So, I'm all ready to buy my new iMac (my first Apple since high school in the early 90s) and I'm wondering I should get AppleCare? Is it worth it?
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Applecare?
- Thread starter yarngrrl
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You can buy applecare at any time, so long as you activate it in the first year. I wouldn't buy it. If you have trouble with you mac in the first 10 months, get it and activate it. It still on lasts 3 years from the date or purchase though.
yarngrrl said:
How long do you plan on keeping the iMac? If your in for the long haul, I would invest in AppleCare for the iMac. I didn't sign up until the last day of my warranty with my iMac G4. Although I've had no major hardware problems, over the past three years I have gotten two new mice, two new keyboards, a new set of restore discs, and a new set of speakers. That to me was worth the $129 I paid for AppleCare (EDU).
AppleCare also covers accessories like Airport Extreme Base Station, Airport Express, etc. for two additional years.
Yes. No brainer at student rates.
And if you do decide to sell your iMac before the 3 years is up, you'll find that you can more easily find a buyer when you have a full warranty on the computer.
And if you do decide to sell your iMac before the 3 years is up, you'll find that you can more easily find a buyer when you have a full warranty on the computer.
I find that these things are a HUGE waste of money for most consumers. This is where Apple and others make virtual pure profit. But you know how it goes ... you buy it and never need to use it, you don't and find you should have. Most warranties are a waste of money, but given Apple's reputation and limited warranty, this may be the exception to the golden rule. It's unfortunate that you should have to even consider buying an extended warranty. I've never had a problem with my iBook and find it isn't worth it in my case. You might like the security and find it suits you well. For me it's a no-brainer, don't waste your money.
ldburroughs said:
It's an insurance... of course it's a "waste" of money for consumers as a whole. If Apple dealt out more money through AppleCare than they took in, do you think they'd do it? No. People buy insurance because in the event that something does go wrong, they don't need to worry about it. Companies will offer warranties no matter how good their product is; hell, they have more to gain when their products are better because the warranties are never exercised.
Oh... and what's a "virtual pure profit"?
To answer the original poster, I would recommend getting the AppleCare because it's just so cheap (but that depends a bit on which iMac you buy):
(all US prices)
Consumer iMacs (AppleCare price of $169):
$169/$1299 = 13.01%
$169/$1499 = 11.27%
$169/$1799 = 9.39%
Education iMacs (AppleCare price of $119):
$119/$1199 = 9.92%
$119/$1399 = 8.51%
$119/$1699 = 7.00%
Here are the rates at which you're being "taxed", if that's what you care to call it. Hopefully the numbers will help you make your decision.
What gripes me about Apple's 1 Year "Limited" Warranty is that if you have a hardware problem, when you call Apple Support you are given a 10 minute speech about how they can't troubleshoot your call unless you give them your credit card number, despite the fact that it is an actual hardware issue.
That is very bothersome, it makes you feel like a second class customer. I always interupt them and tell them that I know the policy and that the only reason I'm calling is because it's an actual hardware issue.
That is very bothersome, it makes you feel like a second class customer. I always interupt them and tell them that I know the policy and that the only reason I'm calling is because it's an actual hardware issue.
joshuawaire said:What gripes me about Apple's 1 Year "Limited" Warranty is that if you have a hardware problem, when you call Apple Support you are given a 10 minute speech about how they can't troubleshoot your call unless you give them your credit card number, despite the fact that it is an actual hardware issue.
That is very bothersome, it makes you feel like a second class customer. I always interupt them and tell them that I know the policy and that the only reason I'm calling is because it's an actual hardware issue.
i guess they just have to give the speech to everyone so that they understand. i bet if they didn't give the speech, everyone would be complaining
on a side note, the instant chat support that apple give for imac users (im not sure if it has been expanded for other macs yet) is rather good. especially if you have a quick issue.
asif786 said:i guess they just have to give the speech to everyone so that they understand. i bet if they didn't give the speech, everyone would be complaining
on a side note, the instant chat support that apple give for imac users (im not sure if it has been expanded for other macs yet) is rather good. especially if you have a quick issue.
Yeah I guess. About the chat support, can they troubleshoot hardware issues? Like if your keyboard is not working, they can dispatch you a new one? Or is it for software only?
joshuawaire said:
i'm not sure if they actually have the power to dispatch new items unfortunately. i logged on and told the guy about my fan noise on my imac, he made me do a few tests and told me it was the the inverter or something and gave me the number for applecare to request the specific part.
it's still handy for diagnosing whats wrong though.
asif786 said:
They don't, I just asked. I guess it's handy. Although, it seems rather odd that they can diagnose your problem, but can't actually help you order a replacement part.
Maybe that is something that will be introduced in the future. I know Dell and Gateway allow their web chat representatives to order parts and even facilitate returns.
I actually got someone named "James," who spoke English well. Previously, I chatted with someone who was "not as fluent in English."