AppleCare for a MBP that never leaves my desk?

[PT123]

I have a week left to decide if I should get AppleCare. If I gave the computer a serious workout every day I wouldn't think twice. However, while i do use it all day, it's only for basic productivity, emails, surfing. Moreover, now that I have an iPad, the MBP never leaves my desk and won't be travelling with me anywhere.

Is AppleCare still likely to be worth it, under those circumstances? I appreciate it's always a gamble and i have read all the similar threads, but my MBP gets off lighter with me than most of you guys I think...

 

[scaredpoet]

If it's your only computer, or a computer that you would be seriously in a bind if it went belly up on you, then I'd get it.

Even if the laptop is sitting on your desk all day, things can still go wrong with it. If it's in clamshell mode, the fans are likely working harder to cool the unit. And unless you're giving the battery a regular workout, it may suffer the ill effects of not being used and might require replacement sooner rather than later.

AppleCare is meant for defects and failures through normal use, not for physical damage, so it's still just as useful.

Now that I have an iPad as well, my MBP doesn't travel with me everywhere either, but if I go on lengthy trips where I'm staying somewhere else overnight, then I still take it along. Still useful having a "real" computer sitting at the hotel for things I can't do on the iPad. And if it failed, it would be a real pain to have to shell out the serious cash to fix it.

 

[Tomorrow]

Your claim that it "never leaves your desk" seems to imply that it will only receive damage, or is more likely to, as a result of being moved around. AppleCare doesn't cover things like dropping it, dropping something on it, etc. It covers manufacturing defects and part failures.

 

[DeaconGraves]

Applecare isn't protection for overuse. And it certainly isn't protection from traveling (that would be insurance). Applecare is for when some component of the computer goes bad. And even with mild productivity use, things can go bad (harddrives failures, a fan can short out, etc.)

I'm not saying you should necessarily get Applecare. If you haven't had any problems with your computer, than then it will probably work just fine for the next two years (well, except for the hard drive, that sucker could fail at any time). Just wanted to make sure you know that how you use the device doesn't indicate any liklihood of failure.

 

[' r i S e n]

I agree with the posts above.

It covers parts, which can still fail even if it just sits on a desk. It's worth it if the computer you are purchasing it for is your main computer and you cannot really have the parts of it failing and having to pay for them in full.

 

[PT123]

Thanks guys - not a single thing has gone wrong in the first year, I wonder if that's a good omen for the next two...?

 

[fat jez]

The two biggest replacement costs on a Macbook are the logic board and the screen, both will cost well in excess of the price of Applecare to replace. I didn't bother with my first Macbook Pro and kicked myself for not taking it out. I won't make that mistake again (had a problem with the screen which Apple replaced as a good will gesture since it was only a month out of warranty).