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Applecare(Yes or No)
- Thread starter jw3571
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No. I'm getting a new MBA as soon as the new models come out, and those $244 plus whatever I get for my current model on MBA are going towards my new MBA fund... 
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macrumors 65816
I would say AppleCare is the one thing you should never skimp on when buying a Mac of any kind or and iPad. iPhone buyers should check the insurance available from their service provider. Unless you're the kind of person who upgrades every year, a MacBook Air should last quite some time - probably a great deal longer than the three years offered by Applecare. However, if it does break, repairs will be expensive (or impossible).
No. I'm getting a new MBA as soon as the new models come out, and those $244 plus whatever I get for my current model on MBA are going towards my new MBA fund...
I know the feeling. Between me and my wife's machine I have a MBP which will be at one year in February, and a MBA at one year in September. That's $500 between them, and if I get Applecare on both it still doesn't cover accidental damage. I'm contemplating just putting that money toward a base 13" MBA as a third machine. That would be my Applecare. Three is two, two is one, one is none.
I have even considered just buying the newest 13" MBA every year and keeping the last three refreshes and sell any older ones to apply to the next purchase. I figure that the coming IVB MBA is going to be as powerful as the SB 15" MBP. But that's a little off topic...
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.
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Is AppleCare worth it??
Applecare for MBP is $349. Is it really worth it?
I never buy an "extended warranty" no matter who is offering it.
Every product has a pretty specific failure rate. Warranties will not cover you beyond what the company has measured is a typical lifetime. Google "bathtub curve failure rate".
Yes, there are outliers... and those are the "stories" you hear. My "such and such" busted and I got a brand new one. But far more common is someone not using the extended warranty at all. They aren't going to come here to brag about it.
I admit, "peace of mind" is absolutely worth something. But you should just tell yourself to stop worrying and put your money in your pocket. Save up all the money you'd put into extended warranties and use them if something breaks (don't worry, it probably won't).
Every product has a pretty specific failure rate. Warranties will not cover you beyond what the company has measured is a typical lifetime. Google "bathtub curve failure rate".
Yes, there are outliers... and those are the "stories" you hear. My "such and such" busted and I got a brand new one. But far more common is someone not using the extended warranty at all. They aren't going to come here to brag about it.
I admit, "peace of mind" is absolutely worth something. But you should just tell yourself to stop worrying and put your money in your pocket. Save up all the money you'd put into extended warranties and use them if something breaks (don't worry, it probably won't).
I think its much more likely that any non-accidental problems will occur well after the extended warranty runs out so it wouldn't have done any good anyways.
I had a problem with my internal sata cable in my imac nearly four years after purchase when applecare wouldn't have made a difference. My problem was luckily low cost, though time consuming to figure out and I admit that I have more technical knowledge than most.
Most people are going to have accidental damage that isn't even covered and probably the most expensive thing that would be covered is a logic board, but a quick look at ebay (for my imac's model) shows that it would cost between 2 to 3 times the cost of applecare. I'd rather have that money in my bank account than in apple's on the off chance I'm going to need it.
However, in the case of the iphone's applecare+ that covers damage, I think its more worth the investment especially if you're klutzy like me (my 3gs met a puddle the other day and is luckily mostly ok, minus the volume control button)
I had a problem with my internal sata cable in my imac nearly four years after purchase when applecare wouldn't have made a difference. My problem was luckily low cost, though time consuming to figure out and I admit that I have more technical knowledge than most.
Most people are going to have accidental damage that isn't even covered and probably the most expensive thing that would be covered is a logic board, but a quick look at ebay (for my imac's model) shows that it would cost between 2 to 3 times the cost of applecare. I'd rather have that money in my bank account than in apple's on the off chance I'm going to need it.
However, in the case of the iphone's applecare+ that covers damage, I think its more worth the investment especially if you're klutzy like me (my 3gs met a puddle the other day and is luckily mostly ok, minus the volume control button)
Do you have $250 to spend? If no, then you dont really have a choice, but considering your asking the Q, we can assume that its within your capabilities.
If you ask me, its worth it. If something does go wrong, then you would have to shell out a LOT of money to get Apple to repair it. Considerign the MBA is a very portable laptop, chances are its going to be taken on your daily commute and will be bashed around; this increases the chances of damages occurring.
However, if you intend to buy the 2012 MBA and sell your current, then there isnt much point. Buy Applecare if you intend to keep your laptop for a long time.
If you ask me, its worth it. If something does go wrong, then you would have to shell out a LOT of money to get Apple to repair it. Considerign the MBA is a very portable laptop, chances are its going to be taken on your daily commute and will be bashed around; this increases the chances of damages occurring.
However, if you intend to buy the 2012 MBA and sell your current, then there isnt much point. Buy Applecare if you intend to keep your laptop for a long time.
I've always wondered. Do you create all your links manually or some kind of algorithm does it for you?
I've had two MacBook Air's fail in the last year. The first was a 2010 model and it lasted 2 weeks and Apple replaced it at the Apple Store.
The second is a Mid 2011 Air which failed 3 months from new. Apple replaced the logic and I/O boards under warranty. I'd dread to think how much that would have cost if it wasn't under warranty!
If I don't sell this one before the end of the one year warranty, I'll definitely get Applecare. If it goes wrong, it's gonna cost ya!
The second is a Mid 2011 Air which failed 3 months from new. Apple replaced the logic and I/O boards under warranty. I'd dread to think how much that would have cost if it wasn't under warranty!
If I don't sell this one before the end of the one year warranty, I'll definitely get Applecare. If it goes wrong, it's gonna cost ya!
I _always_ buy AppleCare with a new MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro.
Never for phones or anything else.
Why? It's handy to have 3 years of telephone support, three years on the computer, and it makes it more valuable if you sell it.
The few times I've had to use it I've been very glad I had it. Apple does a great job and in my mind it's very well worth it.
this answer is pretty much going to depend entirely on personal experiences of the person answering it. Someone who actually got use out of applecare when their computer went belly-up from year 1 to 3 is obviously going to say that it was a great investment and they would likely say that they would buy it again. But someone who either bought it and never got to use it since their computer happened to run just fine or they didn't buy it and it also ran fine without issues, will likely tell you that it's not worth your money. And this is all dependent on whether or not your computer is going to have issues down the road, which is impossible for you to know. It can just crap out on you randomly and there's just no explanation sometimes, and so people buy extended warranties to insure themselves of such freak accidents.
That being said, I bought applecare for my black macbook and I never used it ONCE. However, I still got it for my mba this time around because like someone's said already, I'd like that peace of mind knowing that as long as I'm careful with my computer, I can at least guarantee that it'll last 3 years.
That being said, I bought applecare for my black macbook and I never used it ONCE. However, I still got it for my mba this time around because like someone's said already, I'd like that peace of mind knowing that as long as I'm careful with my computer, I can at least guarantee that it'll last 3 years.
Thanks, GGJstudios for going to the trouble of setting out all of the threads on this topic that you could find.
Those of us who have already posted on this matter will hardly change our minds at this stage, no matter what arguments are put in front of us, but still, it is a valid question to ask, given that both the Apple Mac and Applecare are quite expensive, and resolving it for oneself can pose a kind of dilemma for some people.
My position is similar to that of the post submitted by vitzr. I don't buy applecare for products such as phones or ipods, but I do purchase it for Apple computers.
One of the reasons I switched to Apple in the first place was because two of my iPods (the old 30GB classic) had died while still under warranty and were promptly replaced by Apple without attempting to seek refuge in any sort of contractual small-print or corporate gobbledegook. This impressed me.
Given that Apple honour their warranties, and given that Macs are pretty expensive, I subscribe to the "peace of mind" argument. Applecare means that the warranty extends to three years, rather than one.
As it happened, the battery on my MBP died last year, and was replaced without charge because I had Applecare on it. As it also happened, I had colleagues in one of the places where I taught whose (granted, not Apple) machines died after 13 months, leaving them out of pocket and without either warranty of laptop.
Cheers and good luck with whatever you decide to do
That's far from being all the threads I could find. It's merely a small sample, sufficient to give the OP plenty of feedback on the question, as well as illustrate that this topic has been discussed ad nauseam in the forums. There are dozens or perhaps hundreds of threads on this.
I'm wondering if there are Air users similar to me, who only use the Air sparingly or once in a while. This is not my everyday computer. Given minimal usage, are Airs less likely to "malfunction" or have their motherboards, harddrives, screens, go bad?
In other words, the things that typically go bad with Airs, are they from usage?
In other words, the things that typically go bad with Airs, are they from usage?
I bought it for two of my last macs and never used it. The last of these, my wife's aluminum MB, has an optical drive that occasionally decides not to work and the battery has 1160 cycles so it prolly won't last too much longer, BUT...my applecare ends in 3 days.
I haven't purchased it for my current Air, but I may in the next 8 months. As of right now, I won't be buying it. I think I'll use this current 13" until it dies on me or becomes too expensive to fix. Plus, if it completely dies on me in 2 yrs it's the perfect excuse to upgrade to the latest Air.
I haven't purchased it for my current Air, but I may in the next 8 months. As of right now, I won't be buying it. I think I'll use this current 13" until it dies on me or becomes too expensive to fix. Plus, if it completely dies on me in 2 yrs it's the perfect excuse to upgrade to the latest Air
.
I typically buy an extended warranty with accident coverage for anything that is mobile.
Bought Applecare+ for my iPhone 4S and square trade for my previous iphones.
With regard to the MBA, I feel like the cost to repair will be substantial so I will buy Applecare in this case. I think its just a necessary evil for this type of device.
Bought Applecare+ for my iPhone 4S and square trade for my previous iphones.
With regard to the MBA, I feel like the cost to repair will be substantial so I will buy Applecare in this case. I think its just a necessary evil for this type of device.
If the product lasts for a whole year without revealing any faults, what are the chances you will need the AppleCare policy within the subsequent 2 years?
Here is another thing - AppleCare only covers production faults, doesn't it? Meaning if somebody spills a huge glass of green tea (or decaf latte) over your device, it won't be covered anyway. Wouldn't it be better with insurance then?
Here is another thing - AppleCare only covers production faults, doesn't it? Meaning if somebody spills a huge glass of green tea (or decaf latte) over your device, it won't be covered anyway. Wouldn't it be better with insurance then?
You can get it for $180 at LA Computer Company. http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type=sku&sku=10125
Or, $183 in the Apple Education Store. http://store.apple.com/us-k12/product/APPLECAREMBA-102582
More likely. If it was unlikely, Apple would give you a 3 year warranty by default.