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Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
Buying my first MacBook... is it advisable to get apple care on it? We have on our phones, been iPhone users always but this is first Mac.
 

LogicalApex

macrumors 65816
Nov 13, 2015
1,396
2,221
PA, USA
Depends on your needs for peace of mind or not. Apple Care+ will extend your warranty by 2 years and give you accidental damage protection for the same timeframe.

Keyboard issues, if they occur, are covered for 4 years irrespective of Apple Care+ purchase.
 

Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
Depends on your needs for peace of mind or not. Apple Care+ will extend your warranty by 2 years and give you accidental damage protection for the same timeframe.

Keyboard issues, if they occur, are covered for 4 years irrespective of Apple Care+ purchase.

So without buying it, I get 1 year of the same support and warranty? But accidental damage only comes with Apple care or is that 1 year also?
 

SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,487
4,735
Land of Smiles
There is no right or wrong on this :)

Your either an inny or an outty

I have never had AC and am several $1000 better off for it and could buy 2 MBP and still not be out of pocket, others swear by it and have claimed many times

In theory the long game should play in your favour by not opting for it but there is always exceptions

You wonder with such a good reputation and a premium device should it be necessary, but for a few it is

If you don't get in a sweat for buying a new laptop after 2 or 3 years then maybe not worth it

If you have stretched yourself to buy then maybe it is worth it

If you intend to keep your laptop for 4 or 5 or more years then coverage is in the time least likely a fault occurs

I understand the peace of mind aspect but somehow its at odds with Apples reputation and the possible or most likely issues are already covered with a 4 year replacement program

Accidental coverage is limited and we see many reports of bogus water damage or other issues that resulted in 0 coverage yet others have been served well even one or two months post warranty

If you are not a frequent buyer then get it otherwise you could be with the majority who never have issues and quids in :)
 
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mragarg

macrumors member
Dec 10, 2013
57
13
Atlanta, GA
I personally have never gotten AppleCare before for any of my apple devices. Mainly because my credit card companies extends the manufacturer's warranty by another year and I'm not prone to accidental damage to my devices at all. In the end, it's up to you. If you are prone to damaging your items time to time, then I would get it. Otherwise the one year is enough + the extend year from the credit card company.
 
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Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
i'm pretty easy on them, but the accidental coverage seemed nice. I'm assuming all the hardware and major stuff is covered for a year? Keyboard included?
 

ApfelKuchen

macrumors 601
Aug 28, 2012
4,335
3,012
Between the coasts
i'm pretty easy on them, but the accidental coverage seemed nice. I'm assuming all the hardware and major stuff is covered for a year? Keyboard included?

Keyboard is included in the overall defects in workmanship and materials coverage, which is one year with standard warranty, two additional years with AppleCare+. There's not a "wear-and-tear" exception on the keyboard, if that's what you're wondering. Accidental damage coverage would be for spills and drops, for the most part. As others have noted, there is a warranty extension program covering the keyboards of specific models (affected models and terms are here: https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks).
 

LogicalApex

macrumors 65816
Nov 13, 2015
1,396
2,221
PA, USA
So without buying it, I get 1 year of the same support and warranty? But accidental damage only comes with Apple care or is that 1 year also?

Yes, you get 1 year of the warranty standard. Accidental coverage is only added with Apple Care+ and since the Accidental Coverage is an add-on from Apple Care+ it is the only portion of Apple Care+ that starts from Day 1.

As others have noted, you may get an extension from your CC that may make it a moot point. If you purchase from Costco they also extend you by 2 years for free, for instance, and make make the whole thing moot.

Extended warranties of all stripes lean in favor of the seller. Otherwise, they wouldn't offer them. That doesn't mean in individual cases they don't make sense.

For instance, I purchased a Wheel & Tire warranty on my car when I purchased it and since I live in the Northeast US I ended up having so many tires damaged due to potholes that I made money on the plan. A person in Iowa may not have made money on the plan and in aggregate the warranty company made money, but in my individual case I did too.

I purchased Apple Care+ since I tend to own my devices for a longer span of time and if it were to break I'd prefer just dropping it off to Apple for a quick repair and a bit more leeway in deciding if I want to upgrade at that moment in time or not (might be very close to a new release and I'd like to delay a bit).
 

ghanwani

macrumors 601
Dec 8, 2008
4,791
6,104
There are several types of support —

Included basic support is
90 days software, 1 year hardware, no accidental

Apple Care is
3 year software, 3 year hardware, no accidental
Can be bought any time within the first year of ownership by calling Apple

Apple Care+ is
3 year software, 3 year hardware, 3 year accidental
Can be bought any time within the first 60 days of ownership either at a store, online, or by calling Apple

I usually get Apple Care at close to the end of my first year.

Both Apple Care and Apple Care+ are refundable on a pro-rated basis (minus any claims) at any time within the 3 years. Useful if you decide to get rid of the machine.
 
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Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
I will add, I have a special where i can get apple care+ for $215 just at the time of purchase only.
 

MyMacintosh

macrumors 6502a
Aug 10, 2012
532
878
I have had countless apple products. Some purchased new, some used/refurbished. Never bought AppleCare and never will
 

LogicalApex

macrumors 65816
Nov 13, 2015
1,396
2,221
PA, USA
I will add, I have a special where i can get apple care+ for $215 just at the time of purchase only.

I'm not sure what more you need? Is Apple Care+ worth $215? Only you can answer this question.

You could offer me an Xbox One at $50 brand new and I'd still say no as I have zero use for it so it would still be a $50 waste of money. Obviously, if I played Xbox games then it would be a steal and I'd jump on it in an instant as it has value to me and the savings can be actualized. Hopefully you see my point here...

We've given you tons of data to help you make the choice, but as the old saying goes "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".
 
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