Long term AppleCare+ costs?

[Fatus_Asticus]

I'd agree with the others that feel AC is a rip off.

I'll also say that asking a habitual warranty buyer to justify their purchases is a bit like asking a gambler how they are doing. They always say it works out or they are about even.

My issue with AC is that:

Its expensive. I'd rather put that money towards a new unit every year and sell private party than sit on the same device for years and years. Not saying that is alway the plan but if I'm already dropping $400 plus deductible up front on a MBP 16, that is a lot of change and if I private party this MBP 16 m1 at the right time that $400 and deductible will offset a decent amount of depreciation.

Apple support? In the days of YouTube and forums it isn't nearly as valuable as it used to be.

Repairs? Add that deductible, still paying something. I have a 1 year warranty regardless so most of the apple care is burned in the first year.

That leaves intentional or accidental damage. Hasn't really been a problem for me to the point where I need to cover these devices I keep dropping coffee on or dropping and breaking. I'll keep my drink on the other end of the table and turn a bit to get to it vs taking the chance of swatting it with my arm right next to my workstation.

I don't see the value at all.

 

[Ifti]

I follow the basic rule of standard 1 year warranty. If the item is faulty, it will be replaced/repaired by Apple anyway if it is less than 1 year old.
One year is enough to see if your mac is going to live more - usually if something is faulty, then it breaks immediately or at least before warranty expires.

Not necessarily.
My last laptop had Applecare+.
3 weeks before its 3rd anniversary, when the Applecare+ was due to expire, the ports started giving me intermittent issues. Took it in and the entire mainboard was replaced.
Prior to this, the system had been perfect - no issues at all. That one incident covered the cost of Applecare for me, and gave me piece of mind for 3 years in addition!

 

[wilberforce]

I'd agree with the others that feel AC is a rip off.

I'll also say that asking a habitual warranty buyer to justify their purchases is a bit like asking a gambler how they are doing. They always say it works out or they are about even.

My issue with AC is that:

Its expensive. I'd rather put that money towards a new unit every year and sell private party than sit on the same device for years and years. Not saying that is alway the plan but if I'm already dropping $400 plus deductible up front on a MBP 16, that is a lot of change and if I private party this MBP 16 m1 at the right time that $400 and deductible will offset a decent amount of depreciation.

Apple support? In the days of YouTube and forums it isn't nearly as valuable as it used to be.

Repairs? Add that deductible, still paying something. I have a 1 year warranty regardless so most of the apple care is burned in the first year.

That leaves intentional or accidental damage. Hasn't really been a problem for me to the point where I need to cover these devices I keep dropping coffee on or dropping and breaking. I'll keep my drink on the other end of the table and turn a bit to get to it vs taking the chance of swatting it with my arm right next to my workstation.

I don't see the value at all.

Not sure I would characterize it as a ripoff, although I get your point. In the long run, over many items, I agree you are likely to pay more by getting AppleCare+ than by not.
In the same way we could say insurance is a ripoff. In a sense it is, as the insurance companies win in the long run.

The value of AppleCare+, or any insurance, is alleviating the risk of a large unexpected expense that may cause financial difficulty or distress. For this short term risk reduction, you pay extra (sometimes quite a lot extra) in the long run. What is financial difficulty for one person, may not be for another, so there is no uniform answer for everyone.

This is aside from other less quantifiable benefits like tech support, being treated nicely, resale value, etc., which different people value differently. (I personally don't value these much.)

I certainly don't see much value in getting AppleCare on things like AirPods. Hard to imagine replacement of AirPods would cause financial distress. In any case, AirPods are more likely to need replacement simply because they are lost, which AppleCare does not cover.

 

[Fatus_Asticus]

Not sure I would characterize it as a ripoff, although I get your point. In the long run, over many items, I agree you are likely to pay more by getting AppleCare+ than by not.
In the same way we could say insurance is a ripoff. In a sense it is, as the insurance companies win in the long run.

The value of AppleCare+, or any insurance, is alleviating the risk of a large unexpected expense that may cause financial difficulty or distress. For this short term risk reduction, you pay extra (sometimes quite a lot extra) in the long run. What is financial difficulty for one person, may not be for another, so there is no uniform answer for everyone.

This is aside from other less quantifiable benefits like tech support, being treated nicely, resale value, etc., which different people value differently. (I personally don't value these much.)

I certainly don't see much value in getting AppleCare on things like AirPods. Hard to imagine replacement of AirPods would cause financial distress. In any case, AirPods are more likely to need replacement simply because they are lost, which AppleCare does not cover.

Sure but you don't pay 10% - 20% of the value of your car or home for insurance. If you did you wouldn't buy it.

My 16 MBP was 2500. Apple care is $400 for 2 years. 1 of those years I have a warranty.

16% coverage cost to add 1 year of warranty and accidental damage is a very high price. I didn't even include any deductible. I understand people reach financially sometimes to buy tech but that is the problem in a nut shell isn't it?

One of two things are going on. Either the product is **** and breaks down all the time or apple is making mint like they do on everything else they sell. You pick.

 

[clevins]

There's a few ways to think about this. One is purely financial - am I likely to spend more on repairs than on AC? Second is peace of mind - Buy AC and you don't have to worry about a big lump sum repair cost if something really bad goes wrong after the warranty period.

For the latter, though, you can protect yourself by putting some money each month in an account for potential repairs. Once you have enough for most large repairs, you can stop. The issue is that most of us aren't going to do that. So it really comes down to comfort level.

 

[clevins]

Sure but you don't pay 10% - 20% of the value of your car or home for insurance. If you did you wouldn't buy it.

My 16 MBP was 2500. Apple care is $400 for 2 years. 1 of those years I have a warranty.

AC kicks in after the warranty ends, I think.

...

One of two things are going on. Either the product is **** and breaks down all the time or apple is making mint like they do on everything else they sell. You pick.

Or, for some people, it's worth spending the extra money for peace of mind. Maybe they saved for a long time to be able to get the new high end Mac and, if the main logic board died or something else major happened, they'd be unable to pay full fare repairs. Even if that's unlikely, they feel more comfortable mitigating that risk.

So, no, reality doesnt boil down to your two simplistic choices, no matter how much you'd like it to do so.

 

[wilberforce]

Sure but you don't pay 10% - 20% of the value of your car or home for insurance. If you did you wouldn't buy it.

My 16 MBP was 2500. Apple care is $400 for 2 years. 1 of those years I have a warranty.

16% coverage cost to add 1 year of warranty and accidental damage is a very high price. I didn't even include any deductible. I understand people reach financially sometimes to buy tech but that is the problem in a nut shell isn't it?

One of two things are going on. Either the product is **** and breaks down all the time or apple is making mint like they do on everything else they sell. You pick.

Actually 3 years, but point taken.

It is interesting that for a top spec 14" MBP (costing $5900) AppleCare+ costs $279 (5%), but for a base 16" MBP (costing $2500) AppleCare+ costs $399 (16%)

 

[Fatus_Asticus]

Actually 3 years, but point taken.

It is interesting that for a top spec 14" MBP (costing $5900) AppleCare+ costs $279 (5%), but for a base 16" MBP (costing $2500) AppleCare+ costs $399 (16%)

Doesn't seem right I had to triple check it when I looked. I'd be curious to see the justification for the difference. Thank you for correcting the years, 2 additional 3 total, I was incorrect.