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Apple Care

MatthewConnelly

MatthewConnelly

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 22, 2006
122
0
Manchester, UK
I've just got back from my local store and just wanted to clarify something. I basically got told that Apple have a deal with my employers (RBS) where employees get 6% discount in store. :D I was pricing it up with the guy in store, and a top level stock white MacBook (£879) and a .Mac account (£48 in store when bought with a Mac) comes to £927. Now with 6% discount that comes to £871, which i'm really pleased about!

Now I want to get Apple Care, but can I buy it towards the end of my free 90 days that come with the MacBook? This way, I can get the MacBook sooner than if I got APP with my purchase.
 
You get 90 days of phone support and one year of warranty coverage. You can buy AppleCare anytime in the first year.
 
Might I suggest discussing it with them in store too though - sometimes they'll break a deal to get you to buy it there and then.
 
LastLine said:
Might I suggest discussing it with them in store too though - sometimes they'll break a deal to get you to buy it there and then.
Click to expand...

I've never heard of Apple giving below the marked price for anything but I suppose it's worth a shot. That said, you can buy AppleCare anytime within a year after purchasing your computer.
 
Applecare like with any electronic warranty program is a cash cow for electronic retailers. Why else would Apple push them everytime you discuss a purchase?? There were topics previous to this that discussed the financial rewards of warranties, so I would search for those topics.

Applecare is like anything, you are buying insurance. You take a risk not both having applecare and not having it. Repairs on notebooks can be expensive, so I would be more inclined to get Applecare than with established desktops.

If it helps you out with the MacBook, my friend has had her MacBook for several months without an issue. However, not to say that the new C2D Macs have problems.

If you take care of your stuff, then you should be fine w/o. If you run into problems in the initial year, t hen I would spring for the Applecare in the future. All you are missing after 90 days is phone support - which is less crucial when you have an Apple Store nearby.

Good luck.
 
jessep28 said:
All you are missing after 90 days is phone support - which is less crucial when you have an Apple Store nearby.
Click to expand...

And if you find you need the phone support between days 91 and 365, you can always just pick up AppleCare at the point, activate it, then give them a call for free.
 
I remember seeing a recent article on digg.com about how companies sell warranties and what not. It said that the only company it reccomended them for is Apple for some reason. If you plan on keeping the macbook around for awhile I would recomend it. As with any piece of technology, once you shrink it like they have in the macbook, problems arise more often. Could be something as simple as keyboard wear.
 
I'll probably just wait until the initial phone support runs out, then buy Apple Care. At least that way i'll have the piece of mind knowing that it's ok if something breaks, but i'll have a bit of extra cash to spend with my initial purchase.

Thanks guys.
 
jessep28 said:
Applecare like with any electronic warranty program is a cash cow for electronic retailers. Why else would Apple push them everytime you discuss a purchase?? There were topics previous to this that discussed the financial rewards of warranties, so I would search for those topics.

Applecare is like anything, you are buying insurance. You take a risk not both having applecare and not having it. Repairs on notebooks can be expensive, so I would be more inclined to get Applecare than with established desktops.

If it helps you out with the MacBook, my friend has had her MacBook for several months without an issue. However, not to say that the new C2D Macs have problems.

If you take care of your stuff, then you should be fine w/o. If you run into problems in the initial year, t hen I would spring for the Applecare in the future. All you are missing after 90 days is phone support - which is less crucial when you have an Apple Store nearby.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Got to agree...

I didn't bother with Apple care for my Mac Mini (19 months and still going strong - and Apple care is a big chunk of just buying a new and faster mini if this one croaks), but I did with my Mac Pro (a minor element of a very expensive but also very very powerful system).

Of course I have thankfully not had an opertunity to find out what I get for my money. Apple service could be complete pants - which would make paying for it just money down the toilet.
 
So there is essentially no difference between the free one year warranty and Apple care for the first year (besides phone support)? So am I completely safe not getting apple care for the first year at least? If I get apple care near the end of the first year does it extend the warranty another three years or only three years after the date of purchace (I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this ;->)?

Apple care is priced very differently in different countries. If I buy my laptop in one country but then later am in a country where apple care if cheaper (i.e. the US) can I just buy apple care there and still have it apply?
 
dpope said:
So there is essentially no difference between the free one year warranty and Apple care for the first year (besides phone support)? So am I completely safe not getting apple care for the first year at least? If I get apple care near the end of the first year does it extend the warranty another three years or only three years after the date of purchace (I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this ;->)?
Click to expand...

You are correct about there being essentially no difference aside from the phone support...just don't forget to buy AppleCare and activate it before the first year is up, or you'll be out of luck.

AppleCare only extends the warranty to three years from the date of purchase of the machine, regardless of when the AppleCare itself is purchased within that first year.
 
Just get Applecare..now. (Although you do have a year to buy it, but I've found they are a tiny bit nicer to people in that first year for support if you have applecare so the only reason not to get it right now is if you don't have the money at the moment.) Applecare is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I bought it on my G4 Powerbook in April of last year. Since then here are the problems it fixed for me:

1. Dead hard drive.
2. Dead AC adapter
3. power supply in laptop died and it gave off a burning smell

That third problem I sent it in for repairs and the repair was taking too long. I called and complained..and guess what I got..a brand new Macbook Pro and a prorated refund on my remaining applecare that was unused on the Powerbook. The C2D MBP even came out 2 days after they said they were replacing my computer with a CD MBP so I got the new C2D!

I'm so happy with applecare, it's the best ever!! If you have the cash just get it now, otherwise just wait. I think all service plans end up being worth it on laptops...even the crappy best buy service plans (I used to work at BB, service there takes weeks and weeks).
 
What if I move somewhere different than where I bought the laptop? Apple care costs different amounts in different places. Is there any reason not to get it somewhere else where it costs less?
 
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