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Applecare worth it?

bartz73

bartz73

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 22, 2010
22
6
HIGH WYCOMBE
Morning

The Apple one-year limited warranty that came with my MacBook Pro is almost up now, is it worth purchasing AppleCare?

Would be £289 at the mo to purchase(which i dont have!).


Whats the likelihood of Macbook Pro having a problem?


Many thanks
 
I believe that in the US they get 90 day warranty, so AppleCare makes sense.

In the UK however we get 1 year, and I think that if it survived 1 year without any issues, then chances are it'll be fine.
 
I really like AppleCare. I have never had to use it on my MBPs, but I actually use my MBP for work so I depend on it. I like the peace of mind of knowing that if there is a problem it will be taken care of.

I have had colleagues who have had major repairs outside the one year warranty that was covered by AppleCare. One, the LCD screen would randomly go out and another had a Logic Board problem. Both would have been expensive repairs without AppleCare.

Also, I like to resell my MBP so not only do I keep my MBP in mint condition but AppleCare help its resale value. I believe that people who look at the used market also feel better that the used MBP comes with a warranty.

-P
 
revs said:
I believe that in the US they get 90 day warranty, so AppleCare makes sense.
Click to expand...

That's incorrect. You get 90days of free phone support, but the computer is warrantied for a year. Additionally if you call with a bonafide issue after that 90 days apple won't charge you.

still given that we're talking about a laptop that generally incurs more "abuse" then a desktop sitting there, I'd say its a safe option, especially since a single repair of a laptop will far exceed the cost of the extended warranty.
 
Yes, it's worth it if you have problems in years 2 or 3.

No, it's a waste of money if you don't have problems in year 2 or 3.
 
bartz73 said:
Morning

The Apple one-year limited warranty that came with my MacBook Pro is almost up now, is it worth purchasing AppleCare?

Would be £289 at the mo to purchase(which i dont have!).


Whats the likelihood of Macbook Pro having a problem?


Many thanks
Click to expand...

If you buy it from John Lewis, then you get a free three year warranty. You will have to buy one of the non-BTO models since John Lewis only stocks the standard configurations and does not do build to order.
 
You can ask 10 different people about Applecare, and they'll all give you different answers about why it is/isn't worth it. For me, it's about peace of mind. I'd rather pay a bit extra up front and know that I'm covered if my logic board fails or something like that. Yes, Macs are good quality machines, and it's entirely possible that nothing will go wrong and you won't need to use Applecare. But, as good as a MBP is, it's still a machine and machines sometimes fail. It's all about how much risk you plan on taking. If your logic board fails, will you have several hundred dollars to shell out to pay for a new one or to purchase a new computer?
 
Well I have it for all of my machines (as I work for myself) but I can honestly say it has saved me a truck load of money especially on my old 17" MBPro (late 2007), video, od and a new hd.

So yes it is worth it just even if it is for peace of mind. A friend of mine had problems with his MBAir and never took out Apple Care on it. Just after two years he started having issues (can't remember what they all were) one being the display connection especially... eventually he spent more on parts for it than it would have cost him just taking out the Apple Care package.... :eek:
 
When the 12 month warranty expires, you are still protected to a certain degree by the Sales of Goods Act but this will depend on the type of fault. This is normally taken up directly with the retailer where levels of grief can vary.

If you have AppleCare, you can raise any issues (within the T&Cs) directly with Apple regardless of where you purchased it from.

I've had two issues outside my first 12 months of coverage, one of which I've yet to report, so I'm very happy with my 3 yr warranty so far which expires in ~12months.
 
The merits of buying any extended warranty will vary from person to person. Some will say that they are good because they give you peace of mind. Others (and I fall into this category) think all extended warranties are a waste of money since the VAST majority of those plans are never used.

I would save your pennies.....but that's just me.
 
For a portable, I think AppleCare makes a good investment. For my desktops, even though I've bought AppleCare, I don't think any of them have gotten real use.
 
It is hit or miss.

Depends on how you treat your computer. I decided not to get apple care.

I had no problems till year 3. (wireless card went out). Besides that nothing.


I fixed that problem with a little $15 dongle so still not worth buying the apple care, yet.
 
Generally a bad bet. Like any insurance, you're betting on failure and they're betting it won't fail. The house wins most of the time. But if it makes you feel better, or if for some unusual reason you need the security, go for it.

Consider that the hard drive is a likely culprit to go kaput. And you could replace it for less (yourself, depending on model).

And check how much your machine is worth now. Paying that amount to insure it only makes sense if the price of your machine is substantially higher.

Besides, if you don't have the money, why ask? Odds are you wouldn't need it.
 
robgendreau said:
Generally a bad bet. Like any insurance, you're betting on failure and they're betting it won't fail. The house wins most of the time. But if it makes you feel better, or if for some unusual reason you need the security, go for it.

Consider that the hard drive is a likely culprit to go kaput. And you could replace it for less (yourself, depending on model).

And check how much your machine is worth now. Paying that amount to insure it only makes sense if the price of your machine is substantially higher.

Besides, if you don't have the money, why ask? Odds are you wouldn't need it.
Click to expand...

This is my stance too, though probably 99% of posters will tell me how wrong I am. Yet, this is how it works. Companies wouldn't sell extended warranties if it didn't make them money. And by how hard they try to push them on you, you'd better believe they make the company a LOT of money.
 
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.
 
While I agree that extended warranties for the most part are a bad investment Applecare is in typical Apple fashion provides a very good warranty backed by a growing network of retail outlets. The ability to walk into the store and get your laptop serviced if need be is quite nice and convenient.

YMMV
 
I will also add that HP and Dell now offer a laptop care plans that include accidental damage.


While HP & Dells service and support backbone does not appear to be top tier like Apples genius bar, it would be nice if Apple offered accident protection as part of Applecare.
 
I always get Applecare for portable Macs and I never buy extended warranties.

There may be an online retailer that is less expensive than the price you quoted. In the U.S. B&H Photo and The L.A. Computer Company have Applecare at excellent discounts, sometimes beating Apple's education discount.

Stay way from eBay. Applecare prices on eBay are often amazingly low; that's because most of the auctions are scams. Sellers who e-mail the Applecare serial numbers resell the same warranties to multiple customers. Apple's online registration system accepts multiple registrations for the same serial number. The buyer doesn't discover that he has an invalid serial number until it comes time to actually use it.

Counterfeit Applecare boxes are also common on eBay.
 
parish said:
I thought they do, in the US - AppleCare Plus or something?
Click to expand...

Applecare+ is only for iPhones.

Someone said earlier that as long as you take care of your computer you shouldn't need Applecare. That's really not true, though...electronics in general have a pretty high failure rate for some of the components. You could keep your MBP safe and sound, never moving it from the desk, no liquids nearby, no chance to bump it against anything...and your logic board can still die. It doesn't really matter how careful you are, electronic components fail.
 
bartz73 said:
The Apple one-year limited warranty that came with my MacBook Pro is almost up now, is it worth purchasing AppleCare?
Click to expand...
Subjective, as is any question of worth on any topic. There are countless threads discussing the pros and cons of Applecare. It's up to you to determine if it's worth it to you or not. Polling others will not determine that for you. If everyone agreed on whether it was worth it or not then either everyone would have it or no one would have it.

It's like any other extended warranty for any product. If you don't need it it won't seem worth it. If you do need it will seem worth it.

Gator24765 said:
Depends on how you treat your computer.
Click to expand...
Applecare's not insurance. It's an extended warranty. Manufacturing defects and other factors leading to component failure matter, not abuse. The latter isn't a warranty matter.
 
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