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Is apple care worth it on the Apple Cinema Displays??

It's really very simple. Apple Care is worth the money... if you ever use it. The problem is that it's impossible to know if you're going to need it.

The fact of the matter is that most electronic failures occur early in the life of the device. If it makes it through the factory warranty period without any failures, you will probably get several more failure-free years out of it.

When you purchase an extended warranty, you are gambling. You are making a bet that your merchandise will fail after the factory warranty expires, but while the extended warranty is still in effect. It is a fact that manufacturers know the odds and have priced the warranty accordingly (meaning they will make money on them).

It's your money. If it makes you feel better, go for it. But the odds are you are giving away a fair amount of money with a small chance of getting anything in return.
 
Lord Zedd said:
AppleCare is only useful for laptops. Its a complete waste of money for desktop equipment.
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AppleCare for $1099 laptop is $249

AppleCare for $3700 MacPro & Monitor is also $249

Laptops may be more likely to break but you're also paying a premium

As for just a monitor, $99 seems a reasonable deal. Especially as it's something that you would like have to totally replace if any part of it broke.
 
Apple monitors are already very overpriced for the low-end technology and pretty case you buy, I wouldn't inflate the already high price any further.
 
Lord Zedd said:
Apple monitors are already very overpriced for the low-end technology and pretty case you buy, I wouldn't inflate the already high price any further.
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The 23" monitor is $899. It's about the cheapest S-IPS monitor you can buy. For pro color work, it's a very good buy. Other S-IPS monitors tend to cost over $1100.

Low-end technology it is not.
 
macgruder said:
The 23" monitor is $899. It's about the cheapest S-IPS monitor you can buy. For pro color work, it's a very good buy. Other S-IPS monitors tend to cost over $1100.

Low-end technology it is not.
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I second that, i am more than happy with my two 23" monitors, i have had problems in the past with LCD colours ot 'living' up to what i expect.
 
I disagree.
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/apple-cinema-display-23/4505-3174_7-30964608.html
The bottom line: The Apple 23-inch Cinema Display is low on extras and high on price. Still, one look at this gorgeous LCD, and you'll kiss your practicality good-bye.

"Surprisingly poor clarity, fuzzy image & low refresh rate"
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http://www.macworld.com/article/43110/2005/02/23inchlcd.html
Default colors were off on first unit we received; no VGA connection; no S-Video or composite connectors.

Expensive; slightly washed-out colors; no S-Video or composite connectors.

Expensive; no S-Video or composite connectors.
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macgruder said:
The MacWorld review you posted is 3 years old. The CNET review you posted says Editors Rating: Very Good and is 4 years old.
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I didn't read those reviews, but did they bother to do a proper hardware calibration? Making comments about color on a S-IPS panel makes no sense before it's been calibrated. My 23" ACD looked so-so when I took it out of the box. It looks awesome calibrated.
 
RaceTripper said:
I didn't read those reviews, but did they bother to do a proper hardware calibration? Making comments about color on a S-IPS panel makes no sense before it's been calibrated. My 23" ACD looked so-so when I took it out of the box. It looks awesome calibrated.
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I think you are quoting the wrong guy :D

btw what calibration tools did you use. My ACD came last week, and my MacPro comes tomorrow.
 
syvalley said:
As a life policy, buying after-market, or extended warranty insurance almost never pays off. You will pay much less over the course of a lifetime for repairs than you would purchasing all the insurances offered on everything from digital watches to new trucks. Everyone from the salesman to the insurance execs are hoping you make the sucker's choice. Why do you think they push so hard?
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I agree. I recently had to have my 30" ACD repaired and the cost is around $459 at the Apple Store (out of warranty, no Applecare). The money I've saved over the years in NOT buying Applecare will easily covers this repair expense
 
svpribyl said:
I agree. I recently had to have my 30" ACD repaired and the cost is around $459 at the Apple Store (out of warranty, no Applecare). The money I've saved over the years in NOT buying Applecare will easily covers this repair expense
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I agree with this to a certain extent. However, having paid $4000 on new equipment and $249 for extended warranty for something that if it seriously went wrong would affect my income, I see it simply as insurance.
 
macgruder said:
I think you are quoting the wrong guy :D

btw what calibration tools did you use. My ACD came last week, and my MacPro comes tomorrow.
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About the cheapest one: Spyder2Express (about $60). It works well enough for my hobby photography.
 
I have a 23" ACD that I purchased 2 years ago when I got my MacPro. Getting AppleCare on the thing was definitely worth it. In a little over a year, the power supply went out. I dragged the whole thing to the Apple Store and they gave me a new power supply, no questions asked.

A few months later, the USB/Firewire went out on it (making sure to test that all the connections were fine on my end and also testing it out on my MBP). I also had a few dead pixels as well. They shipped me a whole new screen after dropping the original one down at the Apple Store.

Now, no dead pixels (it was really irritating to have one green pixel in the exact middle of the screen)...everything works perfectly. I would highly recommend Apple Care.

I happen to think that if you can afford an ACD, you can afford the Apple Care....just my two cents.
 
mchalebk said:
It's really very simple. Apple Care is worth the money... if you ever use it. The problem is that it's impossible to know if you're going to need it.

The fact of the matter is that most electronic failures occur early in the life of the device. If it makes it through the factory warranty period without any failures, you will probably get several more failure-free years out of it.

When you purchase an extended warranty, you are gambling. You are making a bet that your merchandise will fail after the factory warranty expires, but while the extended warranty is still in effect. It is a fact that manufacturers know the odds and have priced the warranty accordingly (meaning they will make money on them).

It's your money. If it makes you feel better, go for it. But the odds are you are giving away a fair amount of money with a small chance of getting anything in return.
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It's no different than car insurance. We all pay it, and many of us never use it.
 
applecare is worth it on anything that you are going to keep for a long time, not something you're not. so yea i would get it for an acd
 
macgruder said:
The MacWorld review you posted is 3 years old. The CNET review you posted says Editors Rating: Very Good and is 4 years old.

(plus 'the washed colors' is about the Samsung and "Surprisingly poor clarity" is a user comment.)
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Besides, who wants to crap up the look of their monitor with extra I/O ports that never get used. I mean S Video? Really? If you want video capture, buy a video capture card. Or use a USB/1394 input device.
 
It's no different than car insurance. We all pay it, and many of us never use it.
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Actually, it is very different from car insurance. You are required by law to have some amount of car insurance. If you finance your car, you will be required to carry more than the minimum amount. With extended warranties, there is no requirement.

One other comment. I would recommend disregarding commentary that says "it's definitely worth it" without listing any qualifications. It's possibly worth it. It might be worth it. It probably is not worth it. But it is most definitely NOT "definitely worth it".

It is only worth it if you have a failure after the factory warranty has expired and before the extended warranty expires.

It's your money, do as you see fit. But there is a reason why consumer groups routinely say that extended warranties are not worth the money.
 
krye said:
Besides, who wants to crap up the look of their monitor with extra I/O ports that never get used. I mean S Video? Really? If you want video capture, buy a video capture card. Or use a USB/1394 input device.
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Or buy a monitor that has it built-in to the product and price.
 
chris y. said:
LCD displays have been around long enough to not have issues. The only thing that can be a problem is the backlight going out which won't likely happen until you are way past the 5 year mark, and that is with daily use.
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Yeah right. Just search this forum and the Apple support forum for reliability problems in the construction of the 23" ACDs. I have been through my fair share of ACDs looking (forget the number, 6 or 7 that all had problems) for a good build and would definitely buy the Apple care for the 23".
 
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