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do you always get appleCare along with your mac?

Tru Slu

slu said:
I think this story supports the "Don't Buy AppleCare" argument. If your Quad arrived with the problem you described, then it would get fixed for free whether you had AppleCare or not.

If AppleCare makes you more comfortable, then buy it. But the fact still remains that the vast majority of electronics fail within the first year (most likely 90 days) and you will be covered anyway.

Source: Are Extended Warranties Worth It? So maybe it is wise to get it for notebooks, but to each his own.
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Tru Slu. In fact I haven't had a single problem since then so much that I FORGOT to buy AppleCare for my G5 Quad until it was too late a few days past a year since I ORDERED it last February '06. So assuming you are correct, it would have been a waste of money. Thanks. My G5 Quad is killer reliable and virtually dead silent. In fact the only noise that comes out of it is from the ATI Radeon X1900 for G5 video card's fan I recently added to it. And even that is very subtle.
 
Never bothered myself. I've had a couple of iBooks, a PowerBook G4 and now my MacBook without a hitch. Either it breaks in the first year and I get it replaced or I'll upgrade in 18 months. I'm a chancer for those 6 months in between :D

If I was thinking of keeping it for 3-4 years, I'd probably pay up for peace of mind. Only at the end of the first year though ;)
 
xfiftyfour said:
I think another factor to consider (obviously) is whether or not you're comfortable with fixing computers. Of course a well trained technician is going to feel less inclined to buy an extended warranty than a grandma buying her first laptop.

While laptop parts can be trickier and more expensive to replace, if you're comfortable with buying and replacing them yourself, then yeah, it might be more economical to just save the cash and pony up IF something goes wrong. But if not, then Applecare is a great service, and will pay for itself if your computer breaks, or is worth it for the peace of mind (and the resale value!).
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Yes, of course, you're right- which is why I always tell friends to go take a class to learn about handling the inside of their computers. Most problems can be easily fixed if one takes the time to learn. That's even better peace of mind. ;)
 
Yes and it's paid off for me on my iPod, but just unused insurance for my Powerbook. I just don't want to worry about whether I'm getting my machine fixed or not.
 
The Apple technicians I was dealing with over my dodgy iMac G5 recommended I get AppleCare as it was coming up to its 1 year, and wasn't really getting fixed.

In the end, after 1.5 years Apple has decided to replace it, so yes AppleCare was worth it in the end.

I don't think I'd always buy an extended warranty wait and see how it goes over the first year.
 
leekohler said:
Yes, of course, you're right- which is why I always tell friends to go take a class to learn about handling the inside of their computers. Most problems can be easily fixed if one takes the time to learn. That's even better peace of mind. ;)
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I'd like to see you solder in a new cpu if one died in a notebook. Or better yet, fix a dead logic board.

It isn't happened. A new 2.0 C2D would run you $300, theres your AppleCare. Who is going to fix it for you? You would have to replace the whole logic board and the cost just doubled.

I agree somethings can be fixed. But the cost of these things is much great than Applecare.

for laptops I get it, even though I am great with hardware and soldering, etc. For desktops, I don't bother, but even so, the cost of a logic board or new 2.66 Xeon for the Mac Pro (heck think 3.0) is much greater than the Applecare for that Mac.
 
suneohair said:
I'd like to see you solder in a new cpu if one died in a notebook. Or better yet, fix a dead logic board.

It isn't happened. A new 2.0 C2D would run you $300, theres your AppleCare. Who is going to fix it for you? You would have to replace the whole logic board and the cost just doubled.

I agree somethings can be fixed. But the cost of these things is much great than Applecare.
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Precisely why I never buy rev A or even B laptops. Usually any major kinks are worked out by then. I have a rev C iBook G4, never had one problem. And Apple care would be about out by now.

BTW- I collect and repair antique clocks. I'm no pro, but I bet I could figure out a how to replace a logic board if I had to, but hey- who knows? ;) The way I see it, I've gotten my use out of my iBook, it's almost three years old. If it broke now, I'd just get a MB. I doubt I'd bother with even trying to fix it.
 
leekohler said:
Precisely why I never buy rev A or even B laptops. Usually any major kinks are worked out by then. I have a rev C iBook G4, never had one problem. And Apple care would be about out by now.

BTW- I collect and repair antique clocks. I'm no pro, but I bet I could figure out a how to replace a logic board if I had to. ;) But the way I see it, I've gotten my use out of my iBook, it's almost three years old. If it broke now, I'd just get a MB. I doubt I'd bother with even trying to fix it.
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It doesnt have anything to do with Rev A or B. And how do you define Revisions? Is the Macbook now Rev B because it has C2D? Or is it Rev A since it is the first with C2D?

If a cpu is going to die it is going to die. Same with a logic board. It has zilch to do with revisions. And it isn't a kink. And regardless, I am sure Apple can figure out the yellowing wrist pad or other issues in the first year. So youd be getting that fixed anyhow.

Sure you can replace the logic board, you put it in. Not hard at all and you don't have to be extemely knowledgeable to connect some stuff up. But, how much is it going to cost to get that part, if you can even find? More than that Applecare I am sure.

My point was that chances are you wouldnt be able to FIX a logic board. You would have to know electronics very well. You would have to test every capacitor and trace on that board an my guess is you don't have the equipment to do that.

3 years, is enough time for to get my value out of something. A macbook at $1500 for 3 years put me at $500 a year, $42 a month and about $1.40 a day. That is fine. If it dies after 3 yrs, ok.

But a year? What if it falls a month after that year? Lets say logic board and assume a cost of $400.

Thats $400 to replace. Whereas Apple care is $250, you would have tha repair covered and protected against that for another 2 years.

There is no way I would move onto to another computer after only a year because it died.
 
I used to be in the "Never, ever get an extended warrenty" crowd, but that was until the logic board failed on my PB and on my parent's iMac. That repair will run you $800+. Especially for notebook, it is worth the piece of mind to have AppleCare.
 
This kind of falls into the "if you buy a snow blower it won't snow. If you don't buy one, there's a blizzard next week." category for me.

One mac that I have that as Applecare... no problems. The one I didn't buy it for... it's on it's third 2nd hard drive.

Hwether it's luck or not, somehow I think I'll be buying Applecare from now on, just for peace of mind.
 
suneohair said:
It doesnt have anything to do with Rev A or B. And how do you define Revisions? Is the Macbook now Rev B because it has C2D? Or is it Rev A since it is the first with C2D?

If a cpu is going to die it is going to die. Same with a logic board. It has zilch to do with revisions. And it isn't a kink. And regardless, I am sure Apple can figure out the yellowing wrist pad or other issues in the first year. So youd be getting that fixed anyhow.

Sure you can replace the logic board, you put it in. Not hard at all and you don't have to be extemely knowledgeable to connect some stuff up. But, how much is it going to cost to get that part, if you can even find? More than that Applecare I am sure.

My point was that chances are you wouldnt be able to FIX a logic board. You would have to know electronics very well. You would have to test every capacitor and trace on that board an my guess is you don't have the equipment to do that.

3 years, is enough time for to get my value out of something. A macbook at $1500 for 3 years put me at $500 a year, $42 a month and about $1.40 a day. That is fine. If it dies after 3 yrs, ok.

But a year? What if it falls a month after that year? Lets say logic board and assume a cost of $400.

Thats $400 to replace. Whereas Apple care is $250, you would have tha repair covered and protected against that for another 2 years.

There is no way I would move onto to another computer after only a year because it died.
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Look- I've had 4 Macs with no problems at all. I never bought Applecare for any of them. That's what? $1200 saved right there? If I had something go wrong with one that cost me even $800, I still saved money. That's how I see it. And I will still never get Apple care. You can get it if you want and so can others. I'll take my chances, thanks. ;) Oh and yes, I would consider all Intel laptops to still be in their infancy. It'll be a while before I get one.
 
never have and don't plan to. i've only needed applecare once. it was on a laptop, yes, but it was within the first year. let's hope my macbook doesn't break that streak.
 
leekohler said:
Nope- never had it, never will. I've always been able to repair my own computers. It's always seemed like a waste to me. As for laptops, I've always avoided rev A's. I've never had a problem I couldn't fix.
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Just remember that if you work on your own computer and you're not a certified Mac technician, this voids any warrenty you have (limited or apple care)
 
Yes yes yes! It's totally worth it IMHO. Personally, I don't buy Applecare on a new machine until the last few weeks before Standard 1-Year warranty expires. When you do buy Applecare, make sure you plan on keeping the mac for another 1–2 years. Remember, Applecare stays with the product, not the end user.
 
I get it for all of my Macs, and it's very much worth it. Repairs on Macs, especially laptops, aren't cheap.

I have it on my PowerBook, and when my LCD backlight crapped out less than a month out of the standard 1 year warranty, AppleCare paid for itself a couple times over.
 
Multimedia said:
Wrong. Apple will repair a warped case. That's why you should always buy Applecare for mobile Macs. They are fragile. A warped case IS a performance issue. It won't perform properly when sitting on a desk because it tips due to warp. How do you figure that isn't a performance issue? Especially when you buy a refurb your should EXPECT something to be wrong with it. Then you pick up the phone and ask Apple to fix it right away. My Quad G5 refurb arrived with a bad noisy liquid cooling pump in the processor assembly. It was replaced with a completely new set of processors in a dead silent cooling system. Would have cost about $1,000 out of warranty.

No problem is too small to call Apple and ask for a repair. A Warped Case Is A Very Big Defect. Why you think it's only cosmetic miffs me. What about the warped motherboard inside? :eek:

Don't wait 'til the end of your year. You must buy it before one year from the date you ORDERED it not when you got it. It's easy to forget and miss the deadline. Apple is unforgiving if you miss the first year deadline by a day.
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Hey, multimedia, I'm well aware of when I bought my MBP. I didn't order it online; I bought it at the student union store at my university. I still have the receipt and it was bought in January so I have a great two references for remembering when I bought it. I never said I wasn't going to buy it. They sell Applecare at the student union store so all I have to do is walk in and pick it up.

The warped case "might" affect the performance, but I haven't had an issue with it and there's not a big rush to buy it considering I have almost a full year to see how the computer is going to perform. If the warping starts to significantly cause problems with the computer, then I'll send it in or take it to an authorized repairer. The closest flagship Apple store is less than 100 miles from where I live so its no issue to get some help when I need it. On my first iPod I didn't have any problems with it until one of my kids did something funky to it 3 days after the one year warranty was up. It had the sad face icon and I took it in. Even though they didn't give me a new one, they gave me 10% off on a new one. I know that's a small percentage but they didn't have to give me squat. I didn't ask for compensation; they just did it to be "nice". Long story short, I don't need you to tell me when to buy Applecare. Thanks for letting me know that a warped case is something I can take it in to be repaired.
 
I'm an AppleCare convert...

I didn't get it on my first two PowerBooks, but I HAVE gotten it on my last two... mostly because the first two I bought personally, and these last two were purchased by my employer!

But if I were to buy an Apple laptop personally now, I would buy AppleCare... but maybe not until after approaching the end of the first year. (If they let you buy it then, why not wait?) The reason why is based on my latest experience...

My previous laptop was a PBG4 (DVI). The first thing that happened was that it slid off my lap and hit the floor exactly at the point where the power cord plugs into the computer. The computer was dented around the DC input as a result, but it didn't seem to affect the computer's ability to be powered. So I never asked about this being fixed because I didn't think accidental damage was covered.

Then my computer developed the infamous white blobs on the screen... this was covered under a recall, but not initially. Several people had their's fixed under AppleCare. Once I finally found some time to be without my computer for a week at work, I took it in for the screen replacement.

After getting the screen replaced, my AirPort performance was dramatically reduced -- I pretty much had to be in the same room as the router for it to pick up a signal... and forget getting a signal in hotels! But I put up with it because I was okay at home and in the office, and it was too important that I have my computer for work, so I didn't take it in for repair.

Finally I decided to inquire about the issue at the Apple Store... at this point I was well past the initial one-year warranty period. I thought perhaps when they replaced the screen, the antennae may not have been properly connected to the computer. But despite several tries at several different Apple stores, no one could solve the problem... And I couldn't leave my computer for an extended period for them to figure it out.

Shortly after the last time I had someone crack open the computer to see if they could "fix" the AirPort issue, I began to have problems powering the computer. I thought at first that it was a problem with my AC adapter as I had already had one fray on me and I had had to buy a new one. So I took it into the Apple Store again and they tell me it isn't the cable, but the DC power input board (or something like that). I am not sure why, but I didn't leave it for repair. I think it was because I had a big project at work and I thought maybe I could figure something out.

After playing with the power cable, I found I could power my laptop by pushing on the input jack with some force so that it connected with the computer at a certain angle. This worked for a while (and required an intricate setup of weights and counterweights that is too complicated to explain here!), but it was extremely frustrating. I managed to hold out long enough until I could order one of the new MBP's with the Intel Core 2 Duo chip. Once I got the new computer and got all of my files transfered, I finally was able to take the old PB in for all the repairs it needed. I was of course now outside even the extended AppleCare period, so I was prepared for a big repair charge.

I took it in and explained everything my poor PB had been through. The Apple "Genius" looked up my computer in their system and reviewed it's history. Apparently, every time I brought the thing in, there was a note in their system! He took the computer to the back and someone looked at it... I don't know if they opened it up or what, but when the guy came back, he confirmed that it would need a new DC power board, and also a new bottom case because of the dent at the input. I sheepishly asked what this was going to cost me, and he said this kind of repair usually runs about $600. BUT! He was going to override the charge and claim this all as warranty work!! And all because I had brought it in so many times while it was still in the warranty period, and they had a record of that even when I didn't leave it for repair. I had even admitted to causing the dent, and that was going to be covered too. I couldn't believe I was going to get out of there without having to pay for anything, but I did!

So at the very least, I think you get better treatment if you have bought AppleCare. And apparently there is some Accidental Damage coverage... who knew?
 
I did not buy AppleCare for the last two laptops that I've owned. 2 years into owning my first one, the screen started getting those vertical lines. Cost to fix it out of pocket: over $1000. Had I gotten AppleCare, I would have been covered. On my current laptop, the logic board just died and I've been 3 months out of the normal one year warranty. Cost to fix it out of pocket: over $400. Do I think Applecare is worth it now? Yes, I won't make the same mistake again. The next laptop I buy I will be buying AppleCare with it.

Moreover, AppleCare is not like a BestBuy warranty. When you buy something at Best Buy, no matter what brand, BestBuy tries to sell you a BestBuy warranty. You're not buying a warranty from Sony for that Sony DVD player. At Apple, you are buying a warranty from Apple for their product. You are extending the already existing warranty on that Apple product. I do not know if that is the case with a Best Buy warranty.
 
if you read all these posts it seems that if you buy applecare you will need it and will have problems, but the people that dont buy applecare never have problems...?
obviously not always the case, just the trend in the thread

(im still deciding whether or not i'll be buying it with my new macbook, but i have a few months to decide)
 
Yes, yes, and yes for laptops. Laptops (of any brand) are the ONLY product I ever get the extended warranty for.

Desktops don't need it, because they just sit in one place.
 
AppleCare on a portable computer - absolutely! I lug my 12" PB Al around all over the World and have had it fixed twice under AppleCare. Optical drives are small and sensitive. They will burn out. Had mine replaced twice - harddrive replaced as well as they deemed it worn out. Heatsink replaced. Repairs would've cost me a lot more than AppleCare.
Taking these things apart yourself takes a lot of skill and you can f*** things up very easily. Once past AppleCare you can tinker with it yourself.
Can only recommend AC. My first generation PB still running after more than 4 years.
 
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