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Applecare will save me money?

F

farhat2tube

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
27
0
Malaysia
As i will be ordering my First modern mac today, an uMBP 2.6ghz 8GB ram, i want to know about the applecare that even the website is not really telling me.

As i will be bringing my notebook to classes, studios and travels for work, it will be prone to damage. And applecare plan for mbp is expensive.

Does having applecare for mbp means that they cover 3 years repair n maintanence free of charge? If somehow the hdd stopped working after a year due to a fall etc, will they charge for the repairs and parts?

Or do i just get their phone service support.....

Is it worth it? I am not getting it now though, maybe after a month or so..
 
farhat2tube said:
As i will be ordering my First modern mac today, an uMBP 2.6ghz 8GB ram, i want to know about the applecare that even the website is not really telling me.
Click to expand...
AppleCare
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display

  • You can buy AppleCare any time during the first year warranty period, so you don't have to buy it at time of purchase.
  • You can check your remaining warranty and/or AppleCare coverage here
  • AppleCare will extend the 1 year warranty for an additional 2 years, for a total of 3 years coverage from the date of your Mac purchase.
    It also extends telephone support from 90 days, which is included with your original warranty, to a total of 3 years.
  • You cannot buy AppleCare again or renew it once it expires.
  • Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover damage from accidents, spills, etc. They only cover manufacturing defects.
  • AppleCare+ provides some coverage for accidental damage, but is only available for the iPad and iPhone, not for Apple computers.
  • Neither the Apple Warranty nor AppleCare will cover batteries that have worn out. They only cover defective batteries.
  • For more detailed questions, read the AppleCare Protection Plan (pdf) agreement.

As to whether AppleCare is worth it or not, that's a matter of opinion. You'll find lots of opinions on both sides, with roughly 75% saying it's worth it. You really need to decide if it's worth it to you. If you want more information, you can search the forum, where you'll find dozens, if not hundreds of threads asking "is AppleCare worth it?" The overall consensus seems to be about 75% in favor of it.
 
I cannot speak for anyone else but myself. I just bought a bottom-spec RMBP. I purchased the laptop with my Chase Freedom credit card and registered the purchase with Visa. This doubles the 1 year Apple warranty, so I have two years of coverage. That means for $239 (the cost of AppleCare w/ student discount), I get 1 year of additional coverage (the third year of ownership). I have chosen not to purchase AppleCare. I'm a bit worried, since this is a 1st year model (more prone to failure), but if something happens after two years, that's the risk I've taken. You have to decide for yourself if the money is worth that risk. For me it's not. For others it will be. Keep in mind that filing a claim with a CC company and dealing with that is not as easy as walking into the Apple store and telling them to fix it.
 
Every time I buy a new Mac, I buy AppleCare exclusively.

I'm not one to buy extended warranties, but when it comes to a new Apple computer, I get AppleCare without fail.

They do the best job of repairs, using only hi quality Apple parts, they are fast, efficient, and very professional. While I've only had to use them a few times in two decades & a large number of new Macs purchased, it's worth it.

Despite the claims of other companies, I've yet to find anything like AppleCare.
 
I bought it for my current 2007 MacBook and plan on buying it for my 2012 when I get it next week (I generally wait for the Applecare till I find a sale somewhere.)

I lug my Macbook everywhere with me and in the first few years of owning it here's what they replaced....

Superdrive Three times....yes, it is possible to burn one out. Nowhere does it say you can't burn 20 DVDs back to back.

Power Supply Once.....Cord was wrapping the wrong way and it got extremely hot.

Battery Once....It started to expand from overheating.

Keyboard Surround Once.....Known problem with cracking. It's actually starting to do it again. Not an issue on the new aluminum ones.

My brother on his that is one year older than mine had his logic board replaced, monitor replaced twice, and keyboard surround once.

I would say each computer has had well upwards of $1000 in repairs all covered for free and in less than 24 hours in the store each time. Apples are VERY expensive to repair. One repair during years 2 and 3 will easily eat the Applecare warranty and be a savior. If you plan on carrying it around daily, highly recommended. I was amazed they replaced my superdrive not once, not trice, but three times. I even admitted the first time I was burning lots of DVDs of some video work I did. The case cracking and power supply issue came from carrying it around so much. Both solely cosmetic. Thumbs up to Apple.
 
Yes. It is worth having. However, be aware that is does NOT cover accidental damage, only normal hardware failure.
 
Can anyone recommend good third-party laptop insurance that would cover accidental damage? Without accidental damage coverage, AppleCare has always seemed overpriced to me.
 
It looks like you can buy applecare on ebay for like $250 vs the $350 apple wanted. I will probably keep a look out for a good deal for apple care after a few months of getting my MBP retina.
 
I've had an iMac for 4 years with no problems, an iBook before that with no problems, a MacBook pro 17in that had no problems and a MacBook air ditto.
If I bought AppleCare for all these computers, I could have bought another Mac.

Edit: and no I did not buy AppleCare for my new retina MacBook pro :)
 
farhat2tube said:
As i will be ordering my First modern mac today, an uMBP 2.6ghz 8GB ram, i want to know about the applecare that even the website is not really telling me.

As i will be bringing my notebook to classes, studios and travels for work, it will be prone to damage. And applecare plan for mbp is expensive.

Does having applecare for mbp means that they cover 3 years repair n maintanence free of charge? If somehow the hdd stopped working after a year due to a fall etc, will they charge for the repairs and parts?

Or do i just get their phone service support.....

Is it worth it? I am not getting it now though, maybe after a month or so..
Click to expand...

I would probably get it...It sucks if you never had a problem in the 3 years, but if anything (not your fault, of course), and I mean anything happens during the 3 years, take it to an Apple Store and they'll either have it repaired within 2 days or give you a new one if more financially reasonable. It sucks it doesn't cover accidental damage, but I'm serious- anything goes wrong, which things just do because laptops are constantly moved around, you'll get free service. Service you don't get from Best Buy or warranty providers.

I'd make the argument that Apple laptops are built with the highest quality, but it's still a laptop, and though it stands a better chance, it's still likely to have at least 1 issue within 3 years.
 
Brand new iMac in December.

Hard drive failed in February. Repaired under warranty.

Graphics card failed in April. Repaired under warranty.

LCD panel failed in June. Repaired under warranty.

I WILL be buying AppleCare...
 
Since 2007 the only failure I ever had was a defective RAM module which I replace myself for like $30. Thats a span of 5 years.

Computers nowadays are really really reliable. So I wouldn't worry about components failing. The $350 is just a waste of money and should be put on a savings account towards your next purchase of a notebook.

I have never gotten Applecare and I never will. This already saved me enough money to buy a new notebook.
 
If you computer is just a toy, then you can afford to skip the AppleCare.
If you are rich, you can afford to skip the AppleCare.
If you like to gamble, you can skip it.

However if you use your computer for school or work, and/or can't afford sudden repair bills, it's worth the money. If nothing else then for piece of mind.

In the 24 years I've been using MACs, I've only had 3 equipment failures. One of those failures was with Powerbook, when I was overseas. Each time I was covered and was up and running in less than 48 hours at no charge.
 
OP, get the Applecare. I bought a 2009 macbook pro that had some issues at the end of warranty (7 warranty repair in total) and Apple just gave me a Brand new 2012 one to replace it. Needless to say I bought the Applecare for the new one as well.
 
I just buy a new machine every year and sell my old one. The difference is usually just a bit more than AppleCare. Now this year that wasn't the case because I went for the fancy new R-Type. Luckily I just graduated so I had a big chunk of graduation money burning a hole in my pocket!
 
farhat2tube said:
If somehow the hdd stopped working after a year due to a fall etc, will they charge for the repairs and parts?
Click to expand...

Yes, they will charge for that. Applecare covers defects with the machine, not accidental damage done by you or others.

As you can see from all the responses here, people's experiences vary a lot. Some people have needed lots of repairs, some have needed none. In the first case, Applecare has saved those people money. In the other cases, it hasn't. No one can say which side yours will fall on.

I look at it this way...is paying the $300 or so upfront worth the peace of mind that if your logic board dies in year 3 it will be replaced for free? Those are the kinds of questions you have to think about. Will you be able to pay out of pocket to get it repaired? Will you be able to afford a new computer if this one dies after the warranty is up?
 
How often do third party sales come up for Apple Care? Are there other site's besides eBay to watch? What's the cheapest you've ever grabbed it for?
 
bmstrong said:
How often do third party sales come up for Apple Care? Are there other site's besides eBay to watch? What's the cheapest you've ever grabbed it for?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't suggest buying through eBay. People have gotten scammed that way before. For the 15 or 17 inch models, you can get it through B&H for $244. I know there's a few other places that usually offer discounted prices, too, but can't think of them right now. But I'd definitely buy it through an authorized reseller rather than some unknown person on eBay.
 
For all the worry warts out there. Don't sweat it too much. You have a full year to make your decision.
 
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