AppleCare+ for New 16-Inch MacBook Pro Costs $399

[MacRumors]

AppleCare+ for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is priced at $399, which is a $20 increase over the cost of AppleCare for the prior-generation 16-inch model. AppleCare+ for the 14-inch MacBook Pro is priced at $279, which is a $10 increase over the cost of AppleCare+ for the prior-generation 13-inch Intel machine.

Those who are picking up one of the new M1 Pro or M1 Max MacBook Pro models may want to consider AppleCare+ given the high price of the machines and the fact that they are the first generation of a new design, which can sometimes lead to issues.

AppleCare+ extends repair and support coverage for a MacBook Pro to three years, along with protection from two incidents of accidental damage every 12 months. For accidental damage, a deductible must be paid, but for manufacturing issues, Apple will cover repairs at no cost.

While AppleCare+ is priced at $279/$399 for the new Macs, there are also renewable annual payments available at $150 for the 16-inch machine or $100 for the 14-inch machine, which will continue to be available until canceled. Apple also allows Apple Card customers to pay AppleCare+ fees in monthly installments.

Apple has not provided details on what it will cost to repair a 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro outside of the warranty period and with no AppleCare+. AppleCare+ can be purchased when buying a new MacBook Pro or within 60 days of receiving one of the new machines.

Article Link: AppleCare+ for New 16-Inch MacBook Pro Costs $399

 

[ct2k7]

I wonder if they'll ever have a theft and loss for Macs.. probably not.

 

[Shirasaki]

So much about apple silicon lowering device cost. M1 treat never comes back. Everything becomes more expensive after that.

 

[haruhiko]

This insurance plan costs 20% of the purchase price. Maximum payout for the insurance policy (only for 1-2 extra year) is the cost of your device - actually less since it is usually a refurbished unit, and depreciation. Comparing with other types of insurance, the premium is really high here. If the purchase price of your device is not going to break your bank, which I think it is not otherwise you wouldn’t have bought the machine in the first place, besides a so called ”peace of mind” I don’t think you should buy this insurance plan.

i know this is an unpopular opinion but the money I saved by not paying for AppleCare has saved me money that can buy me several new Apple gadgets already over the 15 years of owning Apple products. If there is any manufacturing defects from Apple, it’s their fault and they should cover it or recall the product. I’m not going to pay 20% more for a feeling.

 

[jz0309]

For a mid-spec 16 that runs you 4500 or so, this seems reasonable…

 

[cable]

This insurance plan costs 20% of the purchase price. Maximum payout for the insurance policy (only for 1 extra year) is the cost of your device - actually less since it is usually a refurbished unit, and depreciation. Comparing with other types of insurance, the premium is really high here. If the purchase price of your device is not going to break your bank, which I think it is not otherwise you wouldn’t have bought the machine in the first place, besides a so called ”peace of mind” I don’t think you should buy this insurance plan.

i know this is an unpopular opinion but the money I saved by not paying for AppleCare has saved me money that can buy me several new Apple gadgets already over the 15 years of owning Apple products. If there is any manufacturing defects from Apple, it’s their fault and they should cover it or recall the product. I’m not going to pay 20% more for a feeling.

damn this is poetry. i might cancel mine

 

[The Clark]

This insurance plan costs 20% of the purchase price. Maximum payout for the insurance policy (only for 1 extra year) is the cost of your device - actually less since it is usually a refurbished unit. Comparing with other types of insurance, the premium is really high here. If the purchase price of your device is not going to break your bank, which I think it is not otherwise you wouldn’t have bought the machine in the first place, besides a so called ”peace of mind” I don’t think you should buy this insurance plan.

i know this is an unpopular opinion but the money I saved by not paying for AppleCare has saved me money that can buy me several new Apple gadgets already over the 15 years of owning Apple products.

While I agree, the issue here is repairability on MBP's (especially SoC MBPs') is virtually non-existent. A new screen, logic board, or trackpad will cost close to (in some cases even MORE) than a new Macbook itself. It's ridiculous and there's a whole movement around it (right to repair) but AppleCare+ really is the best way to ensure your laptop is covered if anything goes wrong.

I'll be purchasing AC+ as I simply can't afford any MBP repairs out of pocket.

 

[julesme]

This insurance plan costs 20% of the purchase price. Maximum payout for the insurance policy (only for 1 extra year) is the cost of your device - actually less since it is usually a refurbished unit, and depreciation. Comparing with other types of insurance, the premium is really high here. If the purchase price of your device is not going to break your bank, which I think it is not otherwise you wouldn’t have bought the machine in the first place, besides a so called ”peace of mind” I don’t think you should buy this insurance plan.

i know this is an unpopular opinion but the money I saved by not paying for AppleCare has saved me money that can buy me several new Apple gadgets already over the 15 years of owning Apple products. If there is any manufacturing defects from Apple, it’s their fault and they should cover it or recall the product. I’m not going to pay 20% more for a feeling.

I'm with you - I don't understand why people pay for it. If I didn't think my Macbook Pro could last 3 or 4 years without catastrophic failure, I wouldn't buy one in the first place.

Also, what does Apple Care cover? Will they replace a 3 year old battery or is it just motherboard, screen, etc?

 

[chapster55]

That's highway robbery. Ridiculous.

 

[Realityck]

That's highway robbery. Ridiculous.

Reference

AppleCare+ adds three years of coverage to a MacBook Pro, along with protection from two incidents of accidental damage very 12 months. For accidental damage, a deductible must be paid, but for manufacturing issues, Apple will cover repairs at no cost. While AppleCare+ is priced at $279/$399 for the new Macs, there are also renewable annual payments available at $150 for the 16-inch machine or $100 for the 14-inch machine, which will continue to be available until cancelled. Apple also allows Apple Card customers to pay AppleCare+ fees in monthly installments.

Note not 2 years, 3 years now. Could just buy a year?

 

[dogslobber]

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[project_2501]

Never had it.

If there was a manufacturing problem, or design defect, Apple pays. I took them to court once over the Butterly Keyboard and won.

The more expensive they make these laptops, the more people say "expensive insurance is worth it" .. it's a beautiful scam.

I just had my 2015 MBP battery replaced.. for £200 in the UK. That's not bad in the 6th year of use. And it comes with a new keyboard and trackpad when they do this.

 

[Christopher Kim]

This insurance plan costs 20% of the purchase price.

It's only 20% of the base price. If you end up specc'ing the machine higher (which many ppl do), the % decreases making it a bit better...

Also FWIW, while I'm generally a believer that getting extended warranties from most companies are not worth it, if it's ever worth it, I think it's with AppleCare+. Partially because of difficulty / cost of repairs (which others have noted). But also because in my experience, Apple and AppleCare+ differs from almost every other Company's extended warranty program, where they're trying to find a way to DENY your claim. In my experience, Apple goes out of their way for their AppleCare+ customers to find a way to APPROVE your claim. As long as you're reasonable and don't treat the Apple employee terribly / give them a reason not to help you, I've found they're extremely generous and want to find a way to approve claims.

It's not for everyone (definitely can't make a blanket statement that everyone should get it). And there are many small factors along the edges that may nudge one way or the other (% cost of new price, likelihood there might be an issue (Eg. Gen 1 of new design), total $ cost of a repair and whether that would really hurt your finances, your mental temperament and potential peace of mind / less stress of having it and knowing you're covered for a big expense, how clumsy you are, whether the device is mostly just used at home or you commute with it frequently, whether you have little kids / pets who might damage vs you live alone / all-adult household, etc.)

 

[jkichline]

So much about apple silicon lowering device cost. M1 treat never comes back. Everything becomes more expensive after that.

Hey when you have an entire system on one chip, it makes things a little more pricey. Plus the devices are generally more expensive anyway, but they are also beasts of a machine. It's also optional.

 

[Scoob Redux]

AppleCare+ adds three years of coverage to a MacBook Pro, along with protection from two incidents of accidental damage very 12 months...

Nope. It doesn't "add" 3 years of warranty coverage - it only adds 2 years to the included 1-year manufacturer warranty. (Yes, it does add accidental damage coverage for 3 years)

This is a pretty bad proposition from a risk/reward perspective, but that is the case with most insurance. As I learned many years ago in Econ 101, insurance usually only makes financial sense to cover "catastrophic" losses from which you could not financially recover (e.g. your home, or car accident liability). You can "self insure" your Apple products by avoiding AppleCare+ and banking the savings to use toward upgrades or the occasional repair or replacement. In the long run it's cheaper.

in addition, if you purchase on a credit card that doubles manufacturers' warranties, you get a second year of warranty coverage for free, making AppleCare+ an even worse proposition.

 

[rnizlek]

I've generally skipped AppleCare and never had an issue. The first 2-3 years I've never had problems with an Apple device. What's changed my mind is now the ability to have indefinite AppleCare for $100/year (for the 14 inch). Over the 7 years I've had my MacBook Pro, the track pad has developed an issue and the battery has died. I had hardware issues with my black MacBook years ago at about the 4 year mark. All of these items cost hundreds to have serviced by Apple. While I probably won't do better than breaking even, knowing that at any point I can bring my device to Apple and have the repairs fully covered is worth it for me. I definitely don't plan to take advantage of it for the first few years, though (hopefully!). I do wish there was a lower option that didn't cover accidental damage - that never an issue for me.

 

[Einkoro]

Costco includes AppleCare+ at no additional charge on the Macs so provided they don’t stop doing that this generation I know where I’ll be going to pick one up.

 

[Villarrealadrian]

I dont know, I could buy another iphone for that price

 

[lcseds]

That's not the half of it. A damaged screen costs an additional $99, liquid spill damage will cost $299 additional. Read the fine print. If the system board needs replacing from a spill, add $299 to the $399 cost of Applecare.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Ouch! That’s expensive.

I need an Apple care for the Apple Polishing cloth. Is that being offered?

 

[lcseds]

Oh, with regard to the battery. A technician will run a test. If it fails, then a replacement battery is done under warranty. If it passes, but still won't run the system very long, it's called wear and is not covered by AC+.

 

[chetzar]

Honestly, given that these devices are unrepairable for simple things like Memory or Storage failures (common points of failure on any computer), it's worth getting. That said, I really think they need to offer Apple Care up to 4-5 years on some of these devices. $4,500 on a laptop (almost fully spec'd) and you only get 3 years of warranty? Nah. You could just buy a new MacBook each year instead.

 

[Sin_sniper468]

In Canada the price stayed the same at $419 plus tax.. quite pricey but the MBP I configured is $4900 CAD plus tax.. so I opted for the AppleCare. Liquid damage would set me back about $1300 + taxes and screen damage would cost me about $1000 so even with the deductible it’s a fraction of the cost of an OOW repair.

 

[Sin_sniper468]

Honestly, given that these devices are unrepairable for simple things like Memory or Storage failures (common points of failure on any computer), it's worth getting. That said, I really think they need to offer Apple Care up to 4-5 years on some of these devices. $4,500 on a laptop (almost fully spec'd) and you only get 3 years of warranty? Nah. You could just buy a new MacBook each year instead.

AppleCare (In some countries) can be extended yearly after the 3yrs

 

[KPOM]

This insurance plan costs 20% of the purchase price. Maximum payout for the insurance policy (only for 1-2 extra year) is the cost of your device - actually less since it is usually a refurbished unit, and depreciation. Comparing with other types of insurance, the premium is really high here. If the purchase price of your device is not going to break your bank, which I think it is not otherwise you wouldn’t have bought the machine in the first place, besides a so called ”peace of mind” I don’t think you should buy this insurance plan.

i know this is an unpopular opinion but the money I saved by not paying for AppleCare has saved me money that can buy me several new Apple gadgets already over the 15 years of owning Apple products. If there is any manufacturing defects from Apple, it’s their fault and they should cover it or recall the product. I’m not going to pay 20% more for a feeling.

Extended warranties are high margin products (as in 60-80%). An alternative to consider is a “personal articles” policy from a homeowner‘s or renter’s insurance provider. They also cover loss or theft, though they often have deductibles.