. Well, OK, my original Powerbook from 1992 didn't have Applecare but it needed an out of warranty repair, which fortunately was under a general recall. But other than that, I've always used it; a 1GHz Ti, original MB, more recent MBP. Displays fail, logic boards fail, optical drives misalign and so on. My only complaint is that it only goes three years instead of four or five, which can cause trouble with purchasing cycles at work.

I also had it on a G4 Tower. That was kind of redundant. The only problems with that machine were due to DeathStar hard drives, which I could have OEMd even without the Apple coverage, and a failing cooling fan which cost $20 to fix with a far better replacement part, and it happened after the three years.

Note that most extended warranties are more like insurance contracts and they're a pain in the butt to use. Applecare is much more of a service contract directly with the company, and it's a huge convenience even if it doesn't ultimately "save" money. That convenience is completely worth it on a laptop, and I'd probably go for it on an iMac too, but I'm not quite sure what I'd do on a MacPro.

 

[A.W.E.S.O.M.-0]

In EU there's a Directive that requires companies to offer two - not three - years of warranty.

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/gen_rights_en.htm#gar

Fwiw (not knowing where the OP lives) there are quite big differences between a warranty as it applies under EU consumer laws and AppleCare.

The EU warranty requires that the fault was present at the time of purchase or at the time of delivery/"performance" (depends on each country's laws). In other words, there has to have been a flaw in the product early.

AppleCare, however, does not require this but covers faults that appear later.

Under a consumer warranty the buyer may request certain things to be done to the computer. This is often replacement. However, it is free to the seller/company in charge of the warranty to first try to fix a problem by repairing.

The AppleCare is somewhat more flexible in this respect. In addition to being a service plan, AppleCare is a support plan, meaning that you can call for assistance. This doesn't exist under normal consumer warranties (at least in the EU).

Another benefit of AppleCare is that it is truly world-wide and that both mail-in and on-site service are offered. This is typically not offered by sellers based on the EU warranty.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/mac.html



Not in the EU afaik.

Remember that you can buy AppleCare "anytime within the one-year limited warranty period". So if you're low on money you can wait a bit.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/faqs.html

/p

Thanks for your comprehensive explanation of the situation in Europe. I should clarify that I described the Dutch situation as I was under the impression that that would be similar for Germany, Belgium, France etc. As each country makes their own interepretation of a directive into law.

Nevertheless I suggest that everyone finds out for his/her own country/state before making the decision to go or not with Applecare.

Applecare does offer a lot of convenience, however I still feel it's unnecessary in The Netherlands and it's a waste of money for me. That's a choice everyone has to make for him/herself.

 

[Lock]

Get it.

My mbp has needed about 1300$ in repairs over three years. You can always get the computer now and the applecare later as long as you activate within one year of the purchase.