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Is AppleCare a good investment?

E

Emoo

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 11, 2010
176
0
Texas
I'm reading up on the information right now. It says that it covers the computer, its components and included accessories, and also gives phone support and hardware coverage for three years. However, it doesn't cover anything done by accident.

Personally, I've never called the HP company for support with my current notebook. I'll scrounge forums for solutions, and finding my way around software isn't usually a big deal. So, do y'all think that AppleCare is a good thing to purchase? If something blows up, wouldn't it likely occur in the first year anyway?
 
Emoo said:
I'm reading up on the information right now. It says that it covers the computer, its components and included accessories, and also gives phone support and hardware coverage for three years. However, it doesn't cover anything done by accident.

Personally, I've never called the HP company for support with my current notebook. I'll scrounge forums for solutions, and finding my way around software isn't usually a big deal. So, do y'all think that AppleCare is a good thing to purchase? If something blows up, wouldn't it likely occur in the first year anyway?
Click to expand...

In my opinion not worth it. The motherboard is Intel, the chance of anything failing is hardly at all.
 
That's what I've been thinking. Do you know if there's any way to get accident coverage besides purchasing it at another retailer? (There's no Apple store in my town, so Best Buy is my only other option)
 
Emoo said:
That's what I've been thinking. Do you know if there's any way to get accident coverage besides purchasing it at another retailer? (There's no Apple store in my town, so Best Buy is my only other option)
Click to expand...

Not through Apple. Other wise I am not too sure.
 
waloshin said:
In my opinion not worth it. The motherboard is Intel, the chance of anything failing is hardly at all.
Click to expand...

Hey, you're back. But still not using meds, are ya?


OP: Apple Care is quite good, and as waloshin stated, the logic/mother boards are Intel, but that does not mean they won't fail.
There are many parts in a computer that can fail, like the HDD, SuperDrive, display, GPU, transistor, ... . Therefore an extended warranty might be worth it, especially if a new mother/logic board costs 400 to 800€.

Also if you use http://mroogle.*************/MRoogle.gif you will find plenty of threads about the advantages of Apple Care.
 
Okay, so what's the failure rate of MBPs? I only just now have been having issues with the hardware in my current laptop. Do many Apple products have many issues with failing batteries, CD slots, etc?

And I know everything can fail. The motherboard on a computer I built for a contest fried the very day of the contest.
 
Emoo said:
Okay, so what's the failure rate of MBPs? I only just now have been having issues with the hardware in my current laptop. Do many Apple products have many issues with failing batteries, CD slots, etc?

And I know everything can fail. The motherboard on a computer I built for a contest fried the very day of the contest.
Click to expand...

The failure rate is likely not at all. The only problem I have had with my Macbook in the year I had it was the trackpad acts up. Other then that nothing.

What brand of motherboard, over clocking, heat issues, the Macbooks/ Pro's atre designed very well there should be no worry about over heating.
 
waloshin said:
In my opinion not worth it. The motherboard is Intel, the chance of anything failing is hardly at all.
Click to expand...

Logic board failures are more common than you think.

The logic board on my 2006 20" iMac died 6 weeks out of the one year warranty. It cost me $550. That was the last time I didn't buy AppleCare.

On my mid-2007 24" iMac I had the LCD panel (about $800 part) replaced twice, once for a smudge on the panel and the second time for a color gradient. Later, the HD died and I had it replaced.

Service under AppleCare, at least here in Japan, is door-to-door and prompt. For the iMac it is about $6 per month for the additional 24 months of worry-free coverage it provides from L.A. Computer. It's a little over $8 per month for the Macbook coverage.

I can't recommend AppleCare highly enough if only for the peace of mind it provides.
 
AppleCare = con

There are a million other companies which will sell you device and accidental cover at half the apple price
 
AppleCare - we got it for the UK Higher Ed price of £58.

What have we got out of it?

New keyboard, new logic board, new hdd. Then, because things still weren't right, a new MBP - two models newer.

Mac...It just works....except when it doesn't. Very tempted by a Dell Vostro 3700 right now.
 
Since when does Intel make motherboards for Apple?

The motherboards aren't 'Intel', the processor and support chips are 'Intel'.

It's highly likely that some third party company (Foxconn) makes the motherboards on spec for Apple. Heck, Dell stopped making motherboards probably years ago now. I bought an HP a few years back that used an HP branded ASUS motherboard...

AppleCare, like any insurance or warranty is great when you need it, and a waste of money if you don't. Since mere mortals can't tell the future, it's hard to know when you are going to need an extended warranty. The few systems that I've had AppleCare on, the cost has been well worth it. It's a crap shoot. Consider it to be like health insurance. If you don't need it, you pay for nothing but when you need it, it *should* be there to cover you. More often, it's not but that's another story...
 
Total worth of AppleCare purchased: 490€ (100 for display, 70 for Mac Pro, 2 x 160 for MBP).

Total worth of hardware Apple replaced: 3350€ (1800 for display, 50 for alu keyboard, 1300 for MBP logic board, 200 for MBP super drive).

Not the worst deal, considering that I saved 2860€ (roughly $3800!).

So yes, get AppleCare!
 
spinnerlys said:
Hey, you're back. But still not using meds, are ya?
There are many parts in a computer that can fail, like the HDD, SuperDrive, display, GPU, transistor, ... . Therefore an extended warranty might be worth it, especially if a new mother/logic board costs 400 to 800€.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. My previous MBP Santa Rosa graphic card was failed. Due to AppleCare, I receive new logic board for free. Current Apple products (Intel-based) is becoming a mass product, so I think the chance for errors is bigger than previous product (PPC). I have a 800 MHz Ibook which still running very nice though my son had stand upon it several times!
 
Yes

I'm afraid i'm another voting yes.

My wife's MacBook had been spot on for getting on 3 years, until about 2 weeks ago, when the screen went dark. After 10 days of sitting in an Apple Store in Solihull, we got a call to say the logic board needed replacing, at a cost of £387.

If we had paid for AppleCare, it would have been fixed for free. As it is, it's back home unfixed as it's not worth the cost of the repair.
 
I never buy extended warranties

I never buy extended warranties because if something bad happens I just purchase a new computer. So far Apple computers have been very reliable with little problems.
 
Okay, thanks for all the advice! I think that just for piece of mind it might be a good idea, and I definitely don't want to pay a ton of money if my system fails catastrophically right out of the limited warranty.
 
Depends on how much risk you want to take and how much you you can replace on your own.

With a MBp, it'll be hard to replace anything yourself. Same with a Cinema Display. A Mac Pro might be easier to service yourself, but then again what's a few hundred on AppleCare when you're paying $3000+ for the machine.

You can always buy applecare later (within the first year).
 
Emoo said:
Okay, thanks for all the advice! I think that just for piece of mind it might be a good idea, and I definitely don't want to pay a ton of money if my system fails catastrophically right out of the limited warranty.
Click to expand...

be aware that you can put off buying Applecare up to the end of the basic 1 year warranty
 
Macky-Mac said:
be aware that you can put off buying Applecare up to the end of the basic 1 year warranty
Click to expand...

In that case....I could buy it this summer, then wait til school's almost out after freshman year, and then do the Applecare thing and have it warrantied for four years?? I feel like that's cheating the system somehow, but that's AWESOME.
 
Emoo said:
Okay, thanks for all the advice! I think that just for piece of mind it might be a good idea,
Click to expand...

Like any insurance policy, at the bottom line peace of mind is exactly what you are paying for. You may use the coverage and you may not but you can rest easier knowing that it's there if you do need it.

One other point to consider is that if you decide to sell your Mac at some point during the period of coverage it will increase the resale value.

I do think Apple charges too much for it. Get it from a third party reseller like L.A. Computer or Amazon. I would caution against buying it on eBay.
 
Emoo said:
In that case....I could buy it this summer, then wait til school's almost out after freshman year, and then do the Applecare thing and have it warrantied for four years?? I feel like that's cheating the system somehow, but that's AWESOME.
Click to expand...

AppleCare extends the warranty to 3 years from the date of purchase. You have up to the end of the one year warranty to purchase it. It is an additional 2 years, not 3, no matter when you buy it. It will expire on the 3rd anniversary of the date of purchase.
 
Pity, that. In that case it would make just as much sense to purchase it immediately rather than wait a whole year for it...Well, in any case, I'll probably be purchasing it. Given that I'll be lugging the thing around with me everywhere, it'll be nice to know that if something goes wrong it can be fixed.
 
Buy it...its worth it...i got a replacement MBP through apple care(though it was a known issue...but still...many other repairs were done for free)

You don't have to buy it right now...you can buy it anytime during one year of your MBP purchase.
 
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