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apple care
- Thread starter frozi
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AppleCare
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display
- 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.
- AppleCare+ provides some coverage for accidental damage, but is only available for the iPad and iPhone, not for Apple computers.
- 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.
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. 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.
I certainly will get AppleCare. Soon everything will be soldered onto the motherboard, for all models, then even if one cheap component (e.g. RAM) dies then the whole computer will become very expensive to fix. AppleCare is definitely becoming more and more worth it with every refresh / new model.
I'm assuming you're referring to the retina MBP. I think it would be a very stupid thing to skip out on AppleCare for the RMBP. As of right now, nothing on that laptop can be replaced by users. It's a 2-3k investment, spend the extra money to protect it. Cause if anything happens, it will likely be a pricey repair.
Where are you located? In Europe there are consumer rights which would give you longer parts/labour warranty by default. Apple got into trouble with not making that clear.
I am planning to buy it with the UK educational discount, so it comes with 3 years free applecare (hardware only) 
sorry, I should have stated that. I am refering the the retina mbp.
It pisses me off that it only covers manufacturer problems. I have to pay more money incase they messed up? brutal
I've heard some good and bad stories about Best Buy's accidental plan. Some things in the fine print have led to some very disappointed customers. They usually send it in and take 3-4 weeks to either repair it, or if it's too expensive to repair, they replace it with a new one. These are good stories.
I'm also curious to what others think?
I am planning to buy it with the UK educational discount, so it comes with 3 years free applecare (hardware only)
Nothing is free. You pay up front for Applecare in the higher prices you guys like to bitch about.
That's not strictly true. RMBP costs a lot more without Apple Care - and most people do not get this free, they pay £279.
To be fair, we have every right to complain about the increase in price - it's the same product....sold in a different location.
I paid for apple care for the first time ever and I have owned a lot of mac's both desktops and laptops but as I plan on keeping this RMBP for a long time it will hopefully pay for itself.
What's the situation in US? As I say, in Europe/UK you get pretty good statutory protection.
With the new rMBP pro being effectively a sealed product, any defect that arrises within a few years can be argued to be due to an original manufacturing product (with the usual caveat you haven't dented the thing or dropped it in water)
Why? It's a simple matter of supply and demand; plus the added sots of meeting local regulations. It's not fun, but their is nothing inherently wrong with charging different prices in different markets.
As as die note, does uK educational pricing's 3 year warranty hardware and tech support?
No, it does not include it.
Where did you get your economics major from? I would be surprised if the demand in the UK was proportionally higher than it is in the US.
In any case, I don't want to hijack the purpose of this thread which is about Apple Care. However, I do agree the pricing on this occasion is wrong, given previous Apple products has not shown such a high degree in varying pricing.
I got apple care. Gives me great peace of mind. It also cost 100 dollars less with the student discount while building my retina macbook pro.
I am planning to buy it with the UK educational discount, so it comes with 3 years free applecare (hardware only)
How do you get the free Apple Care in UK ? I'm in France and here the warranty is 2 years (as for all EU countries) if we can prove the defect was present "when customer takes delivery". So, it's just something burnt out, like RAM, no chances to get the warranty...
That's a misinterpretation
If the ram blows within two years, and it's the ram that came with the machine, then that IS considered an manufacturing defect present at delivery time. That's to say, when the ram was delivered, it should have been able to last two years.
That's a misinterpretation
If the ram blows within two years, and it's the ram that came with the machine, then that IS considered an manufacturing defect present at delivery time. That's to say, when the ram was delivered, it should have been able to last two years.
Now that's a VERY good interpretation
Thanks !So, for the people living in EU, does it really worth to buy Apple Care if we're using just for 1 year ?
I guess a/c value would depend on how long the hardware warranty is on an educational purchase; it would make no sense to buy a/c if you get a 3 year Apple warranty (as opposed to having to take it back to the retailer and proving an issue was a manufacturing defect) since tech support is pretty readily available form genius bars or other sources for free.
In the US, with a 1 year warranty Applecare is a different proposition, especially if you rely on your Mac for work and want to be sure you can get it fixed if it breaks and have certainty in costs. It's essentially a hedge against repair costs.
At any rate, it's really not free since Apple no doubt factors the costs of repairs into the overall pricing structure.
It's not that demand is higher, just that there is sufficient demand at the higher price to make it more attractive than selling more at a lower price. Apple simply picked a point higher on the supply side of the curve which results in fewer sales at higher price.
Seems to me accidental damage is more important in the Retina MBP. Something apple will not cover.
Squaretrade does cover it for $450 but you only get up to the retail price of the MBP to spend on repairs. Once used up, even if 3 years have not passed, you have no coverage.
Have not looked at best buy but imagine its only for BB purchases.
Would be good to know what Apple charged for a retina display failure from accidental damage.
Squaretrade does cover it for $450 but you only get up to the retail price of the MBP to spend on repairs. Once used up, even if 3 years have not passed, you have no coverage.
Have not looked at best buy but imagine its only for BB purchases.
Would be good to know what Apple charged for a retina display failure from accidental damage.
In the US after the warranty is up your on your own. Sometimes Apple is generous and takes care of folks but there is nothing in law that will save you. After the warranty is up and the ram takes a dump your on your own getting it repaired. That's why I say your nuts if you don't get it.
You're comparing apples to oranges. How much does your VAT add to the cost? How much is a liter of gasoline/diesel taxed in your country (my understanding is it's about 80% in the UK)? What's the NHS overhead per employee? At what age can a worker retire at near full salary?
All these costs add up and every one will be passed on to you as a consumer. Every corporate "tax" is paid by the consumer in higher prices for goods. Yeah, some of the premium you pay *might* be greed but it's greed on your side of the pond. My bet is that most of the premium is charged because your dealers have to do so to stay in business.
You absolutely *must* get AppleCare with a MBP Retina.
If a minor component fails, you need to replace the entire logic board. If the screen gets damaged? You need to replace the entire assembly.
Simply put, the retina is not designed to last. Things break, and AppleCare will cover you if they break in the first 3 years. After that, good luck.
I'm not saying the individual components are not high quality, but there is a flaw in the design of the entire system.
Interchangeable parts were key to the Industrial Revolution, but it seems that *obsolete* parts are key to the Apple Revolution, lol
If a minor component fails, you need to replace the entire logic board. If the screen gets damaged? You need to replace the entire assembly.
Simply put, the retina is not designed to last. Things break, and AppleCare will cover you if they break in the first 3 years. After that, good luck.
I'm not saying the individual components are not high quality, but there is a flaw in the design of the entire system.
Interchangeable parts were key to the Industrial Revolution, but it seems that *obsolete* parts are key to the Apple Revolution, lol
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