Apple care or battery?

[heatmiser]

Get Applecare. Macs last longer than regular PCs, which is why you should get the extended warranty.

They're also more reliable, so paying more for insurance makes sense. Cognitive Dissonance is just a way of Thinking Different™.

 

[boz0]

Get Applecare. Macs last longer than regular PCs, which is why you should get the extended warranty.

All my desktops lasted much, much longer than 3 years. I'm still running my home server/HTPC on a 6 years old Shuttle.

As to my last laptop, a 2001 Dell Latitude C800, it lasted almost 5 years (including 2 years as my main work machine) before the screen started to fail.

If the MBP lasts longer than that, a 3-year warranty wouldn't change much, now, would it?

 

[nhcowboy1]

If the MBP lasts longer than that, a 3-year warranty wouldn't change much, now, would it?

Stuff happens. If you're planning to trade up to a newer laptop in a year or two, then there's no need to bother with Applecare. If you're planning to hang onto your MBP just as long as you possibly can, then it perhaps makes sense to have an extended warranty that allows even minor problems to be fixed at no charge - so that it lives that much longer.

Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but just because you live in Europe does not mean you have to pay the high European retail cost for Applecare, does it? Is there not a way you can buy one of the less expensive plans available in the US - either from eBay or an authorized reseller? This has been discussed in a thread elsewhere, but - I apologize - I just don't have the time at the moment to search for it.

 

[boz0]

Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but just because you live in Europe does not mean you have to pay the high European retail cost for Applecare, does it? Is there not a way you can buy one of the less expensive plans available in the US - either from eBay or an authorized reseller? This has been discussed in a thread elsewhere, but - I apologize - I just don't have the time at the moment to search for it.

Ah, thanks for the tip. I've looked around, and I think this is the thread you're referring to.

I'll try and get it from an authorized reseller, assuming I can find one who sells to European countries.

 

[nhcowboy1]

I'll try and get it from an authorized reseller, assuming I can find one who sells to European countries.

Aha, I remember now what the difficulty was. The two cheapest sources for Applecare in the US are L.A. Computers and eBay - neither of which will usually ship outside the US. (Obviously, you might find an individual eBay seller who's willing to do it, but most probably wouldn't.) So the trick is to find someone in the US who's willing to make the purchase for you and then send it along to you after they've received it. Your helper in the US wouldn't actually have to ship anything to Europe - all you actually need is the registration code that's in the cardboard packet. So they'd just rip open the packet and email you the code.

So, if there's a friend you trust in the U.S. who could make the purchase for you, that would be your best and cheapest way of acquiring Applecare.

The product itself is the same whether purchased in the U.S. or abroad . . . so no worries there.

 

[bobbleheadbob]

If I had to choose between the 2, I'd get the Apple Care.

Relatively speaking, I think that if you find yourself needing an extra battery, it'll probably be easier to find a power outlet, than if you find yourself needing Apple Care and have to try to get additional support from .

 

[thegoldenmackid]

After having to replace four batteries for a non Apple Care Powerbook and having Apple Care replace two on my MacBook Pro, you will understand that at $129 a piece, they add up.

Also, Apple will not cover the batteries independently, their warranty is by the life of the computer, so for that three month old battery that crapped out on my Powerbook, can someone say $129?

 

[pazreal]

Applecare all the way. Having taken apart MBs and MBPs there is a lot that can go wrong and almost none of it is easy to fix yourself. They won't cover your battery anyway so you may as well use yours until it is dead and then get a new one.

 

[boz0]

Aha, I remember now what the difficulty was. The two cheapest sources for Applecare in the US are L.A. Computers and eBay - neither of which will usually ship outside the US. (Obviously, you might find an individual eBay seller who's willing to do it, but most probably wouldn't.)

Bought it yesterday on Mac-Pro. They do ship to France, and I received my APP activation code by email about 2 hours after ordering. I immediately activated the plan on Apple's French site without trouble.

Total cost was slightly below 190€ (including $33 for overseas shipping), instead of 439€ if I had bought it from Apple France.

From what I've read, that store also resells APP on eBay, at a somewhat lower cost.

At any rate, thanks for the tip, I'm glad I asked here 😀