I wouldn't pay the 500. I would just buy a new Ultra.
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Apple Watch Ultra Repairs Cost $499 Without AppleCare+
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If they buy that and not behaving pretentiously, I don't have any problems whatsoever. But lately, my country has seemingly evolving backwards. Lots of people buying latest gadgets and flaunt them.
Just come here to Jakarta and see those pretentious who always look like they're on the call with their Fold or Flip or Pro Max, but in fact they're not having any calls, they just want to flaunt it in front of all people. Same with all those Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch users here: pretends tidying up their hair every so often just to show the world they have the "it" gadgets.
It's becoming more and more common it became such a very irritating eyesore not for me, but also for anyone.
The Ultra is cheap as chips in real watch terms. $5000 to $50,000 is what 'rich' people and collectors pay. Any any service for a Rolex or Patek etc will cost $500 to $2000. $799 is a bargain for what the Ultra is and does. Don't like it, don't buy it!
AW repair prices are crazy. I dropped my aluminum S6 and got some annoying scratches on the screen. I’m willing to pay, but it would cost $299 to fix! I could buy a refurb S7 for barely more than that!
I know too many folks who consume well past $100 of booze, per week. This is a sound purchase of Apple Care+ before this news.
Well that's because it's true. I'm far from rich but could buy this if I wanted to, and would care about that high repair cost.
$800 ain't chump change, but it's still "middle class". The $10K Apple Watch edition Apple Watch OTOH..
We draw our own lines depending on preferences and situation. I can't justify getting a smartwatch unless it's $100 or less (which I don't b/c, that is a low budget to work with). I was happy to buy a $1K PC since I know it'll get used all the time. I play games on there, do streaming, do some productivity that either won't work or too much of a hassle to do on a phone, tablet, or Chromebook.
I started with Apple Care on my series 4 in 2018. When it ended I switched to monthly (as my battery was hovering at 82% health) and I have it still to this day. Got a no cost Watch replacement in July 2022 and a no cost replacement sport band 2 days ago.
The watch is a sealed device for water resistance, any repair would require pretty much rebuilding the Watch. I have always wondered how Apple can offer battery replacements at the low price that they do.
The most you could hope for is that Apple disassembles the watch into all the fully functional internal components and then uses the components as the inputs for newly manufactured “refurbished” models.
I do not like if companies make a profit, if their products break - even if that happens after the end of the warranty. I already know that from Canon. Last year the main board of my camera had to be replaced and the repair bill was more than 600 Euros. I wonder if Canon could have used better components for the main board, so that it would last longer. As I do not think that the new main board has different components than the old one, I wonder if it will also break sooner or later.
Wasn't the Apple Watch Ultra advertised as a tool for professional athletes in extreme conditions? How much does it cost Apple to produce an Apple Watch Ultra? I suspect that those $499 are more than that. That is only possible because Apple can charge whatever they want, because only they have the components. I think consumer protection should step in an force Apple to charge a price closer to what it really costs to repair an Apple Watch.
Wasn't the Apple Watch Ultra advertised as a tool for professional athletes in extreme conditions? How much does it cost Apple to produce an Apple Watch Ultra? I suspect that those $499 are more than that. That is only possible because Apple can charge whatever they want, because only they have the components. I think consumer protection should step in an force Apple to charge a price closer to what it really costs to repair an Apple Watch.
I'm not rich, and now that I've found out how much out-of-warranty repairs cost, I'm getting AppleCare for this thing.
If I was reading the terms correctly, I *think* the dealio is that when paying for the Ultra with the Apple Card monthly payments/free financing, the only option offered is to get the 2 years of AC+ for the upfront add'l $99. It seems the indefinite monthly $4.99 is not an option when using the Apple Card monthly payments/free financing, but you save about $20 for those 2 years.
So, if you want AC+ and plan on keeping the watch for a long time, seems like a big disincentive from using Apple Card monthly payments/free financing!
Yikes! Good thing this watch is so rugged that it will never break 🤣