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Is AppleCare worth it?
- Thread starter jmac049
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i would wait until a year goes by and you have to make that decision then. (You have one year to purchase AppleCare on your machine). My deadline is tomorrow and I haven't decided yet either! I'm leaning towards not doing it. It's a good price, but still expensive if you never have to use it.
Absolutely. AppleCare on the iMac is cheap, and even cheaper with a student discount. Chances are, if anything happens to your iMac, you'll end up saving money by having coverage. AppleCare has already saved me $709 to replace my iMac's LCD (big glob of dust in the panel). This was covered under the 1-year included plan. After that experience, I didn't have to think twice about paying a measly $119 to extend my coverage to August 2013.
You get a big bang for your buck with AppleCare. I recommend it to all of my friends and family. With what I've gone through with my MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPad I always buy AppleCare.
Really top of the line service and support.
Really top of the line service and support.
I always do this as well, I did it for my macbook pro and my iMac, and as other have said it is easy to forget. In the end I always end of getting it just to be save. It is a very good warranty. So i agree with most other just get it now
definitely worth the money, I've already made my money back just replacing my mouse and keyboard twice because of user damage (oops). I'm about to bring in my iMac to see if I can get the display replaced because of a burn in issue. They might also have to replace the logic board due to an odd freezing issue thats not the fault of the OS. Neither of these problems really bother me that much but if I get them fixed under apple care then I am going to. $100 or so is a small price to pay when your new mac costs almost 20 times that to replace if anything goes wrong.
I have bought it for every piece I own...2 x MacBook Pros,iMac, iPad, iPhone etc...and I've never had to use it.
but I wouldn't venture forth without it because the one time I will need it will probably be critical.
but I wouldn't venture forth without it because the one time I will need it will probably be critical.
It's only worth it if your computer breaks during the Applecare warranty period. Otherwise if it doesn't break, then it's a waste of money.
I say no
I've been using macs since the mid 80's (my first was a Mac 128) and have never purchased Apple Care on any of them. I think with a laptop it makes more sense but with desktop systems my feeling is that if something is going to go wrong it typically does so in the first 12 months. Additionally unlike a laptop an iMac typically remains in one place and is less susceptible to damage. On my new 2011 i7 Mac I had dust and hair under the glass and got it fixed quickly by Apple as it was only a few weeks old. stuff like this you typically notice within the first year.
There's always the story however of someone who didn't purchase and their system failed on the 366th day. So if piece of mind is what you're looking for go for it but I'm happy without it.
-a
I've been using macs since the mid 80's (my first was a Mac 128) and have never purchased Apple Care on any of them. I think with a laptop it makes more sense but with desktop systems my feeling is that if something is going to go wrong it typically does so in the first 12 months. Additionally unlike a laptop an iMac typically remains in one place and is less susceptible to damage. On my new 2011 i7 Mac I had dust and hair under the glass and got it fixed quickly by Apple as it was only a few weeks old. stuff like this you typically notice within the first year.
There's always the story however of someone who didn't purchase and their system failed on the 366th day. So if piece of mind is what you're looking for go for it but I'm happy without it.
-a
It depends on your insurance and on the product you buy !
iMac have a strong tendency to get issues with the screen because of dust particles from the computer situated 1" behind the glass with only a LED LCD panel in between.
So with an iMac I opted for AppleCare. Not a doubt in my mind !
However when I got the iPad 2, the iPhone 4 and the MBA 13 - I got them with a special warranty my card provider has with an insurance company which gives me 4 years warranty on all electronic products I buy using that credit card.
And in our country most cell phone providers also have shops, and they are very service minded when it comes to iPhones.
So it depends on your personal situation and on the product you're planning to buy
Since you're buying an iMac - buy AppleCare NOW !!!
iMac have a strong tendency to get issues with the screen because of dust particles from the computer situated 1" behind the glass with only a LED LCD panel in between.
So with an iMac I opted for AppleCare. Not a doubt in my mind !
However when I got the iPad 2, the iPhone 4 and the MBA 13 - I got them with a special warranty my card provider has with an insurance company which gives me 4 years warranty on all electronic products I buy using that credit card.
And in our country most cell phone providers also have shops, and they are very service minded when it comes to iPhones.
So it depends on your personal situation and on the product you're planning to buy
Since you're buying an iMac - buy AppleCare NOW !!!
It's definitely worth it for the peace of mind...and it makes your machine more valuable on the used market. If you ever decide to sell in the future, to get a new one. Which lots of Mac users seem to do!
I would try it buy elsewhere though. B&H sells it cheaper, I think. Personally, all the Applecare I've bought has been from ebay. Haven't had any problems whatsoever.
I would try it buy elsewhere though. B&H sells it cheaper, I think. Personally, all the Applecare I've bought has been from ebay. Haven't had any problems whatsoever.
It depends....
My iMac is 11 months old. This week, I needed to decide to buy AppleCare or NOT. Since no screen issues, no disk issues, no "internal heat" concerns, I decided NO. If I pushed my iMac 8+ hours each day, know its internal runs hot, wasn't happy with internal hard drive sounds, etc, etc, then I'd say AppleCare is worth it. It's like buying extended warranty. If you drive a vehicle everyday, then its worth it. If you drive vehicle short distances only 4 days a week, then perhaps its not worth it.
Your call - based on usage and how your iMac is running now... And, one's individual risk tolerance level...
.
My iMac is 11 months old. This week, I needed to decide to buy AppleCare or NOT. Since no screen issues, no disk issues, no "internal heat" concerns, I decided NO. If I pushed my iMac 8+ hours each day, know its internal runs hot, wasn't happy with internal hard drive sounds, etc, etc, then I'd say AppleCare is worth it. It's like buying extended warranty. If you drive a vehicle everyday, then its worth it. If you drive vehicle short distances only 4 days a week, then perhaps its not worth it.
Your call - based on usage and how your iMac is running now... And, one's individual risk tolerance level...
.
I look at Applecare as a twofold thing. First, it ups your warrantee to 3 years. Second, it allows you to call in anytime within the 3 years to get help for a Mac related problem. Without Applecare you only get 90 days phone support.
I was helping out a relative setup his network which consisted of a 15" Macbook Pro, a Windows PC and a airport extreme base station. The Mac had no issues connecting with the Airport base station. The problem lied in how to get the PC to connect to the same network. I tried multiple times to connect the Windows PC with the hex SSID. It was a no go. From there I decided to call the manufacturer of the wireless PC device. Not much help as they thought it was a problem with the Airport base station. I then called up Applecare and within 30 minutes I had the PC connecting to the network. The problem, as it turns out, was that I had to enter the SSID in ASCII like I would for the Mac.
Everytime that I have had Applecare it has more than paid for itself in one way or another. Keep in mind that under Applecare, if Apple can't fix the computer they will replace it. Nothing is perfect and there are bound to be problems at one time or another.
Think of it like a piece of mind insurance policy.
I was helping out a relative setup his network which consisted of a 15" Macbook Pro, a Windows PC and a airport extreme base station. The Mac had no issues connecting with the Airport base station. The problem lied in how to get the PC to connect to the same network. I tried multiple times to connect the Windows PC with the hex SSID. It was a no go. From there I decided to call the manufacturer of the wireless PC device. Not much help as they thought it was a problem with the Airport base station. I then called up Applecare and within 30 minutes I had the PC connecting to the network. The problem, as it turns out, was that I had to enter the SSID in ASCII like I would for the Mac.
Everytime that I have had Applecare it has more than paid for itself in one way or another. Keep in mind that under Applecare, if Apple can't fix the computer they will replace it. Nothing is perfect and there are bound to be problems at one time or another.
Think of it like a piece of mind insurance policy.
What does apple care not cover?
My mac book pro has the nvidia GPU problem. it could have been replaced under the recall, but apparently its easier for the apple store to fix it under apple care and then worry about the recall later. However, they say my fans are not making spec and that the fans are not covered under Applecare.
Could this be true?
My mac book pro has the nvidia GPU problem. it could have been replaced under the recall, but apparently its easier for the apple store to fix it under apple care and then worry about the recall later. However, they say my fans are not making spec and that the fans are not covered under Applecare.
Could this be true?
Sure it's worth it, you ordered BTO iMac which priced more than $2000. Say you order iMac with $2500, and iMac's Applecare is considered cheapest among others, around $140
That way you only pay about 6 - 7% of your iMac value for additional 2 years warranty and phone support. I mean 3 years is a long time, long enough to make a perfectly healthy iMac show its age and problems. So, it's a blunder if you don't get AppleCare for that price.
That way you only pay about 6 - 7% of your iMac value for additional 2 years warranty and phone support. I mean 3 years is a long time, long enough to make a perfectly healthy iMac show its age and problems. So, it's a blunder if you don't get AppleCare for that price.
yeah it's the only one I would consider buying. but I only do it on my Macbook laptops because those are so much easier to have problems with since they're always moving around. On my home mac mini I haven't done it/wouldn't do it. The other bad thing about non-portables is that they make you bring in to an apple store where they only address the issue. When you have applecare on your portable, they let you mail it in which is good because they're usually better about fixing issues you may have while the store may not if they don't see it. I've even gotten them to fix a broken screen by mailing it in. Also they fix other things.
If you get applecare, make sure to get your money's worth by sending it in whenever something is off or you think it's off. If you do that then it's not a waste of money.
And you're confident that a $1199 Chinese-made iMac is built to the same standard of quality as a $5177.24 (in today's dollars) USA-made Mac 128?
Maybe OK for U.S. market but you can get just as good cover (if not better) in U.K. from at least one retailer - John Lewis. Buy a new iMac from them and you get a no quibble TWO year warranty for nothing with an option to extend to a third year for just £68.