You can call Apple direct, or purchase from B&H:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1088827-REG/apple_s3141ll_a_3_year_applecare_for_macbook.html
M
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AppleCare Worth It?
- Thread starter MurkyAssassin
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You can call Apple direct, or purchase from B&H:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1088827-REG/apple_s3141ll_a_3_year_applecare_for_macbook.html
M
I have always felt it is worth it, however, I did not purchase it this go around because my credit card offers 24 months of warranty once the manufacturer's warranty -- in this case, 1 year with Apple -- runs out. So, I am essentially getting three years, which is the same as Apple Care. All I need to do is take it in to Apple for any repairs and the CC will cover the amount.
Would never buy a Mac with dedicated GPU without Apple Care, especially 15" MBPs are prone to failures associated with the GPU.
The iGPU models on the other hand worked flawlessly for me and many others and as I'm inside of the EU Apple Care would only add 1 year of warranty on top of the mandatory 2 years...
The iGPU models on the other hand worked flawlessly for me and many others and as I'm inside of the EU Apple Care would only add 1 year of warranty on top of the mandatory 2 years...
I highly recommend it especially if you can take it in for a full checkup every quarter to make sure everything is running fine. I bought it on all my Apple devices and always used it and benefited from the support for the money.
The problem with the EU mandatroy warranty is Apple will try to weasel out of it. If I'm spending a couple of grand on a laptop I'll pay the AppleCare premium for the peace of mind. I never get for phones/tablets however.
And statistically most AppleCare purchases will go unused, or at least use less than the price of the AppleCare. If that were not true, Apple would keep increasing the price of AppleCare until it was true.
If you're worried about being the exception, buy the AppleCare.
My experience with AppleCare has been mixed. A number of times I have to go to a second Apple Store location to have a MacBook Air and Apple Watch repaired. One example my daughter had a MacBook Air under contract with AppleCare and when in to have a MagSafe power adapter replaced due to a frayed cord. The Genius Bar guy looked up the history of the device and noticed it had been replaced earlier (two years ago). As a result they refused to replace the unit but offered my daughter a discout on a purchase.
Bottom line is the warranty is worth it but you may have to jump through hoops to get the item repaired.
Bottom line is the warranty is worth it but you may have to jump through hoops to get the item repaired.
I'm was on the fence too about getting AppleCare for my 15" but I seem to have bad luck with Apple devices. My 2012 13" Air had a faulty SSD 6 months after my warranty expired and I had to fight for Apple to admit it was a manufacturing fault and cover my expenses which they eventually did. My iPhone 5 had faulty power button and my iPhone 6 Plus had a faulty lens. Given this trend, I'm just gonna give Apple the £164.40 for the peace of mind especially with a "new" product like the Macbook Pro.
This is my experience with AppleCare;
In 2008 when the unibodies came out, i bought the maxed out early 2008 15" MBP with the "hi-res" matte screen. I added AppleCare as well. Glad i did.
The computer had the video card replaced twice. A week after the Quad Core early 2011s came out, my computer started to act up. Apple gave me a brand new MBP (I think it was the 2.2GHZ machine). They even swapped out the screen for me, as the one they gave me had a glossy screen, for a hi-rez one.
Right after i got the new machine, i sold it. Apple even refunded me remaining unused AppleCare!
I then bought a mid 2011 iMac, but decided not to get AppleCare. It never had any issues. Sold that in July, and got a few month old MBP that has AppleCare until 2019.
So i would say with laptops, it is more likely something will go wrong (it is portable, after all) - but again it is a roll of the dice.
I am adding my laptop to a "scheduled" item on my renters insurance. They will cover the cost of what you paid for the machine for a very nominal fee.
In 2008 when the unibodies came out, i bought the maxed out early 2008 15" MBP with the "hi-res" matte screen. I added AppleCare as well. Glad i did.
The computer had the video card replaced twice. A week after the Quad Core early 2011s came out, my computer started to act up. Apple gave me a brand new MBP (I think it was the 2.2GHZ machine). They even swapped out the screen for me, as the one they gave me had a glossy screen, for a hi-rez one.
Right after i got the new machine, i sold it. Apple even refunded me remaining unused AppleCare!
I then bought a mid 2011 iMac, but decided not to get AppleCare. It never had any issues. Sold that in July, and got a few month old MBP that has AppleCare until 2019.
So i would say with laptops, it is more likely something will go wrong (it is portable, after all) - but again it is a roll of the dice.
I am adding my laptop to a "scheduled" item on my renters insurance. They will cover the cost of what you paid for the machine for a very nominal fee.
Like every extended warranty (aka insurance) overall it's a better buy for the seller than a buyer. They only offer it because they make a profit.
Apple however has a very good reputation with their customer service with it and makes the experience for most people a very positive one. Many companies are very adversarial about it and make it difficult to use.
Apple is the only company I every buy an extended warranty from.
They can be so profitable that there was a time a few years back the profit from extended warranties at Best Buy accounted for over 100% of the companies profit.
Apple however has a very good reputation with their customer service with it and makes the experience for most people a very positive one. Many companies are very adversarial about it and make it difficult to use.
Apple is the only company I every buy an extended warranty from.
They can be so profitable that there was a time a few years back the profit from extended warranties at Best Buy accounted for over 100% of the companies profit.
All of my credit cards offer double warranty coverage, so I'm covered for 2 years without AppleCare. It's not worth the significant added cost for just one more year of coverage. I've owned 4 MBPs since 2007, and not once have I had to pay out of pocket for repairs. For systemic problems (dGPU issues, for example), Apple has been good about offering extended warranty coverage to resolve those problems.
Many credit cards: 2 year coverage.
Full-priced AppleCare: 1 additional year of coverage.
Not worth it to me, but *shrug*.
Many credit cards: 2 year coverage.
Full-priced AppleCare: 1 additional year of coverage.
Not worth it to me, but *shrug*.
my experience is you get applecare whether you pay for it or not
they're so good about fixing things over there at apple tbh
they're so good about fixing things over there at apple tbh
In the last 8 years or so I've probably saved about $1000 with apple care. I've had main boards replaced for free at least three times that i can remember, replacement super drive, replacement batteries, replacement trackpads, etc. In the old days i got a couple of iphone swaps for free because I had apple care on my computer and they used to consider the iphone a mac accessory. But where I really made out was numerous free swaps for 87 watt MagSafe chargers. I must have gotten a dozen free replacements just because I've always had at least one computer under apple care at all times.
Note that I've also had problems with dGPUs, but each time Apple created a replacement program because they were known issues.
Note that I've also had problems with dGPUs, but each time Apple created a replacement program because they were known issues.
Not that I'm for it, but apple care adds two additional years either way for Amex.
1 + 1 (credit card) = 2
1 + 2 (apple care alone) = 3
1 + 2 (apple care) + 1 (credit card) = 4
Ideally, you never want to use it. Statistically, you will never need it. However, when things go south, you will be glad you have it. Repairs on non-user serviceable parts on an out of warranty MacBook Pro could convince you to just buy a new computer.
Also AppleCare covers Apple accessories you may have bought with your computer including Airports, keyboards, mice, etc...
Also AppleCare covers Apple accessories you may have bought with your computer including Airports, keyboards, mice, etc...
Yes apple care is worth it. I got lucky with my 2011 MacBook Pro when it stopped starting up a couple weeks ago. It was no longer under apple care, but the graphics card issue it was having was a known problem with that model so they fixed it at no cost. If it hadn't been a known quality issue it would have cost me around $500 to fix and I think after December of this year they will no longer be covering this particular problem. I just bought a new 2015 retina MacBook Pro since my other one is slow even though I had it fixed, and I put apple care on my new one.
My 2011 MacBook Pro lasted 5 years without ever having a problem, but like I said, I got lucky. You never know what could happen, and without apple care the out of pocket cost for repair can really add up. Of course you could get it fixed by someone other than apple for less money, but I would rather not take the risk of third party repairs.
My 2011 MacBook Pro lasted 5 years without ever having a problem, but like I said, I got lucky. You never know what could happen, and without apple care the out of pocket cost for repair can really add up. Of course you could get it fixed by someone other than apple for less money, but I would rather not take the risk of third party repairs.
I live in Spain and as other fellow EU residents, I'm entitled to a 2 year legal warranty. As I await my order for a space grey rMBP tb 15" 2.6" 512MB SSD and Radeon 460, I ask myself ... is Applecare worth it for Europeans?
This is going to be my first MBP. I know first iterations of a major redesign may be prone to 'issues' (as some threads may be starting to show for the new 2016 MBPs), but, even if the burden of proof falls upon the customer for the 2nd year of the legal warranty, any design issues should still be covered/repaired by Apple.
So, unless a may be missing something, I'd be basically paying for Applecare as a one-year insurance (the 3rd year of Applecare). I'm not sure there are statistical evidences of failure rate from year 2 to year 3 on other MBP generations compared to other years in the life of a MBP; so even if I pay for Applecare, I could end up having that hidden issue show up from year 4 onwards (I intend to keep the MBP for 5 years at least), which would screw me big time after having paid for Applecare.
I'd like to know what other EU MBP owners think of Applecare before making up my mind, as I have plenty of time to sign for it.
This is going to be my first MBP. I know first iterations of a major redesign may be prone to 'issues' (as some threads may be starting to show for the new 2016 MBPs), but, even if the burden of proof falls upon the customer for the 2nd year of the legal warranty, any design issues should still be covered/repaired by Apple.
So, unless a may be missing something, I'd be basically paying for Applecare as a one-year insurance (the 3rd year of Applecare). I'm not sure there are statistical evidences of failure rate from year 2 to year 3 on other MBP generations compared to other years in the life of a MBP; so even if I pay for Applecare, I could end up having that hidden issue show up from year 4 onwards (I intend to keep the MBP for 5 years at least), which would screw me big time after having paid for Applecare.
I'd like to know what other EU MBP owners think of Applecare before making up my mind, as I have plenty of time to sign for it.
Ok...I need to verify that I understand this:
I plan to buy an MBA with my gold AMEX.
If I don't buy AppleCare, AMEX will cover all problems (not of my own making) for 2 years AFTER Apple's 1 year warranty that comes with the MBA? I'll therefore have a total of 3 years coverage?
If I DO buy AppleCare, Amex will cover all problems (again not of my own making) for 2 years AFTER AppleCare expires for a total of 5 years coverage?