I've considered it but for the Sport in Canada AC is $65 and allows up to 2 replacements at $79 per incident for accidental damage. At nearly 1/3 of the price of replacing the Watch on my own the premium seems too high a ratio versus the risk.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AppleCare: licence to print money?
- Thread starter profmjh
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The Sport is particularly hard to put on. If people take it off in the gym to take a shower, there's a risk it could end up on the concrete or tile floor either taking it off or putting it on. Until I went to link bracelets, I would ocassionally drop my watches while putting them on. There's a much greater risk of slamming it into an object accidentally than with an iPhone. I've done it a lot with watches over the years. And Apple's crystal design is terrible -- it offers no protection whatsoever like most traditional watches, the entire surface of it is exposed. As for why it would stop functioning after a year, well first of all it's a first gen product that had manufacturing difficulties. Who is to say that Taptic engine they rushed into your watch won't fail in less time than the later fixed ones. Apple products are generally solid, but these have been rushed to market as evidenced by having no inventory to sell in stores, so who knows. Also, depending on how much you push the boundaries of IPX7 rating could result in failed seals after the first year, and water damage, not to mention exposing it to heat and cold beyond it's rated specs -- the whole thing is put together with glue.
That's just FUD that drives people to purchase extended warranties, and how Apple profits from selling AC+. People also have the exact same mentality every time a new generation car debuts, ignoring the long-term reliability of the same model from all the previous generations.
Purchasing with a credit card with extended warranty can easily cover you in the second year, even in the case of water damage which the standard warranty covers.
My card offers an extended warranty too, but I never used it. Not sure how to use it. If you used it before, could you please tell us how it works?
What does long term reliability from previous models have to do with anything? I have friends who have purchased first year model cars that turned out to be nightmares with warranty related issues that continued well past the warranty expirations, from automakers that they trusted based on reliability from their previous automobiles. In one case, a trusted dealer told a friend to wait for the second year model due to manufacturing issues of which he was aware but had not been made public knowledge, until later when huge numbers of these cars began to exhibit the same problems. Just like we're hearing about the Watch.
And of course Apple profits, so does every insurance company. The big difference is AC+ is a far better experience for the money than dealing with my insurance company over anything. The real question is why doesn't Apple provide the same level of service without charging extra for it? Maybe because they know they are shipping an inferior product to market that is likely to have more problems than previous generations. I've always had Apple Care, as I found it to be cheap insurance that has helped me on numerous occasions over the years. This Apple Care+ is a whole new thing. And I can't help but think it's a way to manage the increasing number of claims for products that place style above function. Maybe my credit card will cover warranty issues past the first year, but it won't cover out of warranty items like broken screens. And that's what Apple Care+ offers. I wouldn't even know how to make an extended warranty claim with my credit card company, but assuming it's no different an experience than dealing with them on any other issue, I'll take Apple Care+ every time.
With Amex, you give them a call to file a claim (done entirely over the phone, no paperwork required). Once approved, they'll reimburse you up to the price you paid for the device plus tax in the next billing cycle. You use that to cover the Out of Warranty replacement cost when you swap it out at the Apple Store.
You can even swap out immediately and pay the OOW cost out of pocket, and file the claim after the fact to get reimbursed later.
I am not sure if Amex covers accidental...do you know? Ive done a couple of warranty claims for things that stop working.
No, it doesn't cover anything the standard warranty won't cover, as it mirrors the standard warranty in the second year. However, given that the Watch is rated IPX7 (waterproof to 1 meter for 30 min) any water ingress due to a manufacturing defect will be covered under the standard warranty and hence Amex will cover it.
Amex does provide a separate accidental damage coverage in the first 90 days though.
If you charge both the Watch and AC+ to the same Amex card, they will mirror the standard warranty for one year at the end of AC+, giving you 3 years of warranty coverage (but no accidental damage coverage in the 3rd year).
Don't know what to tell you. They looked it up, showed it to me on the monitor, and explained their policy. End of story.
If Apple's failure rates are as high as you imply, then they should be pilloried for selling junk. More likely, you and your friend "won" the gamble. And as with Vegas, for every winner, there are millions of losers (i.e. those who paid in and had no need for the coverage). I still maintain that, over the long haul, if you avoid extended warranties altogether, you will come out ahead. What you save on not buying them will cover costs that you do incur along the way.
Not to speak for AFDoc, but to be clear, this thread is talking about extended warranties for electronic gizmos and have nothing WHATSOEVER to do with the products you describe. If my watch gets crushed, my kids still have a house and my wife has financial security (well, if I can keep away from my toys, that is ;-) ) That is not the case if something happens to me. Same with the other products you describe. A whole world of a different discussion.
This has changed now. All stock is retail. Certainly that's the case with iPhones and iPads. Apple melt the one you give them down and recycle the raw materials.
That's an assumption of yours. It's not in the warranty document (and employees at AC+ said it wouldn't be). You're welcome to call them and ask.
You need to stop telling people that. No-one knows if it will be covered until the first water claims start walking into stores.
Going back and reading this . . . .well insurance and if you buy it is almost like religion and there are two distinct side to this. Best to do what YOU feel is the best as this place has so many that will knock down your choice no matter what it is! So many here feel like THEY know what is best for others . . . . I say do what you think is best for YOU!
Everybody enjoy your watch!
Everybody enjoy your watch!
Whoooosh
Yes, this thread is about protecting the Watch with an extended warranty, but AFDoc came here with an air of superiority basically saying "well I'm super careful unlike all of you, so I don't need anything like Applecare". So I went ahead and provided real world examples of where one might also pay for a service that you don't ever actively use because you're "super careful" but it's also extremely good to have because accidents happen.
But nope, you're right, I'm the idiot and had no idea what anyone in this thread was talking about or what this thread was even about! I just felt like spouting off some random gibberish! Good thing you caught me!
That's an assumption of yours. It's not in the warranty document (and employees at AC+ said it wouldn't be). You're welcome to call them and ask.
Remember that Apple "employees" also informed forum members that the Sport comes with two full sets of bands and that AC+ wouldn't cover separately purchased bands. The fact that you spoke with "employees" is meaningless. Until it's actually tested, it's reasonable to assume Apple will treat water ingress claims (due to a manufacturing defect) using the precedent that manufacturers that warrant their IPX7 devices have established.
for an $1100 watch, i think ill throw $60 their way to assure that if I drop it/smash it/ dunk it, I get another one. I mean, thats what, one strap? I get it for the phones too because i buy them outright. $100 + (now $79) is a lot less than 849+ tax.
Heh, this is what, the 4th thread we've argued about this?
That's where we disagree. I don't think it's reasonable to assume water ingress will be covered. IPX7 is very slight water resistance. (before anyone chirps up with all of the casual testing people have been doing - that means nothing). If you have water ingress, you almost certainly exceeded the rating. (sorry, o-rings aren't going to punch in by "splashing")
It's going to be less then $100 to replace a cracked screen for the watches, making apple care even more pointless
Care is still less than $100 too. It's $49 for the Sport, $69 for the Stainless steel, but it will always repair your watch for free.
What Newton's Apple said - everyone's use case and rationale to purchase AC+ or not is individual. There really is no right or wrong - it's whatever you are comfortable with.
Me (as I'm in Canada), my 42mm SB SS w LB comes to just over $1600, taxes in. I'm buying it - seems a cheap way to protect my investment. If I got the least expensive watch I could, maybe not. It's an internal balancing act - cost vs risk.
Ok, but you're paying $50 or $70 upfront for something that may not happen. Why do that when you can just pay that for when it happens?