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2012 MacBook Air 11-inch ... is AppleCare really necessary?

B

benguild

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 29, 2003
827
39
I've always bought AppleCare for my portable computers.
With so few moving parts, is it really worth it at this point?

I think the only things that broke on my white Macbook were the CD drive and some of the plastic pieces. When the trackpad got worn out, I had that replaced ... so that's definitely something, but couldn't I pay cash for this?

What kinds of repairs have the MacBook Air needed for you?
 
AppleCare
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display

As to whether AppleCare is worth it or not, that's a matter of opinion. You'll find lots of opinions on both sides, with roughly 75% saying it's worth it. You really need to decide if it's worth it to you.
  • You can buy AppleCare any time during the first year warranty period, so you don't have to buy it at time of purchase.
  • You can check your remaining warranty and/or AppleCare coverage here
  • AppleCare will extend the 1 year warranty for an additional 2 years, for a total of 3 years coverage from the date of your Mac purchase.
    It also extends telephone support from 90 days, which is included with your original warranty, to a total of 3 years.
  • You cannot buy AppleCare again or renew it once it expires.
  • Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover damage from accidents, spills, etc. They only cover manufacturing defects.
  • Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover batteries that have worn out. They only cover defective batteries.
  • For more detailed questions, read the AppleCare Protection Plan (pdf) agreement.
If you want more information, you can search the forum, where you'll find dozens, if not hundreds of threads asking "is AppleCare worth it?" The overall consensus seems to be about 75% in favor of it.

Is AppleCare worth it?
Applecare worth it?
Applecare worth it?
AppleCare 3-yr Protection-Worth it?
Is applecare worth it?
you guys think applecare is well worth it?
Is Applecare worth it if I don't even use the macbook pro to its full potential?
Is Applecare worth it for MBA 11 in case SSD fails?
Applecare - Worth it?
AppleCare worth every penny
is applecare worth the money?
Worth buying applecare?
Mac Pro and AppleCare, worth it?
Is AppleCare Plan worth it?
applecare worth it?
Is AppleCare worth it?
Is AppleCare Worth It?
 
GGJstudios said:
AppleCare
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display

As to whether AppleCare is worth it or not, that's a matter of opinion. You'll find lots of opinions on both sides, with roughly 75% saying it's worth it. You really need to decide if it's worth it to you.
  • You can buy AppleCare any time during the first year warranty period, so you don't have to buy it at time of purchase.
  • You can check your remaining warranty and/or AppleCare coverage here
  • AppleCare will extend the 1 year warranty for an additional 2 years, for a total of 3 years coverage from the date of your Mac purchase.
    It also extends telephone support from 90 days, which is included with your original warranty, to a total of 3 years.
  • You cannot buy AppleCare again or renew it once it expires.
  • Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover damage from accidents, spills, etc. They only cover manufacturing defects.
  • Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover batteries that have worn out. They only cover defective batteries.
  • For more detailed questions, read the AppleCare Protection Plan (pdf) agreement.
If you want more information, you can search the forum, where you'll find dozens, if not hundreds of threads asking "is AppleCare worth it?" The overall consensus seems to be about 75% in favor of it.

Is AppleCare worth it?
Applecare worth it?
Applecare worth it?
AppleCare 3-yr Protection-Worth it?
Is applecare worth it?
you guys think applecare is well worth it?
Is Applecare worth it if I don't even use the macbook pro to its full potential?
Is Applecare worth it for MBA 11 in case SSD fails?
Applecare - Worth it?
AppleCare worth every penny
is applecare worth the money?
Worth buying applecare?
Mac Pro and AppleCare, worth it?
Is AppleCare Plan worth it?
applecare worth it?
Is AppleCare worth it?
Is AppleCare Worth It?
Click to expand...

I understand, I've had AppleCare before.
However ... What I'm asking is: Is it worth it for the Air?
 
smash said:
I understand, I've had AppleCare before.
However ... What I'm asking is: Is it worth it for the Air?
Click to expand...
Again, the only thing that matters is whether it's worth it to you. You'll get many different opinions, as expressed in the dozens of threads on this, with an average of around 75% saying it's worth it, and the rest saying no. Which Mac model may make a difference to some, but the real question is does it matter to you? These are specifically about the MBA:
 
There are so many factors on whether or not it is worth it to someone.

Two of these factors include.

1) How much it will be used and how roughly? Will it always be sitting on a desk, or moved around a lot around the home and out of the home?

2) The financial impact of both buying Apple Care, and the financial impact if the machine gave out at 18 months and a new one had to be purchased.


A warranty/insurance is always a bit of a gamble either way!
 
powerbook911 said:
There are so many factors on whether or not it is worth it to someone.

Two of these factors include.

1) How much it will be used and how roughly? Will it always be sitting on a desk, or moved around a lot around the home and out of the home?

2) The financial impact of both buying Apple Care, and the financial impact if the machine gave out at 18 months and a new one had to be purchased.


A warranty/insurance is always a bit of a gamble either way!
Click to expand...

The last statement is telling. The gamble. That is how insurance or stocks gets sold. Each person has their own threshold for comfort and some will pay the price for that comfort; others will gamble that breakage won't happen.
 
The OP is asking specifically about the MBA: what owners have found that needed repair so far. From this, he will be able to make the decision to buy the 2 years of AppleCare or not.

@OP:
Personally, I haven't needed to repair a thing on my 2010 MBA (second hand from january 2010), still in excellent shape. Same for my 2011 MBA (from late july 2011). As you said, no moving parts. If there's no defects within the 1st week, chances are it will remain in the same conditions 1 year from now, and certainly even longer. At least nothing that wouldn't be caused by you (not covered).

The one minor annoyance that's emerging on the old 2010 MBA is the fan. At idle (2000RPM), it's noisier than that of the 2011 (absolutely silent). Almost inaudible, but still, a noise that I know can be prevented by applying a bit of oil in the fan. With that as the sole "repair", I don't think AppleCare will ever be needed.
 
I will purchase it...but I do with it included accidental damage or that Apple's service costs were not so over the top for a MBA.
 
I bought AppleCare for my early 2008 MacBook and 2 months before AC expired, my screen developed a problem (colours not displayed properly on a 2-inch vertical strip in the middle of the screen). Not sure why it happened when the machine was nearly 3 years old, only thing I started doing differently half a year before this happened is connecting the MB to an external VGA monitor everyday. So the screen was replaced.

No moving parts on the MBA, but the screen and logic board could still develop problems after the first year.
 
Roman2K~ said:
The one minor annoyance that's emerging on the old 2010 MBA is the fan. At idle (2000RPM), it's noisier than that of the 2011 (absolutely silent). Almost inaudible, but still, a noise that I know can be prevented by applying a bit of oil in the fan.
Click to expand...

Aren't the fans meant to be brushless? Can't see how oil would help. Probably just accumulated dust and lint clogging up the works. Only way to clear that is to open the thing up and get an air can to it.
 
I bought my MBA in September 2010 and added Applecare a month or so later.

Personally, I am a fan of Applecare, - from my perspective, it gives peace of mind for three years, and it also adds to the resale value, should you wish to sell the computer within three years. Moreover, the cost of repairs should anything go wrong after the expiry of the original warranty period, can be quite expensive.

As it happens, I already had to use it for my two and a half year old MBP when the HDD died last year, and found it more than paid for itself. So far, on the MBA, the keyboard had to be replaced and that was done without fuss under the original warranty.

GGJstudios posted an excellent response a few posts back which is well worth reading. At the end of the day, it is a matter of personal preference, but mine has always been to buy it for my laptops.
 
weckart said:
Aren't the fans meant to be brushless? Can't see how oil would help. Probably just accumulated dust and lint clogging up the works. Only way to clear that is to open the thing up and get an air can to it.
Click to expand...

I think you're right. I'll have to see what's going on in there. Hopefully it's just dust or lint. Thanks for the input (I didn't even know what a "brushless motor" was :D).
 
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