Macbook Pro 17 AppleCare Replacement option...

Don't worry, you will get a new or refurb 17" I have a maxed out MBP too, one of the last ones made..It too has AC, Apple keep enough stock to cope with required replacements. A 15" rMBP is NOT a like for like swap either...Like you say it's all about the real-estate...My 17" is a keeper.

 

I had a 17' Macbook Pro 2010. It suffered five repairs before they gave me a replacement. You will be offered a 15' 2.6 Macbook Pro. They will allow you to pay for the upgrade on the replacement Macbook Pro if you want to. I tried asking for the retina Macbook Pro but they said it was part of a different family and would be like asking for my Macbook Pro to be replaced with an iMac. You can try and ask, but I don't think the chances are very high unless you can give them a reason that you need the higher resolution (i.e. graphics work). I hope this helps.

P.S. I find it ironic that this is the second replacement I have gotten from Apple, the previous 17' replaced my old 2007 15' Macbook Pro. All of them had video problems lol. Plus my local apple store kept damaging my computer or putting the wrong display on during the repair (matte instead of the glossy I ordered.)

Edit: Depending on how long you have left on your Applecare they will give you a refund on the remainder of it. They should mention it to you, but if not ask about a Pro Rated Refund.

 

I didn't notice the username coincidence at first. As far as a 17" new Apple laptop goes, well there have been rumblings about OLED displays but nothing definite....Generally most seem to think it's gone for good. I'm dreading the day I have to replace mine with what would have to be a Windows device.. But Apple being Apple, they might just bring out something next year...Trouble with the 17" is that it's such a small market share, and they simply did the math....Keeping it going just didn't make sense from an economic point of view. Fingers crossed though...I have no wish to buy a WIndows machine if I can avoid it.

 

There should be plenty of 17" refurbs in stock to give you as a replacement, not sure your warranty starts over I was always under the impression you still keep your original purchase date they just change the serial number on the account

 

You are correct. You do not get a reset on your applecare.

 

When my MBP was replaced I was able to get new AppleCare on it (and I got a prorated refund on the old AC).

I did pay to upgrade (15" to 17"), so that might be the reason, or Apple might have changed the policy since I had mine replaced (2006).

 

I thought I'd miss the big screen too but I really don't anymore - the Retina MBP is fantastic.

I'd definitely recommend the switch.

 

My Mid-2010 17-inch MacBook Pro with 2.66GHz Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, and 500GB HDD recently crapped out last week following several repairs. Long story short, I insisted upon a replacement machine and was authorized by the store manager for one this past Thursday. They explained their policy of having to try and get a Mid-2010 unit of the same model and it could take weeks.

They ended up replacing mine with a brand new 2012 15-inch rMBP with 2.7GHz Quad-Core i7, 16GB RAM, and 512GB flash memory. (note my disappointment, lol :-D )

It's certainly an adjustment from the battle tank that was our 17-inch unibody, but I'm living with it, but my replacement is much MUCH snappier. I will say, however, even after two years of solid use, the speakers on my 17-inch were still louder and better sounding.

So, if you're getting a replacement, we can add the maxed out 15-inch rMPB to the list of possible replacement options.

 

after going from a 15 mbp to 17 mbp, i cant imagine going back down to a 15. Even after using my buddies 15 rmbp i still preferred my 17. I think i would fight hard for a 17 if mine ever failed.

 

I certainly know I would! I can't stand a 15" screen.

Mine's a late 2011 specced out:

2.5Ghz Core i7
8Gb Ram (need to upgrade this, waiting on word of 16GB modules)
250GB SSD
Anti-Glare Screen
1 GB AMD HD6770

And of course, AppleCare.

Would I take a rMBP 15" specced out if my 17" dies? Sure. And I'd most likely sell it to track down another 17" system of my liking.

 

People don't understand it either. My wife looked at me crazy when I cringed about the loss of my two extra inches. She was like "It's TWO inches, wtf? Your new computer is amazing."

AND my shiny maxed out retina display is wonderful, but I still yearn for my larger screen and louder speakers. I installed a 3rd party app, Boom, to increase the speaker volume. It's now almost as loud as my 17-inch, but nowhere near as deep and room filling.

There was no fighting. I tried to ask about a refurbished late model-2011 17-inch. Even though you could buy it on the Apple website, it was a solid no-go. Since the replacement I got was brand new from the store's retail stock, I didn't put up too much of a fight. Had they tried to give me a refurbished smaller laptop, I probably would have gotten more cranky about it.

@Doward I think your Late-2011 already unofficially takes 16GB RAM. See: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1267880

The 2010 models were soft coded to not allow 16GB upgrades. I tried to put 16GB RAM in mine and it'd boot to Fedora 16 and run just fine, but not to Windows 7 Enterprise or OS X. Error codes from Fedora told me that it was the EFI was nagging about the 8GB DIMMS.