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Applecare?

L

lexar

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 29, 2011
37
0
I bought an iMac 27 i5 a couple of months ago without Applecare.
I am now thinking about Applecare since they just sent me an email reminding me about it :)

I bought it with a credit card that has extended warranty so in theory I am covered for 2 years. Also I am pretty tech savvy so I would not call for normal tech support but since its an all in one the hardware is not easy to replace.


Just wondering everyone opinion?
 
 
seems to be a hot topic :)

on the other hand you can use that advice for any electronic device but most consumer groups advocate that extended warranties are a big ripoff.

If we look at the chance of failure between the 2nd and 3rd year for hardware I think its a very small percentage. (compared to 1st year issues)
Especially on an iMac since its not being moved around.

in my case I even have credit card warranty for the 2nd year.
So really its 3rd year warranty that I would be paying for.

My real question I suppose is how many people have had an iMac and experienced any problems on the 3rd year that an Applecare warranty would of helped? and how much would of been the cost of repair otherwise?
 
Last edited:
lexar said:
My real question I suppose is how many people have had an iMac and experienced any problems on the 3rd year that an Applecare warranty would of helped? and how would of been the cost of repair otherwise?
Click to expand...
Again, a simple forum search will turn up hundreds of threads on this topic, including answers to your questions, as they have been asked many times before.
 
I'd recommend purchasing AppleCare simply for the peace of mind that it offers. If something goes wrong with your iMac, you're covered... no need to track down specific parts or messing around with do-it-yourself repairs.
 
lexar said:
seems to be a hot topic :)
My real question I suppose is how many people have had an iMac and experienced any problems on the 3rd year that an Applecare warranty would of helped? and how much would of been the cost of repair otherwise?
Click to expand...

My wife has a 21.5" iMac from 2009. Recently, she noticed that the upper-left portion of her screen has some "streaks" in it that are lighter than the rest. I'm not really sure how to describe it; it kind of looks like an Octopus, with the tentacles being "lighter" than the rest of the screen. You can't really notice it if the screen is displaying something dark, but with whites it's really obvious. Apparently it has something to do with heat dissipation from one of the internal components "wearing down" that part of the screen. Not surprising when you consider that the guts of the computer are nestled right next to the back of the LCD.

Sorry if that didn't make sense. The point is that Apple replaced her screen for free and now everything is perfect. AppleCare is worth it 100% of the time, for every Apple product you buy, no matter what.
 
I purchased Applecare for both of my Macs. It was worth the price knowing my computers were covered for 3 years.
 
it doesn't sound like you need it. In general, if Apple Care is less than 5% of the capital expenditure, then it's probably worth taking it. Also, another consideration is the proximity to an Apple store where you can access the genius bar for free. In my experience, Apple store geniuses are more technically savvy. But it's no use if you are 3 hours away from an Apple store. In my experience (and I live 5 minutes from a store). Apple care works well particularly with new software upgrades and any glitches it kick starts. For example Lion 'mauled' (or was it a structural weakness with my hard drive already that the new OS simply exposed? I make no aspersions but the fact is that I needed an overhaul of the hard drive etc) my nearly 3 year old MBP. I sure was glad I had Apple care then.
 
Personally I wouldn't bother. In my experience things go wrong in the first year of ownership, or not at all. Mind you, as long as you have decent home insurance, if there is a problem with your mac just throw it out of an upper floor window and then ring the insurance company and tell them you slipped whilst carrying your machine up or down stairs.
 
lexar said:
I bought it with a credit card that has extended warranty so in theory I am covered for 2 years.
Click to expand...

I speak of this because it happened to my sister: read your card's fine print. You'd be suprised what items are not covered by these extended warranties. Computers are very often among these.

If your card does cover computers, cheers to you, but don't assume it does - read the fine print.
 
doktordoris said:
Mind you, as long as you have decent home insurance, if there is a problem with your mac just throw it out of an upper floor window and then ring the insurance company and tell them you slipped whilst carrying your machine up or down stairs.
Click to expand...

NO!!!!
1. It is fraud. Don't tell people to commit fraud
2. It is a reason why insurance is more expensive then necessary. You get out well, but other people pay for it.

----------

To the OP:
My 2009 iMac had a broken Magic Mouse after 1 year. And recently (after 2 years) my ethernet-port broke. Both where repaired under Applecare and they even picked up and shipped my iMac to my home. So for me it was a good move to buy Applecare. Plus as another poster mentioned, you get some peace of mind also.

But of course everyone has to decide for himself.
 
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