Applecare Protection Plan

[answer348]

I'm looking into buying a new powerbook under either the education discount or the student developer discount. The student developer discount is cheaper all around except for that Applecare costs $100 more than under the education discount.

My question is, would I be able to buy the powerbook under the student developer discount and without Applecare, and then simply purchase Applecare the next day under the education discount? Thanks!

Edit: Also, what's the best version of Microsoft Office for a student using just normal programs?

 

[SolidGun]

I am not sure how it would work at Apple.com store, but if you go into Apple stores, all they do is check your school ID and drivers license, so I don't see why you wouldn't get the student discount.

 

[Macmaniac]

My advice is what ever you do get AppleCare laptops move around a lot so things can happen to them, and AppleCare can be a life saver.

 

[upperblue79]

You have within a year of your mac purchase to buy applecare and however you come across applecare doesn't matter. The student Teacher version has the same programs as the full. I know there will be a version out there that includes virtual pc, but it is cheaper to get the student office and virtual pc separate.

 

[puckhead193]

I am not sure how it would work at Apple.com store, but if you go into Apple stores, all they do is check your school ID and drivers license, so I don't see why you wouldn't get the student discount.

I just ordered a 15" pb and they didn't ask to see ID or anything....Not even a school id

 

[Abstract]

I would get AppleCare. I would take advantage of your Developers discount for the PB, and then go your Uni store and get the AppleCare for the student price. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

 

[yippy]

that is what I plan on doing

I already bought my Powerbook with the student developer discount. I haven't bought Applecare yet, am waiting to decide if it is realy worth it, this board seems to think so for the most part. When I do it will be as a normal student, not a student developer.

 

[SolidGun]

I have been reading up on sites that repair Macs. Applecare for PB for most people are around $350 and about $240 for students. Do you think that can be justified compared to having it repaired by these certified technicians?
I am planning on getting AppleCare in about 9 months or so when it gets close to a year, but I would like to know what others think about those independent repairers. Also, is Applecare transferable?

 

[kerb]

It's £215 for a student here!!

 

[jxyama]

My advice is what ever you do get AppleCare laptops move around a lot so things can happen to them, and AppleCare can be a life saver.

i never understood this misconception. applecare makes sense for laptops NOT because laptops moves a lot (and hence increased chances of accidents, i assume), but because parts are integrated.

applecare does not cover accidents! if something happens externally to your laptop, you need insurance, not an extended warranty like applecare.

it makes more sense to get applecare for laptops because many parts in laptops are integrated -> if one thing screws up, it's possible that parts much larger and costly must be replaced in a laptop. for example, disfunctional usb port may require the entire motherboard be replaced in a laptop -> very expensive. for desktops, it may be possible to swap out smaller parts and fix only what's broken since not many things are integrated.

btw, applecare is transferable.

http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan_terms.html

You may transfer this Plan to a new owner of the Covered Equipment. If you purchased the Plan in the U.S. or Canada, transfer by sending written notice to AppleCare Administration, P.O. Box 149125, Austin, TX 78714-9125, U.S. You must provide the Plan’s enrollment or agreement number, the serial numbers of the Covered Equipment being transferred, proof of purchase of the Plan, and the name and address of the new owner. For Plans purchased and enrolled/activated outside the U.S. or Canada, please contact the regional Apple subsidiary for the country of purchase.

 

[Simon Liquid]

I have been reading up on sites that repair Macs. Applecare for PB for most people are around $350 and about $240 for students. Do you think that can be justified compared to having it repaired by these certified technicians?

For the desktops, it's less clearcut but I'd recommend Applecare for anyone with a laptop for two reasons. First, simply taking them apart takes many steps by people who know what they're doing. Not cheap if you're paying someone by the hour and there's the possibility something will go wrong. Secondly, with everything integrated, the parts are expensive and highly specialized.

Example from my life: last month the fan stopped working continuously on my PowerBook. On my g4, had this happened, I'd have bought a generic part off a shelf somewhere, spent an afternoon trying to get it to work myself before getting a friend who knows more to give me a hand, no harm done. On a PowerBook, the fan is part of the motherboard, so they had to replace the whole thing. That would have cost more $500.

Just about any replacement part, other than RAM and hard drives, that goes into a Powerbook will come from Apple and will NOT be cheap. My friend who works on Macs at his school showed me some prices when he convinced me to get it.

 

[Demon Hunter]

I'm looking into buying a new powerbook under either the education discount or the student developer discount. The student developer discount is cheaper all around except for that Applecare costs $100 more than under the education discount.

My question is, would I be able to buy the powerbook under the student developer discount and without Applecare, and then simply purchase Applecare the next day under the education discount? Thanks!

Edit: Also, what's the best version of Microsoft Office for a student using just normal programs?

Back to your original question, I'm also a Student Developer looking at a Powerbook, and I e-mailed the Apple Store about this. I think it's because the Developer Store is not normally for students -- but we get access to it for a hardware purchase -- so it looks like we'll be buying from the Education Store.