AppleCare+ for Ultra? Why or why not?

[GrindedDown]

Like the title says, are you getting AppleCare plus for your AW Ultra? Why or why not?

I’m torn because on the one hand it’s an expensive device and I plan to keep it a few years. On the other hand, I’ve never needed to file a claim on past Apple Watches. What to do?…….

 

[jz0309]

Like the title says, are you getting AppleCare plus for your AW Ultra? Why or why not?

I’m torn because on the one hand it’s an expensive device and I plan to keep it a few years. On the other hand, I’ve never needed to file a claim on past Apple Watches. What to do?…….

I always get AC+ for AW, since 2015. Had a claim on my SBSS S4, it’s easy to bang and I’m not spending cycles on worrying about battery health

 

[OneMike]

I never purchased it for a watch in the past and didn’t for the ultra so far. I also only remember doing it maybe once for an iPhone i ever owned.

Based on my track record with devices i doubt I’ll purchase it.

 

[Davidhedge]

I’m torn too. I most likely will end up getting it though as I do intend to keep the Watch for a long time. Also with the titanium being soft, and I will be putting this Watch through its paces here and there, when the time comes I will watch to swap it for a new one once it’s beat up pretty bad. Not to mention the battery degradation.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Yeah, I’m also on the fence this time since it’s a hybrid of mature product and new product. It’s only my third AW purchase and I was happy I had AC for the first two:

My Series 0 was replaced in the second year under AC (the issue where the first adhesive they used could be dissolved by certain sunscreens).

And it really paid off when my Series 3 battery failed in year two and they sent me a Series 4 as a replacement!

 

[CaptMarvel]

Like the title says, are you getting AppleCare plus for your AW Ultra? Why or why not?

I’m torn because on the one hand it’s an expensive device and I plan to keep it a few years. On the other hand, I’ve never needed to file a claim on past Apple Watches. What to do?…….

Same boat, never gotten Apple Care on previous Apple Watches.

However, for all Apple Products I own over $700 I’ve made the decision to purchase Apple Care just for peace of mind.

Not to mention, for the Apple Watch Ultra, the repair fee is $500 without Apple Care. That’s $1300 instantly if you do need a serious repair. Granted I’ve had the S0, S2, S3, S4 and S7 Apple Watches without Apple Care and none had any need for repairs or damages that would have required Apple Care. But the peace of mind in this case is not a problem.

 

[mikezmac]

Always, if before then end of the care plan your battery is not hiding a charge as well you can get a new battery. In addition to the peace of mind if any issues do crop up.

 

[Snide]

A stupid deer darted in front of me while on a ride and this is how my 22 month old SBSS fared:

It cost $400 to replace out-of-warranty. Incidentally, the battery health was down to 79% at the time and I could have had that covered as well. Live and learn!

 

[papbot]

I’ve purchased it for the previous watches. But the Ultra design seems to address the vulnerabilities that I was concerned about with our older ones. Decided to skip it this time.

 

[Snide]

I’ve purchased it for the previous watches. But the Ultra design seems to address the vulnerabilities that I was concerned about with our older ones. Decided to skip it this time.

Curious how the Ultra (or any watch ever made) would survive an impact such as in my photo above

 

[papbot]

It would depend, but the display is flat with the case rim slightly above, I believe, the actual crystal. I know our other watches have the display screen siting up a bit and prone to slam into a doorway if we’re not careful. But we are careful and have never actually shattered one. I feel comfortable not having got AppleCare on this one.

 

[G.McGilli]

For me depends on if they do anything adventurous... I travel about 4 months of the year around the world.

Currently

iPhones: Yes - goes with me everywhere

Apple Watches: Yes - It travels with me and extreme hiking

MacBook Pro: No - it stays in my home

MacBook Air: Yes - It travels with me

iPad Pro: No - It stays in my home

iPad mini: Yes - It travels with me

Apple TV: No - it stays in my home

AirPods Pro: Yes - Travels with me

AirPods Max: No - Stays in my home

I'm sure I'm forgetting something lol but... My answer is YES for AWU

 

[KPOM]

The rational answer is no, since the gross margin on extended warranties is typically over 50% (meaning Apple is probably paying an insurance company less than $50 for every AppleCare+ plan it sells). If you aren’t active and are just getting the Ultra for the titanium/look/it’s the latest and greatest it probably isn’t worth it. Unlike a phone, iPad or Mac this is physically attached to you and less likely to be dropped, etc.

 

[Snide]

For me depends on if they do anything adventurous... I travel about 4 months of the year around the world.

Currently

iPhones: Yes - goes with me everywhere

View attachment 2080253

Wow, may I ask what happened to that phone?

 

[russell_314]

OK here’s my two cents.

I don’t have an Apple Watch Ultra, but I have three non-Ultra Apple Watches. A battery replacement is $80. AppleCare is $80. Do you see where I’m going here? On my stainless steel Series 6 I just had the battery replaced for free covered under AppleCare. I didn’t lose any money because I would’ve had to pay the $80 anyway, but I also got protection against damage which in my case didn’t happen.

if you’re wearing it as a dress watch, then it may or may not be worth it. If the battery goes below 80% health within the two years then you’ll break even. If you’re wearing it for Apple Watch Ultra stuff then I would get it for sure.

 

[KPOM]

For those looking for peace of mind, you might also check to see if your homeowner/renter insurer would sell you a personal articles policy. The Watch might count as jewelry. I bought such a policy on a MacBook Air about 10 years ago and it came in handy when I accidentally left it on airplane during a business trip. Although “Find My Mac” located it at the airport 2 days later, the Lost and Found “didn’t have it in their possession.” 😒 I got a check a week later for the purchase price (including tax) less a small deductible. 😀

 

[coolbreeze2]

I’m definately getting AppleCare+. Anything mobile like MacBook, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Watch etc, must have AppleCare+. Non-mobiles like iMac, AppleTV, and HomePod don’t need the coverage because that are placed in one location and never are moved and therefore have a very low risk of damage. Anything mobile has a great chance of damage and is too expensive to fix without coverage. I have used ApplrCare+ in the past at least once and sometimes more than once on all the mobiles! I have never had the need for coverage on the non-mobiles. Look at my saggy. I have it all. It’s a no brainer for me to have coverage.

 

[circatee]

I simply do not have excess funds. So, Apple Care is a must...

 

[G.McGilli]

Wow, may I ask what happened to that phone?

Hahaha... Well, As soon as it happened, I went down to the Apple store in Chelsea, Manhattan and just told them the truth:

I was over at the driving range at Chelsea piers, and I wanted to make a slow motion video of my driving. So I set up the phone up in front of the tee, got my driver, and put all my power into it. The phone was hit just to the side of the camera, oh and I was on the upper level of the driving range. It went flying... spinning... crashing... was recording at the time- sadly that video was never recovered lol

The only reason the phone didn't literally explode was I had a case on it - which you can see is holding the phone together.

Anyways - replaced without issue - well, I mean - getting my SIM card out was a problem since the frame was twisted!

Oh - the phone was still powered on too as it was showing up as a cellular hotspot to other devices haha!

Was my first AppleCare claim ever and couldn't be happier with how fast they brought out a new phone for me.

 

[wilberforce]

I seldom get AppleCare on anything, and the few times I have bought AppleCare I have regretted it.
I once posted how much I was ahead by not getting AppleCare, but this prompted a strong negative reaction from some people, so I no longer do so. I will just say I am happier not getting AppleCare.

 

[johnmed]

I bought AC+ as I unboxed it, I’ve never had it for a watch before and was tired of being overly careful with AW’s. I dropped a S3 a metre a few years ago and it was a right off.

Wife scratched her AW screen within a week of me buying it for her.


With talk of $/£500 repair bills for AWU, I thought it’s worth £5 a month to just wear it and not give a thought to its cost or cost of repair. Regardless of how durable it is.

It’s not like I could fix the thing myself (like my son’s iPhone 8’s screen I replaced yesterday).

 

[nosnhojm]

I had to use AC+ replacement twice on my space black series 4. Both times the watch fell onto tiled floor in the locker room and the sapphire shattered.

 

[rcarter3636]

I’ll keep AC for about a year then drop it.

 

[newellj]

A stupid deer darted in front of me while on a ride and this is how my 22 month old SBSS fared:

View attachment 2079937
It cost $400 to replace out-of-warranty. Incidentally, the battery health was down to 79% at the time and I could have had that covered as well. Live and learn!

I remember that photo. I also remember thinking that I'm amazed you didn't wind up in the same sort of condition as the watch. I've had deer leap out just in front of me a few times while going quite fast (it only happens when I'm going downhill, it seems, so I'm talking about 30-35mph).

I figure that if I ever actually hit a deer going that speed I'd go clear over the top of the deer's back and make a very long red smear on the road. The emergency services people would probably need hoses rather than a gurney.

Curious - did that watch go into fall detection mode and try to make an emergency call? With the current watches, i'm not sure whether fall detection or crash detection would kick in, but your watch looks so damaged that I wonder if could do anything like that?

 

[newellj]

I bought AC+ as I unboxed it, I’ve never had it for a watch before and was tired of being overly careful with AW’s. I dropped a S3 a metre a few years ago and it was a right off.

Wife scratched her AW screen within a week of me buying it for her.


With talk of $/£500 repair bills for AWU, I thought it’s worth £5 a month to just wear it and not give a thought to its cost or cost of repair. Regardless of how durable it is.

It’s not like I could fix the thing myself (like my son’s iPhone 8’s screen I replaced yesterday).

I've put micro-scratches in the softer ion glass screens of the Sport watches, though never anything big (and nothing that the Apple store staff ever noticed when I traded the watches in).

Have never scratched the sapphire screens on a SS AW.

Guessing the AWU is even less likely to scratch, with the added protection of that raised lip around the display.

Nevertheless, I think I've usually bought AC for AWs - but never had a claim of any kind on any Apple mobile device (AW, iPad, iPhone), and you'd think that mobile devices would be the most likely to suffer damage.

Different results with my Macs. I have only once had a Mac which didn't have a major service event *after* the original warranty period but before the AC extended warranty period expired, and one of them had two. All told, I've come out way ahead buying AC on my Macs.