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Apple to Charge $279 to Repair or Replace a Damaged HomePod Without AppleCare+

Ouch. Paying $70 more nets you a brand new HomePod. I have a Google Home that I'm pretty satisfied with. I'm going to hold off until Apple releases the other features the HP was supposed to have before making a decision. If I like the HP enough once it's a complete product, I'll move my GH to the bedroom and have the HP in the living room.
 
That doesn't make sense when you look at the other products. $349 to replace an $800 iPhone 8, and $279 to replace a $349 HomePod. Kinda outrageous.
 
Kabeyun said:
On the other hand, if you break it (this is about damage, not defect) so badly it needs to be replaced, you get a new one for a $70 off, without any insurance, and just because you’ve owned one already. Not bad.
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That's an odd logic. Apple isn't providing a "new" one. The customer either gets their unit repaired or gets a "refurbished" unit -- without additional warranty unless the repair is performed 90 days before the original warranty expires since all Apple repairs have a 90-day guarantee.

But, expect HomePods to be on sale in a few months just like all other Apple products. Highly likely we'll see $310-320 HomePods by summer. And then, again, if one break theirs right before a new, more capable model, is released is it really cost effective to spend $279 to fix it? No. Might as well chuck it and spend the extra few $ for the newer model. So the $279 AppleCare price is not "not bad," just bad.

Truth -- since HomePod is so tied into Apple devices and services, Apple should include AppleCare in the price of AppleCare when you buy AppleCare with an iPad or iPhone or offer "AppleMusic with AppleCare" for 4 bucks extra a month.
 
gnasher729 said:
I predict the gnashing of the teeth will be start soon...

Guys, this thing has one year Apple warranty. It is a speaker, so anywhere in the EU and the future previous EU countries, it is covered by consumer protection laws which say it must last for a reasonable amount of time. Typically two years, but for speakers I would argue that a "reasonable amount of time" is longer than two years. So nobody in the USA is paying for the next year, nobody in the UK is paying for two years.

Solution: Be careful when you water your house plants, and don't water the HomePod as well. And I must say, I have never heard of anyone repairing speakers. I actually never had any speakers break. The first pair that I bought lasted forever, and I replaced them because I could afford better ones, which then lasted forever (forever meaning more than 25 years).

Speakers just don't break. Unless you break them. And if you think the amount that Apple charges is too much, then surely someone will repair them for less money if they ever need repairing.
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Speakers rarely break. But the motherboard of those smart speakers do... . Never seen so many broken "speakers" since this bluetooth stuff launched. Some higher end manufacturers of smart speakers give you a speaker warranty of 5+ years but only 1 for the rest of the technical components of the speaker. I really hate that trend...
 
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I would be less concerned if the power cable was detachable, but it's not. It's on the device permanently, so if that thing frays, what the heck are they going to do?
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dannyyankou said:
That doesn't make sense when you look at the other products. $349 to replace an $800 iPhone 8, and $279 to replace a $349 HomePod. Kinda outrageous.
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Yeah, I think that's because it's not fixable and that sucks
 
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AustinIllini said:
I would be less concerned if the power cable was detachable, but it's not. It's on the device permanently, so if that thing frays, what the heck are they going to do?
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Yeah, I think that's because it's not fixable and that sucks
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How are you planning to fray the power cable? How many home electronic devices do you have with frayed cables? How often do you move your TV that it has a frayed power cable?
 
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Rend It said:
Haven’t posted in years, but I thought it worth reminding folks that in the PowerBook G4 days, if you had a problem with an Apple product:
  1. You could troubleshoot the problem completely over the phone, with highly-knowledgeable technical staff. There were no Apple Stores, so maybe this is a moot point, but the closest Apple Store to me now is an hour’s drive (outer DC suburbs).
  2. If the tech determined the problem was hardware-related, Apple would overnight you a shipping box, prepaid overnight shipping to its repair facility, and then overnighted the unit back to you after repair. The cost of this was all covered under Apple Care (which was 3 years, not just 2; granted, it didn’t cover accidental damage). I took advantage of that service twice and was without my laptop for only 2-3 days each time. It was impressive.
Maybe it isn’t possible with so many users now, but I sure wish Apple would go back to that level of service. I loathe going to the Apple Stores for problems. The staff are less knowledgeable, the stores are usually chaos, and I often leave with the problem unresolved, and find myself more frustrated than when I started.
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Actually, you can still call AppleCare for that kind of tech support, and in many cases they can offer the same mail-in box repair option. Just did that a few weeks ago for my Watch.

Many people either have the impression that Apple Stores have replaced AppleCare techs altogether, or were never familiar with the "good old days" and due to all the word-of-mouth about Apple Stores, believe that's the only service option. Yet I'm still pretty sure that a visit to the Apple support web site tends to guide people away from the stores and towards phone/chat support (well first, solve-it-yourself, then phone/chat, then Store).

The stores excel in one thing in particular - physical repair/replacement. You can't replace a broken screen over the phone. The only question after that is whether you'll get a faster turnaround time by going to an Apple Store, or mailing it in to Apple. At the moment, due to the $29 battery replacement deal, the turnaround time seems to be tipping towards mail-in vs. in-store. After that dust has settled, the time/convenience equation may tip in the other direction for people who live less than an hour from the store.
 
I've had my sonos's for over 5 years without one hardware issue. I'm assuming the HomePod would be built just as good so i would not buy applecare for it. If it did crap out after one year then I would throw it in the trash and buy something that would last. That being said no way in hell I'm buying one of these. My 3 sonos's sound and work awesome. If i want to voice control it I can get an alexa dot or sono's one. Wish I could control it from siri on my watch but apple does not want me to do that (well with airplay 2 to I will be able to if it want it to stream from my phone to sonos). Getting pretty annoyed with apples limitations with 3rd parties and siri. It's not good for anyone including them, its going to make be buy an alexa device.
 
OldSchoolMacGuy said:
How are you planning to fray the power cable? How many home electronic devices do you have with frayed cables? How often do you move your TV that it has a frayed power cable?
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It must happen more than you think, Apple specifically mention it in the HomePod User Guide.

  • Do not attempt to repair or service HomePod yourself. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when HomePod has been damaged in any way, such as when the power lead or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into HomePod, or when HomePod has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally or has been dropped.
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/sarcasm I'm glad that Apple care so much about the environment by charging rip-off prices for the repairs.. /sarcasm
Is there any EU legislation against repair price-gouging BTW?
 
That's probably the repair cost for the HomePod Plus with 256GB of ram, OLED Retina display and FaceID.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Who drops a speaker? I've dropped a lot of things in my life being careless -- keys, phones, dishes, tools, cups of coffee. I can't say I've ever dropped anything though that was properly two handed -- babies, priceless antiques, football catches, watermelons, computers, or, yes, speakers. I mean, sure earthquakes can happen on the east coast, but not likely. It's why not too many Atlantic coast state homeowners have earthquake insurance.
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I'm also pretty good at not dropping things. In my years recording/broadcasting concerts on location, dropping the wrong piece of gear could put me out of business. Same thing changing lenses on my cameras. However, it still happened. Maybe you're cradling something securely, but you trip on something. Maybe someone startles you, maybe you have a one-in-a-thousand lapse in attention. Besides, unless you live alone you can't be sure someone else on the premises will behave with the same level of care that you do (I've known of relationships that broke up over broke stuff).
 
It's just game theory to nudge customers into buying AppleCare. Some people could have thought of skipping AppleCare entirely since the HomePod is a sedentary device by nature, but by raising the stakes of replacement costs, Apple wants to make sure it would be painful for those who try to chance it.
 
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Why are people complaining about repairability? This is not a modular Mac Pro. It is a very reasonably priced $349 speaker. Speakers don’t break. Most people don’t move speakers that often. Don’t drop it or pour your drink on it.

Problem solved...
 
Conclusion: If you're a little on the clumsy side, and believe you are likely to damage your new HomePod (drop it on the floor, accidentally set it on fire, immerse it in a bathtub full of water, drive over it with your car, accidentally impale it with a steak knife, etc), then it's best to buy Apple Care for your HomePod at $39.

And then your covered for damages you cause, and, you get an additional year of regular warranty coverage from Apple. Not a bad deal, IMO.
 
Planned obsolescence. Maybe they will throttle the sound after 1 year to protect the membranes he?
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citysnaps said:
Conclusion: If you're a little on the clumsy side, and believe you are likely to damage your new HomePod (drop it on the floor, accidentally set it on fire, immerse it in a bathtub full of water, drive over it with your car, accidentally impale it with a steak knife, etc), then it's best to buy Apple Care for your HomePod at $39.

And then your covered for damages you cause, and, you get an additional year of regular warranty coverage from Apple. Not a bad deal, IMO.
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Apple Care is 2 years, 3 years? Normally a speaker setup could run with you for most of your life.
 
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