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AppleCare;do you need it?
- Thread starter Hunter1
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yes
definitely yes for laptops, maybe for desktops, you never know what will happen in a year and a few days!
definitely yes for laptops, maybe for desktops, you never know what will happen in a year and a few days!
That all depends. Calling CalBoy. oh where are you calboy.
Basically it comes down to: do you trust your computer enough to not cost you more than the cost of apple care in repairs in the two years following Apple's warranty.
For an iMac and all it's integrated components, the cost of 109 (on eBay) was well worth it.
Even if my BlueTooth mighty mouse gives out a year and a day from now, the cost to replace it is 60 dollars from Apple.
If you getting a Mac Pro (tower) and have the skills and experties to fix it yourself them you might not need it.
Laptops and the (new) iMacs are not designed for self service so I would not attempt it to fix one. If they berak geting an apple fixed can be very expensive.
Laptops and the (new) iMacs are not designed for self service so I would not attempt it to fix one. If they berak geting an apple fixed can be very expensive.
The iMac's are fairly simple to work on. Believe me if a Mac "genius" can do it, anyone that can handle a screw driver and has some computer repair knowledge can do this.
I've had Macs for 12+ years.. And I never felt the need to buy AppleCare until this year. Because I just don't believe the hardware is built anything like as well as it used to be (Meanwhile, the OS is better than ever).
So I bought AppleCare for 2 of my Macs this year..
Also, I spoke to an official Apple repair tech chap recently and asked him about this.. He said he would certainly recommend AppleCare for laptops, but didn't consider it a 'must have' for the desktops.
Besides, Have you ever tried getting any help out of Apple for a product which is still within the warranty period, but outside of its AppleCare cover? Getting blood from a stone would honestly be easier..
So I bought AppleCare for 2 of my Macs this year..
Also, I spoke to an official Apple repair tech chap recently and asked him about this.. He said he would certainly recommend AppleCare for laptops, but didn't consider it a 'must have' for the desktops.
Besides, Have you ever tried getting any help out of Apple for a product which is still within the warranty period, but outside of its AppleCare cover? Getting blood from a stone would honestly be easier..
I'd definitely recommend Applecare for laptops.
I know mine's had 3 issues already, all within the original 1 year warranty period, but with a track record like that, it's not worth risking not buying Applecare. And it means it's covered for another 2 years, which gives great piece of mind.
And that's pretty much what I bought Applecare for. Piece of mind.
I know mine's had 3 issues already, all within the original 1 year warranty period, but with a track record like that, it's not worth risking not buying Applecare. And it means it's covered for another 2 years, which gives great piece of mind.
And that's pretty much what I bought Applecare for. Piece of mind.
Who's to make light of someone's desire to re-hash a subject. I'm glad this came up again.
I am considering Apple Care, but not until I'm approaching the end of one year of ownership. Aren't we covered until then, with the option to purchase Apple Care at that time?
I am considering Apple Care, but not until I'm approaching the end of one year of ownership. Aren't we covered until then, with the option to purchase Apple Care at that time?
Yes. But if you require phone support after 90 days you have to pay for it unless it is diagnosed as a hardware issue (afaik).
I do agree with the sentiment in a bit. If you have the time and energy to post; and you feel compelled to encourage others to use the search, then at least be constructive.
OP, there's a v recent and rather long thread about the merits of buying and not buying AppleCare. And as this is a pretty common thread topic, a search would probably result in other threads if you felt like more reading.
Other alternative is to purchase with an Amex card (I don't recommend other cards as Mastercard/Visa makes getting something covered difficult) and double the warranty to 2 years.
Yes.. Similar deal with some stores here in the UK. Like John Lewis. You get an extra years warranty from them. Although it perhaps wont be a warranty from Apple in its second year.
they provide you a second year of the manufacturer's standard warranty when you use their card to make a purchase......also, if you buy applecare for your computer, then Amex provides a 4th year of coverage after applecare runs out
I don't think that ALL Amex cards give you this extended coverage though, so check to make sure yours does if you're thinkng about going that route
I'm definitely getting Applecare on my new 24" aluminum iMac. The machine I replaced with this new one was a 20" Core Duo iMac that I never bought the Applecare for. It had a logic board failure at 6 weeks out of the one year Apple warranty. I ended up paying $450 and then selling the machine. With Applecare it would have been fully covered service at no charge.
Never again will I buy a Mac without Applecare, be it a desktop or a notebook.
You can get really good deals on Applecare from L.A. Computer:
http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/featured.cgi?group=appcare
That's where I will be buying mine before my year's up.
By the way, at least here in Japan whenever I've dealt with Apple Support IN warranty they've been incredibly helpful and fast with their service. They send out the courier to pick up your machine and generally have it back within a few days. I don't know if it's the same stateside or in other places.
Never again will I buy a Mac without Applecare, be it a desktop or a notebook.
You can get really good deals on Applecare from L.A. Computer:
http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/featured.cgi?group=appcare
That's where I will be buying mine before my year's up.
By the way, at least here in Japan whenever I've dealt with Apple Support IN warranty they've been incredibly helpful and fast with their service. They send out the courier to pick up your machine and generally have it back within a few days. I don't know if it's the same stateside or in other places.
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