m4 owners, did you get Applecare+?

[Che Castro]

I'm curious to see if most people skip or get Applecare+, I decided not to get it, but if this was a laptop or phone I would get it cause it is mobile.

Also which plan did you get
3 year $99
or $35 a year

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I skipped it also. The main benefit of AC+ for me is accidental damage protection and that’s not a very high likelihood with the mini.

 

[waloshin]

Skipped I do not foresee my Mac Mini get damaged compared to a laptop.

 

[HuskerHarley]

So, it seems that AppleCare+ may not be a good option for the M4 Mini. I have one in my Bag and was wondering if I should add AppleCare+.

 

[S.B.G]

I don’t buy AC+ for anything including my iPhone.

 

[CalMin]

IMO - doesn't make a whole of sense at this price point for a (mostly) solid state machine that will sit on your desk. Laptops have displays and mechanical components such as hinges, but more important they get schlepped around, dropped into bags, etc..

 

[M4th]

Hmm... one day left for me to decide...

I think not, for the reasons already given.

There's a travel case for the mini anyway?

 

[Siriosys]

I'm curious to see if most people skip or get Applecare+, I decided not to get it, but if this was a laptop or phone I would get it cause it is mobile.

Also which plan did you get
3 year $99
or $35 a year

I skipped it, which I've done for my various Apple purchases over the years.

My latest purchase has been the M4 Mac mini and that decision remained the same - for two primary reasons.

My Mac mini is stationery and remains at home, connected to the same equipment and is less likely to require any attention from Apple. Household insurance covers me for theft or damage.

In New Zealand, we also have the Consumer Guarantees Act which protects consumers by ensuring goods and services are of acceptable quality, fit for purpose, and match their description. If not, consumers can seek a repair, replacement, or refund.

 

[mapleleafer]

My latest purchase has been the M4 Mac mini and that decision remained the same - for two primary reasons.

I'll add a third reason. Most faulty components will likely fail during the first year, which Apple will cover for no extra charge. I've never purchased AppleCare (with or without the +) for any of the computers I have owned. I may have been lucky, but I've saved a lot of money.

 

[Teletypewriter]

M4 Laptop = Yes
Beats Studio Pro Headphones = Yes
Apple TV = No
iPhone 15 Pro Max = No
M1 iPad Pro =. Yes

 

[prisstratton]

I was happy to read all of your thoughts on this issue as I recently purchased a Mac mini M4 and was considering whether or not to purchase AppleCare. I was leaning towards NOT doing this and your comments have convinced me.

I agree with the comments by @mapleleafer as I used to help people with their home computers and most failures would occur in the first year and of those the most common (in my experience) were with mechanical hard drives and video cards.

Thank you everyone, it is a helpful thread.

 

[smirking]

I agree with the comments by @mapleleafer as I used to help people with their home computers and most failures would occur in the first year and of those the most common (in my experience) were with mechanical hard drives and video cards.

Yeah, that's my calculus. If there's a true defect, it should appear within the first year. The only times I've picked up AppleCare was in the touch bar MBP era, but not because I thought they were fragile. It was because I knew there was a very good chance I would demolish the battery. My use case has always been hard on batteries and every single one of my 3 tbMBPs went back to Apple before 2 years to get a new battery.

Now that Apple Silicon is so efficient with power, I no longer burn down my batteries like I used to so I'm back to shunning warranty. Apple knows what it's doing. They're not going to sell a product that causes them to lose money. For a few years, it just so happened that I knew I had a special case that would make it worthwhile. Otherwise, I believe in just taking my chances. I'll lose the bet once every so many years, but I'm still coming out ahead.

 

[Boyd01]

I stopped getting AppleCare for Macs years ago and didn't get it for my m4. Only time I ever used it in the past was my PowerBook G4, which had a problem with "forgetting" some of its RAM. This was a common problem and I think there may have even been a class-action lawsuit eventually. But I took mine in twice, the Apple Store employee said that they would replace it if a third try didn't fix it. It did fail again, but at that point I had already moved on to Intel.

I was planning to get it with my 2018 Mini, but it was a refurb and I didn't see any option to add AppleCare at purchase (which surprised me). Later, I went to add it, but got a cryptic error message that there was some problem with my Amex Card (obviously on their end because the card was fine). Was very surprised they had no option to use Apple Pay (this was 2020), so I manually entered my Apple Credit Card number and got a similar error, saying to contact support.

Having already wasted a bunch of time, I decided to try again later. Never got around to it though and 5 years later, the Mini is still just fine although I push it very hard. So, the end result is that I saved some money on AppleCare that I didn't need.

 

[Bazza1]

I totally get the argument for getting AC+ for mobile devices as you say - the physical abuse they might undertake - but sometimes the issue is internal / build quality (as per your PowerBook), and that's why I picked up AC+ for my Mini M2. In fact, my original AC+ just lapsed, and I've extended the Plan with a small yearly charge.

Though unrelated to AC+ (because it was still under the original 1 year warranty) my iPhone 16 recently packed it in. Internals fried (not the result of external abuse) - Apple unable to repair - so I was given a brand new phone the day I took the 16 in. If it wasn't under warranty / AC+ - and had they been able to repair it - that would have been a $750 repair. Had they not, I would have been looking at buying a new phone.

There's no telling what may be happening internally. Yes, with luck, most faults will show themselves within first year, but as a desktop (and Apple) device, its likely it will be held onto longer than most - so no guarantee when /if your Mini will need repair. As long as AC+ remains cheaper than trade-in value of device, I'm okay with the expense.

 

[Boyd01]

Everyone needs to determine their own comfort level of course. But IMO, Apple wouldn't be selling extended warranties unless they made money on them. The question was specifically for the Mini however, and before the m4 I've had two 2012 Mini's, two 2014's and a 2018 (still have all but one 2012). So that's 5 Mini's, which would have cost me $500 for AppleCare I didn't need.

Interestingly, I just saw the base m4 going for $490 at Amazon. So, in my case (I have the base model) if my m4 dies out of warranty I can get a new one and would still come out $110 ahead of where I'd be if I'd purchased AppleCare for all 6 of my Mini's. It's probably a lot easier to just order a new one with next day shipment than filing an AppleCare claim too.

 

[smirking]

if my m4 dies out of warranty I can get a new one and would still come out $110 ahead...

Being aware of resale values for machines that are 3 years old adds to my comfort level with not getting AppleCare. If I bought maxed machines, I might feel differently, but with the mid-tier units I buy, the replacement cost for a similar used unit isn't prohibitive.

I have an M4 MBP. 3 years from now, the entry level MBA is probably going to outperform it where it matters the most to me so I could always opt for the lower end replacement if my budget is tight.

 

[magbarn]

Total waste of money. I haven't had any Apple desktop failures since we moved away from spinning hard drives. MacBooks and iPhones on the other hand...

 

[FrozenDarkness]

$99 warranty for a $450 (thanks microcenter) product…
yea i’m good.

 

[throAU]

I'm curious to see if most people skip or get Applecare+, I decided not to get it, but if this was a laptop or phone I would get it cause it is mobile.

Also which plan did you get
3 year $99
or $35 a year

MacBook Pro M4 Max : yes. It's a significant cost if I damage it. 3 Years paid up front.

edit:
didn't see this was the mini forum, but yeah I buy depending on cost of device vs. risk of damage...