Sure and if you play one hand of blackjack and win, you've beaten the house. Doesn't mean it was the right decision.
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AppleCare Worth It?
- Thread starter MurkyAssassin
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Sure and if you play one hand of blackjack and win, you've beaten the house. Doesn't mean it was the right decision.
For the guy who played the card and won, it -absolutely- was. It doesn't necessarily prove anything for the next game s/he plays, or for anyone else.
It's a double edged sword in reality, guaranteeing only Apple authorised component's are used, equally it also neatly adds to the revenue stream with Apple applying for the most part excessive cost. Similar to yourself many will reject an expensive repair in favour of new hardware Apple wins. This is and always will be the problem with monopolies...
Another aspect is as much as Apple pushes it ecological image, I rather believe that a lot of it's product ends up on the junk pile sooner rather than later as it's basically not cost effective to repair, an aspect of
Microsoft's Surface line that I also don't care for either.
As for Apple Care, I now believe one must factor in the cost like it or loath it as in the case of the 15" MBP it can be a significant investment for some, nor does the issues documented with the keyboard add confidence or Apple's track record with similar design related issues...
Apple used to have a tremendous edge with design, reliability, function & features, now the Mac is not so important to Apple, we can see the pace of development has slowed and the interest diminished, nor is the Mac now as "standout" as it was once...
Q-6
Yes. The point that MikeThicke is making is a good one, and it's probably almost impossible to successfully find a rule or principle to deal with extended warranties. Well, other than that if manufacturers and third parties didn't make money from selling them, they wouldn't sell them at all.
In fact, I used to buy AC for my iPhones and gave up after a couple of times where the warranty expired unused. The "plus" part of AC makes it a little more complicated economically because foreseeable physical damage is covered, with a co-pay. My perception (and experience) with watches and the cost of AC+ repairs vs uncovered repairs led me to buy AC+ on my recent watch purchase and I expect to have at least one display replacement in the two years I expect to own the watch, which will put me even or ahead on the AC+ purchase.
I have rarely bought extended warranties as generally, as a rule of thumb, they are indeed profit makers. With that said, I did buy AC for the Gen 1 Apple watch as it was an entirely new product line. I don't recall the price now, but it was worth the piece of mind.
I have just now purchased a refurb MacBook Pro 15" (mid 2015) and during the first week have been putting it through the paces to determine if there were any issues. So far, so good. This is the first Apple refurb I have bought, but from prior experience with refurbs from other companies, I do believe that Apple does tweak these units to the max. I didn't buy AC for my 2012 Mac Mini (bought 2014) as I felt it was a proven product (yeah, I know...stuff happens), and I have had no issues.
So, I'm kinda thinking that maybe the $379 for AC+ (Ouch) may not be worth spending an additional 20% over my purchase price (although I did get a 2.8 instead of the 2.2 I paid for)
I will probably wait until after the holidays to make a decision as that money will probably be spent for Xmas.
Since this is my first Apple laptop, anyone have any thoughts? (especially those that have the same unit.) I know I have within the warranty period to purchase, but sometimes, don't like to push my luck.
Thanks in advance.
I have just now purchased a refurb MacBook Pro 15" (mid 2015) and during the first week have been putting it through the paces to determine if there were any issues. So far, so good. This is the first Apple refurb I have bought, but from prior experience with refurbs from other companies, I do believe that Apple does tweak these units to the max. I didn't buy AC for my 2012 Mac Mini (bought 2014) as I felt it was a proven product (yeah, I know...stuff happens), and I have had no issues.
So, I'm kinda thinking that maybe the $379 for AC+ (Ouch) may not be worth spending an additional 20% over my purchase price (although I did get a 2.8 instead of the 2.2 I paid for)
I will probably wait until after the holidays to make a decision as that money will probably be spent for Xmas.
Since this is my first Apple laptop, anyone have any thoughts? (especially those that have the same unit.) I know I have within the warranty period to purchase, but sometimes, don't like to push my luck.
Thanks in advance.
Whether you need AppleCare depends on how lucky you think you are.
Below is my personal experience with devices I've bought from Apple over the years. . Those with * required servicing outside of the 1 year warranty.
- Refurbished iMac duo core
- Refurbished Mac Pro 2007*
- Mac Mini 2012
- Mac Pro 2013*
- iPad Air 1st Gen
- iPad Pro 2015*
- Refurbished MBP 2015* (personal accident)
Below is my personal experience with devices I've bought from Apple over the years. . Those with * required servicing outside of the 1 year warranty.
- Refurbished iMac duo core
- Refurbished Mac Pro 2007*
- Mac Mini 2012
- Mac Pro 2013*
- iPad Air 1st Gen
- iPad Pro 2015*
- Refurbished MBP 2015* (personal accident)
All I can tell you is that my 2012 Mini and 2015 rMBP both needed repairs that cost substantially more than the cost of AC (+ was not then available) after one year but before three years had elapsed. In general, I do not buy extended warranties either, but repairs are VERY expensive on MacBook Pro machines, and three years is a fairly long time for something to go wrong. It's a bet...
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Thanks for your input. I may buy AC through a third party as I don't really need accidental damage and I can get it for $100 less. I think at this point, my main concern would be battery swelling and replacement, i think, is $129, so for another $150, i'm pretty well covered.
Me personally? I wouldn’t get it. If it’s an accident then ok mea culpa, I’ll get a new machine or pay to have it repaired. If it’s a defect, keyboard or otherwise, then I have a reasonable expectation that Apple will repair it FOC anyway. That’s the law in Britain. If they don’t then voting with my wallet against Apple would be my recourse. But then for the few problems I’ve had, Apple have always done right by me so I suppose that will colour ones view.
My 2015 had both speakers and the trackpad fail about two years out. No way they were going to cover that at that point, at least not in the US, and the repairs would have been very expensive. I would prefer if AC were still just AC, not AC+ because I don't need what amounts to accidental damage insurance. My Mini had a failure almost three years out - one month left on AC. Voting with my wallet after I've been forced to pay out of pocket for expensive repairs simply isn't useful. If it came to that, I'd go back to Dell or Lenovo, which I have/have had for decades and, by the way, never a single failure - nada.
Considering my 1yr is just up now and AppleCare kicks in, yes, worth it for peace of mind 2016 nTB
Laptop repairs are prohibitively expensive
Laptop repairs are prohibitively expensive
Nobody ever asked that question before, so here's the definitive answer. Yes and no, it depends.
If consumer protection law is weak in your state/country, then yes because you want to know an expensive product is covered.
If Applecare is a viable proposition for Apple, and it must be or they wouldn't do it, then overall it must cost customers money, so no.
Third party-priced AC is. a
First, we don't know what Apple's experience with any given product line/model is. I think you're obviously right that it's INTENDED to make Apple money, and that only happens at customers' expense. So if the sample size is big enough, absolutely you're right, it costs customers money.
On the other hand, for any individual customer, the question is only whether YOUR device or machine needs service and YOU make or loose money on the AC bet. Back in early iPhone days I always bought AC. By the time I got to the iPhone 5 I realized I was getting hosed and stopped buying it and never have again - have never had any issues.
I did not buy it for my 2013 rMBP and had no issues, so money saved again.
I did buy it on my 2012 Mini. It had a serious issue 35 months into AC and that was fixed for free - so money ahead.
I also bought it for my earlier early 2015 rMBP. It lost both speakers and the trackpad, a very expensive repair, fixed for free - so money way ahead.
I bought an AW last month. I know that I bang into things, and given screen replacement costs and the cheap price of AC+ for the AW, I bought that without any hesitation and I know I'll be money ahead. In the past 18 months I have had serious repairs on two Rolex watches and an Omega, repairs that cost more than some people spend on a car, so AC+ on the AW is a total no-brainer, but I am probably an exceptional case there.
I'm typing this on a "new" early 2015 rMBP. If I don't return it I think I will buy AC+, which I wish were only AC since I'm very careful about drinks and drops and things like that with my computers.
You pays your money and you takes your chances?