AppleCare - needed or not?

[CyberBob859]

Good idea!!

CyberBob: Something you may want to think about, if you have a CompUSA in your area - since the stores are going out of business, at the moment they're discounting all Applecare products by 20%, which you're unlikely to beat in most cases. Also, as the final days get closer (probably mid-Feb is when the stores will close), the discounts may get even better.

Wow - never thought of that. The local CompUSA is a little bit of a drive for me, but if I can save some bucks, I may (literally) go that route.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Batt]

lacomputer has the best prices on AppleCare. . .

 

[Macky-Mac]

This is not the case. It doesn't matter when you buy the AppleCare but it does not add 3 years. It extends the total warranty including the limited warranty to 3 years and extends the 90 days of complimentary telephone tech support to 3 years.....

worth repeating because a lot of people are confused about the extension time frame.

 

[jamesi]

if you have a regular job, where you arent living paycheck to paycheck, then id say it wouldnt hurt to be safe and get it.

that being said, i didnt get one for my pb when i got it 2 years ago. i chose not to b/c id rather keep the $250 or w/e it costs and ive had hardware long enough to know how to care for it. ive spilled soup on my laptop keyboard but applecare would not have covered that anyways. funny thing is that the pb works fine after the incident. if you worry regularly, then get applecare. otherwise save the cash

 

[heatmiser]

if you worry regularly, then get applecare. otherwise save the cash

This. Personally, I'd never buy Applecare. If I bought a Mac that broke down, I'd sell it and get a PC. The resale value would probably be enough to earn me a machine with similar or better specs.

 

[akm3]

if you have a regular job, where you arent living paycheck to paycheck, then id say it wouldnt hurt to be safe and get it.

that being said, i didnt get one for my pb when i got it 2 years ago. i chose not to b/c id rather keep the $250 or w/e it costs and ive had hardware long enough to know how to care for it. ive spilled soup on my laptop keyboard but applecare would not have covered that anyways. funny thing is that the pb works fine after the incident. if you worry regularly, then get applecare. otherwise save the cash

I would say it's the other way around, if you have a regular job and aren't living paycheck to paycheck, you probably don't need it.

If your computer dies and ARE living paycheck to paycheck and can't possibly afford to replace it if it breaks, then you DO need it.

 

[brop52]

I stand corrected then. That's too bad.

I think it's more necessary for laptops, but I will probably still get it as it's cheaper for students. Otherwise I probably wouldn't get it unless I found that the machine is starting to go bad by the end of the first year.

So it's more like $60/year at 2 years for students. It's a bit steep but probably still worth it. Was it ever extended in the past if you bought it at the end of the first year or has it always been like that?

 

[mozadek]

American Express has an extended warranty program that kicks in for a whole year right after your one year warranty with apple is over. So if you have an American Express apple care is not necessary.

 

[SaSaSushi]

American Express has an extended warranty program that kicks in for a whole year right after your one year warranty with apple is over. So if you have an American Express apple care is not necessary.

Is that if you HAVE an American Express card as you say or (more likely) if you purchase the Mac with the Amex card?

Also, that would extend total coverage to 2 years as opposed to AppleCare's 3 years so I don't really think you can say it makes Apple's coverage "unnecessary". It would definitely make it a tougher decision but I would still get the AppleCare.

The reason I don't have an American Express card, by the way, is their $100 per year annual fee (at least here in Japan). I know there are "benefits of membership" though. It's just not worth it to me personally.

 

[jnc]

Might be stating the obvious, but - really depends if you plan on keeping it that long.

I tend to stick with the technology curve, and I'm not a collector so after 12 months or so I'd probably be hungry for a new machine anyway.

 

[macEfan]

If it makes you feel more secure than go ahead and buy it... at 149 it is a good investment. I personally didn't get it for my iBook, and the iBook has been fine for years. It is really just your decision...

 

[sagnier]

Might be stating the obvious, but - really depends if you plan on keeping it that long.

I tend to stick with the technology curve, and I'm not a collector so after 12 months or so I'd probably be hungry for a new machine anyway.

I agree with this. I bought a pb g4 nearly three years ago. With applecare the bill was £1400 or something close. (i had a student discount). Obviously the advent (no pun intended) of the intel chips has had a big effect on the current 2nd hand value of my machine, but what is it worth now? £300 maybe, tops. (someone enlighten me here!) I used the applecare once, and that was within the first year so it would have been covered anyway. So my depreciation is somewhere in the region of £350 per year, and im currently using an underpowered computer.

Im buying a new laptop in a few weeks. What i plan to do is sell it ten months after buying it, the reason being that i can (bearing in mind the situation i describe above), afford to sell a machine that is probably still the current model at a price around £300 less than i paid for it. The purchaser still has the option to buy applecare and is getting a virtually new machine at a good price. I can then go out and buy a brand new machine, knowing that I've not really lost any money on the deal. Either that or I'm patient, and wait until the next revision.

Does anyone else do this?

 

[SaSaSushi]

Might be stating the obvious, but - really depends if you plan on keeping it that long.

I tend to stick with the technology curve, and I'm not a collector so after 12 months or so I'd probably be hungry for a new machine anyway.

Jeez! Does sticking with the same machine for longer than 12 months put one in the "collector" category??

I suppose if I had the cash to buy a new one every year I would but I plan on using this machine for at least 3 years.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I agree with this. I bought a pb g4 nearly three years ago. With applecare the bill was £1400 or something close. (i had a student discount). Obviously the advent (no pun intended) of the intel chips has had a big effect on the current 2nd hand value of my machine, but what is it worth now? £300 maybe, tops. (someone enlighten me here!) I used the applecare once, and that was within the first year so it would have been covered anyway. So my depreciation is somewhere in the region of £350 per year, and im currently using an underpowered computer.

Im buying a new laptop in a few weeks. What i plan to do is sell it ten months after buying it, the reason being that i can (bearing in mind the situation i describe above), afford to sell a machine that is probably still the current model at a price around £300 less than i paid for it. The purchaser still has the option to buy applecare and is getting a virtually new machine at a good price. I can then go out and buy a brand new machine, knowing that I've not really lost any money on the deal. Either that or I'm patient, and wait until the next revision.

Does anyone else do this?

"Virtually new" and "new" are different entities in this situation. Also, the resale value of the machine you intend to sell in 10 months time depends on a WHOLE lot of different variables you cannot begin to predict as your own experiences can tell you. It won't be a "virtually new" machine. It will be a 10 month old "used" machine that is eligible for 26 months of additional coverage from Apple but are you going to purchase AppleCare and sell the machine covered? This, too, will affect the resale value.

Actual usage of an Apple Care warranty is not all that you are paying for. You are paying for a sense of security that comes with knowing it is covered in case anything does go wrong. This too has a value. Obviously its purchase is totally justified once we use the coverage in years 2 or 3 but even if not some feel no regret in having purchased the coverage.

 

[jnc]

Jeez! Does sticking with the same machine for longer than 12 months put one in the "collector" category??

I suppose if I had the cash to buy a new one every year I would but I plan on using this machine for at least 3 years.

lol. I just mean that I don't mind selling what I have now in order to get something newer. I don't keep the Macs, or use one for a period long enough to justify an extended warranty.

Longest I've kept a Mac is my first one, the G4 Mini, for about 15 months, which I sold to pay in part for a Core Duo Blackbook when they came out, which I then sold for an iMac, which I then sold for a Core 2 Duo MacBook, which I'll get rid of in January for a new MBP... and so it'll continue

 

[brad.c]

Another vote for "Yes", assuming it will be depended upon for substantially more than a year.

I've had things break after the one year mark far too many times, and I find AppleCare covers the sweet spot between the end of year one, when its still a relatively new box, and the end of year three, when the machine gets bounced down to second fiddle status.

Besides, it's insurance. The money is only wasted if you don't need it, and when will you find that out?

 

[skyrider007]

A simple Yes. I highly recommend buying AppleCare especially since your Mac is portable.

 

[Sannekita]

Get it. I don't think you'll regret it. It gives you a safe feeling too
especially for portable models, the battery tends to get bad...

 

[Canerican]

I would say no, this article might help you out (it's short)

http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_7751738?nclick_check=1

 

[Radio Monk33]

...

I think it's rather illogical that people are arguing that portables need Applecare more...sure they tend to be damaged more, but this is screen damage or physical damage when the laptop is dropped. Apple care covers NEITHER. So why would you throw even more money into the laptop. As for the argument that you should get battery care to protect the life of the battery...compare the cost of Applecare vs outright buying a battery in years 2 or 3.

 

[Reflow]

I would say no, this article might help you out (it's short)

http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_7751738?nclick_check=1

It would be a great site, but I really don't think people are going to create a login to view this article...

 

[ivan1234]

i've always bought applecare for macs I kept for over a year. But I usually wait until the last few months just in case I decide to sell the computer, in that case I don't buy applecare. I've had to use applecare on several occasions and it was definitely worth it.

 

[kingtj]

I agree too....

I purchased Applecare for my first iPod (a 3rd. gen. model), out of fear of the whole issue of batteries wearing out and so forth. Turned out to be a waste of money. It never had an issue as long as I owned it, and I wound up reselling it with extended warranty coverage still left on it, because I wanted an iPod video by that time.

I've skipped Applecare ever since. My Macbook Pro was my only Apple computer that gave me any hardware problems, but all of them were resolved under the standard 1 year warranty - and it has been working fine for me since the time that expired. Once again, I'm probably going to be interested in reselling it within the next year or so - so there's a good chance it'll be gone before I have to worry about anything else breaking on it.

My Mac Pro and my iMac are chugging along, trouble-free, so again, wouldn't have used Applecare on either of them, had I purchased it.

Sure, you take a risk if you skip the Applecare -- but it's a calculated risk that I think is a little more likely to benefit Apple than you.

I'll be the resident nay-sayer. Apple, and every other company that sells extended warranties, makes a profit (often a LARGE profit) off these sales. They don't do it to lose money. Therefore, the consumer, in the long run, is losing money.

It may benefit you once, but over the course of 2-3 or more computers, you're paying more (possibly way more) than you would have otherwise, taking into account not just dollar-for-dollar expenses, but also the time-value of money, etc.

 

[Redsand187]

I've been using macs for years... or should I say apples, because I had a couple before the Macintosh line was introduced. I have never bought AppleCare until recently. I bought a dual 2.5 G5. I believe it was 250 bucks for the AppleCare plan... that computer was around 10,000 dollars fully outfited, so the 250 dollars was worth it, in case there was a potential problem, there is a lot of money in that nice aluminum box.

I have not had one problem with the computer, but I still am happy to have purchased it. There is a little bit more then a year left on it. I plan on keeping this computer for at least another 2 years. Hopefully if there are any problems with it, it will be in the next year.

Then about 18 months ago, I bought my first PC, (for work) a Laptop, nothing to great. I have had problems with it randomly shutting off. (Probably overheating although it didn't seem excessively hot) Right after the warranty was up, the monitor started flaking out. Depending on the angle it was opened, sometimes the backlight would turn off. Finally, on Christmas eve, the bottom 1/3 of the monitor died, leaving nothing but a huge blur. Not to mention the second charger stopped working at about the same time. So now I am left with a POS that I cannot even boot up, and even if I was able to, I could only use the top 2/3 of the monitor, missing the task bar.... Now mind you I was very easy on this thing, it never was dropped, never spilt on, nothing...

So I ordered the entry level MacBook, as all I really use it for is browsing the internet while in bed, and traveling, and maybe dumping photos on while on the road until I can load them back on the G5. I decided to purchase the AppleCare for 250 bucks, nearly 25% of the purchase price. But at least this way I am guaranteed a working laptop for the next 3 years, more then I can say for the last one. That alone is worth it in my opinion.

Now I can only think of one time I have ever needed to bring any of my computers in for service in all the time I've been computing, and it was more of a mistake on my part... not a hardware failure.

So for a desktop, I would be more leery about purchasing AppleCare. But when you think about it as less then 5 dollars a month to guarantee it is around for 3 years in good working condition, it may be worth it.

As for credit card extened warranties. Has anyone used them? I have a feeling it would be a mess to handle. At least with AppleCare you call them and send it to them and they worry about the cost and repair. I don't think you'd send your computer to AMEX and they take care of everything. This is one reason I bought AppleCare over the other warranties out there as well. I'd much rather not have to hassle with getting it fixed, and fixed right. Seems much easier to send it to Apple or drop into a Apple Store.

 

[SaSaSushi]

i've always bought applecare for macs I kept for over a year. But I usually wait until the last few months just in case I decide to sell the computer, in that case I don't buy applecare. I've had to use applecare on several occasions and it was definitely worth it.

Applecare coverage on a used machine significantly raises its resale value and it is easily transferable to a new owner.