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I took delivery of my very first macbook pro today, 13" model and at a cost of £1399 I decided to take out applecare and just purchased it online. Saying that though, at these prices if this macbook pro don't stand the test of time I will not be buying another.

It will. My old Late 2009 Macbook is still kicking to this day and running Mavericks. I sold it to my buddy for 100USD and he's happy. I really didn't have to get a new one but I wanted something light and newer. As long as you take care of it it'll take care of you.
 
I'm usually not too big on extended warranties, but I buy AppleCare for all of my new Macs, mostly because of how expensive out of warranty repairs are - especially on laptops, where even small problems can warrant a complete logic board replacement.

The only AppleCare plan I never used was the one I bought with my 2008 Mac Pro. The only problem it ever really had was an optical drive dying about a year out of warranty. And that was a cheap (less than $50) and easy repair...

But the above case is an exception. The cMP was the last of the truly user serviceable Macs. Any current Mac (even the new black Mac Pros) have highly unserviceable designs that require specialized parts.
 
I didn't buy it for my last two machines and have had very expensive repairs for both. Would have saved a lot of time and hassle with Applecare.
 
Purchased a new Pro last week, added Apple Care immediately, peace of mind.
 
I would not buy it at the same time as purchasing the Mac, within the first year you might change your mind about the machine, or it might fail to a point of being replaced without any need for AppleCare. Towards the end of the year, and the included warranty, I would purchase the AppleCare extension if I intended keeping the computer for three years or more.

I have used it before on a PowerBook I owned for 5 years, just before the 3 years were up the logic board failed and it was collected from me, fixed and returned with no hassle. I would recommend it.

I do not buy AppleCare for iPhones or iPads though, if you own several (four in my family) and assume only one is going to fail, it it is cheaper to buy a replacement for that failure from eBay. Ok, they could all fail, but I like to live dangerously.
 
I might add that depending on the state you live in you may be eligible for a prorated refund if you decide to cancel the AppleCare anytime before expiration.
 
This is true, but getting AppleCare is easier for support after year 1. I forgot where I was reading about this, it may have been in the iPhone section here re: AC+. You'll have to deal with the credit card company for warranty issues and it can be a real hassle and can take a very long time. Much longer than just walking into an Apple store if you have one by you, or even shipping to Apple. I could be wrong and maybe you can deal with Apple through the CC company's extended warranty, not sure.

I did this with another product using my Discover card. Their process was that I had to submit the estimate or bill for repair and they sent me a check to cover the repair. In the case of the product I used it on, it couldn't be repaired so I had to submit the bill to replace the item. The replacement cost was reimbursed up to the original purchase price (as indicated on the statement it charged on) and they did not cover taxes and shipping (I think) so I did have some out of pocket outlay but it was less than paying for the whole product.

In the end, you end up paying for the service and the CC company (actually a 3rd party) sends a check to cover that cost. As for the time it took, less than a month. It actually would have been even shorter except there was confusion about the original purchase price and I couldn't figure out why they kept asking for the same documentation over and over, usually with a day between correspondences.
 
Although I never had to take advantage of it, i definitely would recommend Applecare for a laptop. As others have said, the cost of even one repair makes it worthwhile.
Plus it is worth something if you sell your laptop while Applecare is still valid.
 
Glad this thread is here. I just bought a mint late-2014 13" rMBP from a friend who is an IT director for a security company. He's a stickler about his electronics, so I knew he protected this Mac with his life! It runs bullet-fast & strong...but I'm planning on keeping it for a few years, and don't want to fork out the bucks if the Mac throws craps for some reason.

The guy at my local Simply Mac store shot me a price of $199. Is that the standard price, or is it more/less?
 
My MBPr 15 is late 2013. I bought the AppleCare at the time. Two months ago, my screen developed two 2mm white spots on bottom left corner. It is only visible when there is white background. It was not really bother me, until I mentioned that to Apple dude when I was at Apple store. He told me please bring it in to have it look at.

I finally made an appointment and brought it in today. Genius person looked at it and told me the LCD will need to be replaced and was told it will take few days. I said that is fine. I dropped it off today at 12pm. They called me back the same day at 3pm telling that it is ready for me to pick up. I was like SWEET... They replaced with the brand new LCD panel with the entire back panel. It doesn't cost me anything. AppleCare covered the repair which was $720. Mind you that my MBPr is a year and a half old. I am glad I have AppleCare.
 
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I wouldn't have bothered, but my first mbp was faulty. This was my first new mac which made me nervous about the build quality. When I got a replacement, I ordered applecare, which I never used since the mbp has proved bullet proof.

I really think If a computer will fail, it would do so in the first year, but I would probably still buy applecare. There are a few shops these days that offer extended warranties which I would consider in the future.
 
Glad this thread is here. I just bought a mint late-2014 13" rMBP from a friend who is an IT director for a security company. He's a stickler about his electronics, so I knew he protected this Mac with his life! It runs bullet-fast & strong...but I'm planning on keeping it for a few years, and don't want to fork out the bucks if the Mac throws craps for some reason.

The guy at my local Simply Mac store shot me a price of $199. Is that the standard price, or is it more/less?

Check Amazon and B&H. Make sure you compare prices on the correct plan.
 
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