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Girlfriend's SSD died MBA - 2012 13"
- Thread starter errol
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My 2011 13" 256gb MBA is still doing fine. It is used all day every day and no problems whatsoever, going on 2 years old. 
I've owned 5 Air's since the 2010 model through the 2012 model, and I've never seen an SSD fail - it's also not something you hear much on these Boards, so I'd say it's just bad luck.
It is (very) rare, you almost never hear SSD's failing in Apple gear.
Tip, Always keep a backup, everything fails eventually and that includes SSD's.
Tip, Always keep a backup, everything fails eventually and that includes SSD's.
My 256GB Samsung SSD from a 2011 13" MBA borked. It didn't quite totally die, but it did bork pretty good . It is apprently super rare though, and it took me a while to narrow down the problem to the SSD because the symptoms were so unusual.
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To answer your question about getting the extended applecare; an SSD replacement costs close to $1000 depending on model and timeframe. However, if the computer is in good condition and not too old, Apple offers a flat-rate fix-anything-thats-wrong-with-it which costs $280 -- not much more than extended applecare.
Depending on your habits, technical knowhow, and availability of other insurnace, I don't think applecare is worth it. I come to this considering what it doesn't cover: accidental damage and theft. I'd rather pay $100/yr for a low-deductable property protection policy and deal with filing claims than pay for applecare.
. It is apprently super rare though, and it took me a while to narrow down the problem to the SSD because the symptoms were so unusual.----------
To answer your question about getting the extended applecare; an SSD replacement costs close to $1000 depending on model and timeframe. However, if the computer is in good condition and not too old, Apple offers a flat-rate fix-anything-thats-wrong-with-it which costs $280 -- not much more than extended applecare.
Depending on your habits, technical knowhow, and availability of other insurnace, I don't think applecare is worth it. I come to this considering what it doesn't cover: accidental damage and theft. I'd rather pay $100/yr for a low-deductable property protection policy and deal with filing claims than pay for applecare.
Apple is changing the warranty to a subscription. We don't know the details but you have to compare the costs and see if it is a good deal.
To answer the question: I think failure within the first year is very bad luck (for Apple
). If you are in the UK, I'd say it is not normal for an SSD drive to fail within two years. After two years time, if you sell a MBP with broken SSD on eBay, and add the money you would have paid for AppleCare, you are not _that_ far away from a refurbished MBP which would be better than your 2 year old one anyway. You'll lose a bit of money, but not that much. But you always have the choice to wait 11 months and 29 days until you buy AppleCare. If your Mac worked fine all the time, don't buy AppleCare. If you have the impression that your Mac is not as stable as you'd like it to be, buy AppleCare.
The flash in my rMBP failed when it was 5 months old. It was straightforward for them to diagnose and fix, but the genius said it was only the second flash drive they had seen fail in 5 years - so it's clearly not that common.
The only downside was it was 12 days from the genius appointment to getting it back fixed, because the part wasn't one they usually stock.
The only downside was it was 12 days from the genius appointment to getting it back fixed, because the part wasn't one they usually stock.
Same here!
I've had my 2012 13" MBA's SSD replaced about a month ago due to more and more frequently recurring system freezes. After firing it back up, it would take at least five minutes (no difference between leaving it off for that time span or trying again and again) for it to be able to boot up again properly. Within these five minutes I would get a folder with a question mark in it, which basically tells you no boot device found.
When I tried to back it up, it failed even more frequently so that I knew it had to be the SSD. I kinda got everything important off it, but it was a pain in the ass, since it kept freezing every 5-10 minutes.
Got my SSD replaced easily on warranty.
I've had my 2012 13" MBA's SSD replaced about a month ago due to more and more frequently recurring system freezes. After firing it back up, it would take at least five minutes (no difference between leaving it off for that time span or trying again and again) for it to be able to boot up again properly. Within these five minutes I would get a folder with a question mark in it, which basically tells you no boot device found.
When I tried to back it up, it failed even more frequently so that I knew it had to be the SSD. I kinda got everything important off it, but it was a pain in the ass, since it kept freezing every 5-10 minutes.
Got my SSD replaced easily on warranty.