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AppleCare+ yay or nay On 40mm?

thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 1, 2007
16,346
17,467
$149 after $79 for apple care and $69 for a replacement watch vs $299 for 40mm out of pocket sport model

Seems steep but... i just dropped my watch on tile trying to put it in the cupboard before taking a shower, (RIDICULOUS!) and it just scuffed the body like a mm away from the glass (and even scratched the border of the body literally right before the glass around the corner),

i feel so lucky i thought this thing fell face first on the tile and it certainly sounded nasty Like it was toast

I effectively feel like I’m on borrowed time but I plan on not upgrading series 4 for a while at the same time, and I dropped my series 1 once too and lucked out but otherwise have never had an incident

What would you do?
 
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I might get AppleCare on my 44mm S4 stainless or the wife’s S4 40mm Hermes, but not an aluminum model. The aluminum models are inexpensive enough that it’s easier to just get a new one if it gets heavily damaged.
 
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tgara said:
I might get AppleCare on my 44mm S4 stainless or the wife’s S4 40mm Hermes, but not an aluminum model. The aluminum models are inexpensive enough that it’s easier to just get a new one if it gets heavily damaged.
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That’s true / a good point. And sales periodically once it’s no longer a new product and will be lapped by a series 5 so gets even cheaper
 
thadoggfather said:
That’s true / a good point. And sales periodically once it’s no longer a new product and will be lapped by a series 5 so gets even cheaper
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Yup, that’s why I got a new Aluminum S3 shortly after the S4 models were announced. And don’t forget the refurbs. Those are often very nice and just like new.
 
The AppleWatch is the one product I would spend the money for AppleCare. It’s when you meets expect it is when you actually wish you had it, for the AppleWatch.
 
Relentless Power said:
The AppleWatch is the one product I would spend the money for AppleCare. It’s when you meets expect it is when you actually wish you had it, for the AppleWatch.
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Even factoring in that if it were to be damaged in like lets say a year (unlike my close incident that happened last night, after only 6 weeks — maybe an outlier) I could potentially scoop a refurb/used/sale series 4 for cheap(er)?

I haven’t ruled it out, and this part of it makes a lot of sense.. the watch is always exposed, every time you take it off, could go flying out of your hands like it did with me, etc.
 
Apple Care+ for the aluminum is a given, stainless is your choice, how hard are you on a watch? Are you a diesel mechanic, or an lawyer? What environment will it be subjected to, but for the Aluminum, AC+ is mandatory in my mind.
 
Since my iPhone and Apple Watch come with me everywhere, those are the only two Apple products that I spring for AC+. My iPad, MacBook and Apple TV 4 primarily stay at home, so I don't get AC+ with those products.
 
The Apple Watch is the first device I have ever bought AppleCare + for. I feel pretty miffed that Apple has jacked the price of AppleCare + for the watch by more than 50%! I wonder if that is because people file more Apple Watch claims than they do for other devices? I'd rather they charge a higher deductible at the time of repair and keep the cost of insuring the device lower, but I will probably still pay it for the S4.

I guess it comes down to how risk averse you are, and what your threshold is for unexpected repair/replace costs. If you can easily afford to repair or replace the Apple Watch without AppleCare +, then odds are you will save $79 by not purchasing AppleCare +. If things go bad for your watch, you will be out more money in the long run, but if things go fine you save money. If it's easier for you to afford AppleCare + (either up front with the watch or in monthly payments), and it would be easier to afford $69 for unexpected AW repair or replacement than it would be to pay the full repair or replace price, AppleCare + is probably worth it for the peace of mind.
 
sean000 said:
The Apple Watch is the first device I have ever bought AppleCare + for. I feel pretty miffed that Apple has jacked the price of AppleCare + for the watch by more than 50%! I wonder if that is because people file more Apple Watch claims than they do for other devices? I'd rather they charge a higher deductible at the time of repair and keep the cost of insuring the device lower, but I will probably still pay it for the S4.

I guess it comes down to how risk averse you are, and what your threshold is for unexpected repair/replace costs. If you can easily afford to repair or replace the Apple Watch without AppleCare +, then odds are you will save $79 by not purchasing AppleCare +. If things go bad for your watch, you will be out more money in the long run, but if things go fine you save money. If it's easier for you to afford AppleCare + (either up front with the watch or in monthly payments), and it would be easier to afford $69 for unexpected AW repair or replacement than it would be to pay the full repair or replace price, AppleCare + is probably worth it for the peace of mind.
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Which model s4 do ya have?

I don’t think it’s related to incident count so much as greed and apple price hike on everything including service fees and such
 
oeagleo said:
Apple Care+ for the aluminum is a given, stainless is your choice, how hard are you on a watch? Are you a diesel mechanic, or an lawyer? What environment will it be subjected to, but for the Aluminum, AC+ is mandatory in my mind.
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Technically, I would exclude what type of environment or work field someone is in, it’s the fact that when you least expect to damage the watch, that’s when Applecare is the most convenient.

And how many threads have been created where someone comes forward and damaged their watch, only to realize that the repair cost was beyond what they want to voluntarily spend, resulting wish they had purchased AppleCare in the first place.
 
“Well done. You’re covered”

Indeed I am. $79 out the door, no tax on warranty service in my state...

Fear uncertainty and doubt prevailed this time

Cant be without my watch if it goes down, nor shell out $300 for another

I can always get a prorated refund if i upgrade and sell my series 4 right? (If memory serves right, tho i have never once gotten AppleCare on an iPad or iPhone, only laptops as a *MUST*— saved me with my 2016 nTB)

I will take nearly wrecking my series 4, six weeks later, as an omen to fork over now and worst case scenario ‘lose’ the money not taking advantage of it

Could also sell the watch with AC+ attached and sell it quicker/for more, etc if i do sell and upgrade instead of trade up
 
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thadoggfather said:
“Well done. You’re covered”

Indeed I am. $79 out the door, no tax on warranty service in my state...

Fear uncertainty and doubt prevailed this time

Cant be without my watch if it goes down, nor shell out $300 for another

I can always get a prorated refund if i upgrade and sell my series 4 right? (If memory serves right, tho i have never once gotten AppleCare on an iPad or iPhone, only laptops as a *MUST*— saved me with my 2016 nTB)

I will take nearly wrecking my series 4, six weeks later, as an omen to fork over now and worst case scenario ‘lose’ the money not taking advantage of it

Could also sell the watch with AC+ attached and sell it quicker/for more, etc if i do sell and upgrade instead of trade up
Click to expand...

Here's how I see it, it works out to slightly over $0.10 a day for AppleCare+ over 2yrs. The peace of mind is worth it, least to me it is.
 
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thadoggfather said:
Which model s4 do ya have?

I don’t think it’s related to incident count so much as greed and apple price hike on everything including service fees and such
Click to expand...

Don't have it yet, but will be getting a 40mm aluminum GPS only model. Where I live sales tax is 8.7%, so the cost of a 40mm aluminum GPS Apple Watch with AppleCare+ is $512. Without AppleCare+ it's $434.

Yeah...I am surprised Apple would increase the cost of AppleCare+ so much in one year. You'd think they would at least ease it up by 10 or 15% a year. I never did purchase it for my iPhone X. I just couldn't bring myself to spend another $199, and now they want $250 for the XS!
 
I have a very firm rule with my AW and never take it off or put it on unless over the bed or dresser.

You were lucky sir.

I have never bought AC+ for any of my Apple devices until I bought the AW series 1. I was thinking anything on my wrist is going to take some wear for sure. I banged it into everything and the SBSS did not show even a scratch. So, I no longer buy AC+, even for my watch.
 
$79 was a small piece of mind and worth it to me. I wear mine unless it's on the charger or I'm in the shower. I haven't had an issue but maybe one day I will. The whole 5.1 debacle comes to mind. While the watch would still be covered under warranty, it allowed those with bricked watches to get expedited replacements.
 
Get it, learn from my dads experience £336 to fix
 

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Necessity for Apple Watches and iPhones

If you travel a lot with your iPad, then that as well.

Other items, nope.
 
Newtons Apple said:
You were lucky sir.

I have never bought AC+ for any of my Apple devices until I bought the AW series 1. I was thinking anything on my wrist is going to take some wear for sure. I banged it into everything and the SBSS did not show even a scratch. So, I no longer buy AC+, even for my watch.
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OUTRAGEOUSLY lucky. A 4’ drop on tile and what looked like face down
 

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