Is AppleCare worth it?

[mingoglia]

I think the fact that Applecare is "worth it" shows that Apple has some improvements it needs to make in order to be as reliable as other offerings. I have other laptops that are from the 90's that still work, minus say batteries. Of my Apple laptops I've owned (and one Mini), the only one that's kicking around still is my 17" 2010, which is my daily driver until my new rMBP comes in on Monday.

I still don't get Applecare because my Apple machines do typically last past the 3 years, but they certainly don't "last" as long as many (most) other machines (in my personal experience).

 

[toneLA]

When they say it covers peripherals eg. Thunderbolt Display and AirPort Extreme, are these supposed to be bought at the same time than the actual MacBook Pro? Or can I buy the external display 5 months after the rMBP and get AppleCare right before the 1-year anniversary of my laptop and have everything covered? (Since I use the display with my laptop)

If any of this makes sense!

 

[TmanATL]

Honest question: why do you always have things go wrong? That doesn't speak well of the quality of the machine. Can you elaborate?

Just because I've personally had issues with macs doesn't mean that they all do! But certainly plenty do, which is why it's smart to get apple care. Some people act as if apple macs the best most reliable long lasting products ever, which is kind of absurd. I still like macs obviously. I have an iPhone and I'm eagerly awaiting a new MBP to be delivered!

Let's see - with my 2006 MBP I went through 2 or 3 power chords. had to get harddrive replaced, had to get optical drive replaced. probably other issues that I'm forgetting. After I had it for 4 years it was virtually unusable....

With 2010 MBP - I think I had to get a power chord replaced. And more seriously - my a key on my keyboard stopped working at one point, had to get whole top case replaced. AND had the whole faulty GPU/logic board thing mid-2010 MBP's have. They thought it was the RAM and changed that instead of replacing the logic board - so that issue was never resolved, actually.

So you can see that I would be NUTS to not get apple care.

Here's hoping that my 2013 MBP that will be coming tomorrow won't have any issues!!!

 

[nabwong]

Is AppleCare worth it?

Just because I've personally had issues with macs doesn't mean that they all do! But certainly plenty do, which is why it's smart to get apple care. Some people act as if apple macs the best most reliable long lasting products ever, which is kind of absurd. I still like macs obviously. I have an iPhone and I'm eagerly awaiting a new MBP to be delivered!

Let's see - with my 2006 MBP I went through 2 or 3 power chords. had to get harddrive replaced, had to get optical drive replaced. probably other issues that I'm forgetting. After I had it for 4 years it was virtually unusable....

With 2010 MBP - I think I had to get a power chord replaced. And more seriously - my a key on my keyboard stopped working at one point, had to get whole top case replaced. AND had the whole faulty GPU/logic board thing mid-2010 MBP's have. They thought it was the RAM and changed that instead of replacing the logic board - so that issue was never resolved, actually.

So you can see that I would be NUTS to not get apple care.

Here's hoping that my 2013 MBP that will be coming tomorrow won't have any issues!!!

Wow. I'm a lifelong PC user and have always wanted to change to a Mac but you might have just changed my mind. Dont take me for an apple hater though. I use an iPhone 5 and love it.

But I think I'll stick to my samsung laptop for now. It just doesn't seem cost effective. Good luck with your new Mac!

 

[rMBP2013]

Wow. I'm a lifelong PC user and have always wanted to change to a Mac but you might have just changed my mind. Dont take me for an apple hater though. I use an iPhone 5 and love it.

But I think I'll stick to my samsung laptop for now. It just doesn't seem cost effective. Good luck with your new Mac!

I totally see your point.

This is my first Mac product (i've owned several iterations of iPhones, though) and if my rMBP does not even last 3 years, it would be the last Mac I'll buy.

Some people in the jest of advocating AppleCare really are alienating others from owning a Mac product!

 

[Atomic Walrus]

The main reason threads like this appear to suggest a high failure rate is because only people who've had problems will show up to describe how AppleCare was useful to them. People who bought it (or didn't) and had no problems aren't likely to bother posting about that.

Forums always make issues look more common than they may actually be (for example, apparently almost everyone has that defective 5s battery). Not saying Apple can't improve their reliability (who wouldn't want every manufacturer to improve failure rates?), but in general they do very well compared to other laptop manufacturers.

Since I'm here, I have a 2010 17" MBP that never had any problems of any kind (and I didn't buy AppleCare on it). With the newer machines I would probably seriously consider it if I were planning on a long-term purchase (as opposed to selling to upgrade to next year's model, in which case the next buyer will retain the option to buy it themselves). There are really only 3 repairs that can be done on the machines and two of them (display and logic board) are extremely expensive.

Definitely not at Apple's retail price when you can get it from B&H later or even buy it with the educational discount ($100 off).

 

[Benjamin99]

Wow. I'm a lifelong PC user and have always wanted to change to a Mac but you might have just changed my mind. Dont take me for an apple hater though. I use an iPhone 5 and love it.

But I think I'll stick to my samsung laptop for now. It just doesn't seem cost effective. Good luck with your new Mac!

Alternatively, over the last several years I've had 2 iMacs and a rMBP, an AEBS, AppleTV, 2 iPads, 4 different iPhones, and several iPods - the only issue i've had was a bad power button/cable on my iPhone. Prior to becoming an Apple customer, I had 5 BSODs, 2 HDD failures, 1 screen failure, and 1 power port failure on multiple PC's…. For every Apple horror story there are more than enough happy endings.. The odds are really skewed here in my world...

 

[TmanATL]

If you want to get a mac, get a mac. Just because I had issues with the two MBPs I've owned doesn't mean that you would have an issue with yours. Computers from all manufacturers using all sorts of OS have all sorts of issues. That said -- I do think Apple is pretty awful at admitting known issues/defects though - they sort of do it grudgingly eventually, diminish the issue, and don't really get the word out, but I digress!

Anyway -- My point really was to show how essential AppleCare is. Out of warranty repairs are often waaay more expensive than the cost of AppleCare. And in 3 years time it's a good bet that SOMETHING will go wrong, need tweaking, etc.

I'd love to be one of those mac owners who has never had anything go wrong with their machines though. Now here's to hoping that my new MBP won't have any screen lock/freeze, screen tint, or image retention issues!!

 

[Scott7975]

All computer products can and will have issues. Its just the nature of the beast. Doesn't matter if its PC (insert any brand here) or Macs.

That said, I still have a working commodore 64 and a working 486 25 mhz. I don't use them but they do still work lol. I thought about looking around for an old Apple IIe for nostalgia, but my wife would kill me. Im a hoarder when it comes to computer electronics.

 

[nabwong]

I guess for those of you who have decided to go down the Mac route, the option to get the AppleCare is the more cost effective in the long run. I can agree with that because there is no alternative/competition for a Mac OS. So the logic is different than that of a PC user. I understand that a tech failure is pretty unpredictable Mac or windows.

 

[ano0oj]

Well applecare really just makes sense for people who plan on keeping their laptops for at least 5 years. If you end up upgrading every 2-3 years and don't end up claiming anything on applecare, then you easily spend 900-$1200 on applecare by the time you're on your 4th macbook(by the looks of it many members upgrade frequently).

 

[mingoglia]

The funny (sad) thing is Apple care on the top of the line MBP's costs as much as low end laptops from "Brand X". I don't know the specs, nor do I care to inquire, but I saw some Google Chrome "laptops" at Best Buy the other day and they want like $250 for one.

 

[s2mikey]

I've ALWAYS had things go wrong with every mac I've ever owned beyond the 1-year warranty, so I always felt that it was useful.

But...wait... I was told that mac systems are pricier because they are so much better quality than the dime a dozen PC choices. Seriously, this is why next time around Im looking at MBA or an MBP.

Whats the deal here? I have to add $300 warranty to feel good about it? Thats a LOT of extra dough.

 

[GGJstudios]

But...wait... I was told that mac systems are pricier because they are so much better quality than the dime a dozen PC choices. Seriously, this is why next time around Im looking at MBA or an MBP.

No, you don't have to buy AppleCare. A very small percentage of Macs have defects, but you don't know whether the one you buy does or doesn't. Many choose to accept the risk, and never have a problem. A few choose to accept the risk, and end up with a defective Mac that they have to pay to have repaired out of warranty. Many elect to buy AppleCare, but never need it. A few buy AppleCare and have a defective issue covered by it.

You will see more examples of defective Macs being discussed in a forum, because the vast majority of Mac users aren't even aware of forums like this, or they don't take the time to post, just to say nothing is wrong with their Mac.

 

[jetlitheone]

Yes. Here's my experience with AppleCare.

Bought retina MacBook Pro.

Screen was burning in
Replaced under AppleCare which was 700$ without.

That one had dead pixels and was replaced. 700$ again.

Speaker blew out 64$ total not too bad.

But then they damaged my computer under a repair and is now replacing the whole top body which is 700$ and AppleCare has nothing to do with it but apple is much more lenient when you buy it and usually just fix anything. They're very keen on working with you since you bought AppleCare.

 

[s2mikey]

No, you don't have to buy AppleCare. A very small percentage of Macs have defects, but you don't know whether the one you buy does or doesn't. Many choose to accept the risk, and never have a problem. A few choose to accept the risk, and end up with a defective Mac that they have to pay to have repaired out of warranty. Many elect to buy AppleCare, but never need it. A few buy AppleCare and have a defective issue covered by it.

You will see more examples of defective Macs being discussed in a forum, because the vast majority of Mac users aren't even aware of forums like this, or they don't take the time to post, just to say nothing is wrong with their Mac.

Sure thing - forums do tend to be a place to get help and vent. Posts about how great everything works gets boring quick, right?

Thats col - juts though that guys post about having a problem with every mac hes had a little alarming. One of them is one thing but every one hes owned?

 

[ABC5S]

Wow. I'm a lifelong PC user and have always wanted to change to a Mac but you might have just changed my mind. Dont take me for an apple hater though. I use an iPhone 5 and love it.

But I think I'll stick to my samsung laptop for now. It just doesn't seem cost effective. Good luck with your new Mac!

Had a PC, and read many a PC forum, that had/have customers complaining about their PC product going bad, so what is it, with this doom and gloom, since a few Apple customers out of millions having some issues that is driving you to remain with a PC ?

By the way have you seen those yearly reports on which manufacture product that is less trouble prone ? Apple is usually on the very top of not having issues over a PC.

http://www.rescuecom.com/news-press-releases/computer-reliability-report-2013-Q2.aspx

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...released-now-including-tablets-208465531.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/03/macbook_pro_most_reliable_windows_pc/

 

[GGJstudios]

Sure thing - forums do tend to be a place to get help and vent. Posts about how great everything works gets boring quick, right?

Thats col - juts though that guys post about having a problem with every mac hes had a little alarming. One of them is one thing but every one hes owned?

Some people are unfortunate enough to have had several computers or cars or other products turn out to be defective. That doesn't mean that their experience is shared by the majority who buy such products. With Apple selling over a million Macs per month, it's expected that a small percentage will be defective. This is true for every manufacturer.

 

[rMBP2013]

Well applecare really just makes sense for people who plan on keeping their laptops for at least 5 years. If you end up upgrading every 2-3 years and don't end up claiming anything on applecare, then you easily spend 900-$1200 on applecare by the time you're on your 4th macbook(by the looks of it many members upgrade frequently).

How does that even make any sense?

So it's OK to buy it if you're planning on keeping the laptop for 5 years? What happens after the 3rd year and before you sell it when you won't be covered by AC anyways?

 

[treyjustice]

I don't think so. Insurance is really never a good deal for the consumer but a great deal for apple. If you were to get anything get something like squaretrade that covers accidental damage.

 

[nabwong]

Had a PC, and read many a PC forum, that had/have customers complaining about their PC product going bad, so what is it, with this doom and gloom, since a few Apple customers out of millions having some issues that is driving you to remain with a PC ?

By the way have you seen those yearly reports on which manufacture product that is less trouble prone ? Apple is usually on the very top of not having issues over a PC.

http://www.rescuecom.com/news-press-releases/computer-reliability-report-2013-Q2.aspx

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...released-now-including-tablets-208465531.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/03/macbook_pro_most_reliable_windows_pc/

I'm not saying doom and gloom. I understand crap happens. I even bought AppleCare+ for my iPhone 5 because I have a 1 year old always lurking around and will eat my phone at the first chance.

I'm just saying that if you analyze the cost ratio for someone like me, then buying an apple product is not cost effective. I don't deny that I would like one and I'm jealous of the aesthetics. But I use a windows laptop because I know how to fix or upgrade my own components. Motherboard fail? No worries. Buy new one on eBay for $250 and install it myself.

I can't do that for apple. But i accept that it makes sense for a lot of people to pay for apple no hassle warranties because they can just walk into a store and know that they won't be screwed in the physical sense. You can't do that with a windows laptop.

So it really depends on what kind of people and what skills you have. Would I buy AppleCare for a MacBook Air? Nope. I can get my Amex to cover it and just buy a new one years down the road. But I might get it for a phone cos the chances of damaging it is that much higher.

 

[Infinite Jest]

I don't think so. Insurance is really never a good deal for the consumer but a great deal for apple. If you were to get anything get something like squaretrade that covers accidental damage.

I asked in chat and was told that the laptop apple care covers accidental damage. Is this not correct?

 

[GGJstudios]

I asked in chat and was told that the laptop apple care covers accidental damage. Is this not correct?

No, that is not correct. AppleCare only covers manufacturing defects and not damage from accidents. AppleCare+ covers accidental damage, but is only available for iPhones and iPads. Read post #37 for more facts about AppleCare.

 

[TmanATL]

No, that is not correct. AppleCare only covers manufacturing defects and not damage from accidents. AppleCare+ covers accidental damage, but is only available for iPhones and iPads. Read post #37 for more facts about AppleCare.

AppleCare does not OFFICIALLY cover accidental damage. If an accident happens, assume that it will not be covered. HOWEVER if you have apple care they've been known to fix accidental damage for free. Maybe that is happening less and less but that certainly used to be the case often.

But...wait... I was told that mac systems are pricier because they are so much better quality than the dime a dozen PC choices. Seriously, this is why next time around Im looking at MBA or an MBP.

Whats the deal here? I have to add $300 warranty to feel good about it? Thats a LOT of extra dough.

So you're OKAY with spending $2,000 - $3,000+ on a laptop, but an extra $200 - 300 to extend the warranty is too much???? huh??

The funny (sad) thing is Apple care on the top of the line MBP's costs as much as low end laptops from "Brand X". I don't know the specs, nor do I care to inquire, but I saw some Google Chrome "laptops" at Best Buy the other day and they want like $250 for one.

Chromebooks are NOT full featured laptops. They have Chrome OS meaning that they basically just run the chrome web browser and little more. generally very low specs (yes there are deluxe and expensive versions though). I thought I might be able to last on a new chromebook instead of buying a new mac....but I could not.

 

[GGJstudios]

AppleCare does not OFFICIALLY cover accidental damage. If an accident happens, assume that it will not be covered. HOWEVER if you have apple care they've been known to fix accidental damage for free. Maybe that is happening less and less but that certainly used to be the case often.

Individual Apple employees have been known to bend or break rules from time to time to accomodate customers, but such activity is not guaranteed, nor should anyone expect such to happen. It is better to let people know Apple's legal obligation related to AppleCare, so they don't have unrealistic expectations. Then if an Apple rep does a favor, it is a welcome surprise.