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Not getting AppleCare on MBP 2017?

A

Abaganov

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 30, 2016
375
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My 1 year warranty and 1 year time window to get AppleCare on my 2017 15" MPB will expire in 2 months.
so far I had no problems at all and very happy with the machine.

how insane is it not getting AppleCare for this machine considering the keyboard problem many people complain about? $349 is a pretty stiff price.
 
It's a gamble with any extended warranty, and as always completely up to you whether you want to take that risk.

I would say that due to the nature of modern computers and Macs in general, there are no simple repairs. So if it needs repairing just once, it's likely to the same if not more than just purchasing AC now. There's also the resale value, depending on what you want to do in the future but if it has AC you can sell it with that guarantee.

Think about what kind of repairs it would likely need and work the cost out. Usually, screen/keyboard/logic board, each is more than the AC cost...
 
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Abaganov said:
how insane is it not getting AppleCare for this machine considering the keyboard problem many people complain about? $349 is a pretty stiff price.
Click to expand...

Yes, the price for AC is high, but considering that Apple will charge you $700 to replace that keyboard out of warranty, the cost for AC would pay for itself. (Keyboard replacement also includes the top case which is why it's an expensive repair.)
 
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Abaganov said:
My 1 year warranty and 1 year time window to get AppleCare on my 2017 15" MPB will expire in 2 months.
so far I had no problems at all and very happy with the machine.

how insane is it not getting AppleCare for this machine considering the keyboard problem many people complain about? $349 is a pretty stiff price.
Click to expand...

I would highly recommend getting AppleCare - I normally do on all of my computers that I get from Apple. I'm not entirely sure what the number is, but I think logic board repair costs have gone up dramatically as well (especially if there is a dedicated GPU)

I could be wrong, but I think your window to get AppleCare passed you by a long time ago. From what I understand, it must be purchased within the first 60 days of buying the computer.
 
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Nbd1790 said:
I would highly recommend getting AppleCare - I normally do on all of my computers that I get from Apple. I'm not entirely sure what the number is, but I think logic board repair costs have gone up dramatically as well (especially if there is a dedicated GPU)

I could be wrong, but I think your window to get AppleCare passed you by a long time ago. From what I understand, it must be purchased within the first 60 days of buying the computer.
Click to expand...


it's 1 year from the date you buy it
 
Abaganov said:
how insane is it not getting AppleCare for this machine considering the keyboard problem many people complain about? $349 is a pretty stiff price.
Click to expand...

If the keyboard is your main concern, I wouldn't get it. Some people here act like the keyboard failure rate is close to 100%. Of course it isn't and even if yours does develop some issues or becomes unusable, you'd still be able to use an external keyboard with it.

It would suck, but if you're willing to trade some risk for keeping $350 in your pocket, the keyboard risk isn't one that would brick your machine and leave you without options.

I got AC with my 2016 MBP. If I were to buy another MBP today, I'm not sure if I would get AC. I usually don't buy extended warranties, but I also never buy first generation versions of new machines and I needed a new laptop badly so I couldn't wait for the 2nd gen of the tbMBP. Under the circumstances of absolutely knowing nothing of what to expect, AC was a good choice.
 
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My understanding is that Applecare can be purchased up to a year from the time of purchase of the computer.

For my part, I have always had Apple care on all of my Apple computers, and my personal experience is that it has more than paid for itself.

On my MBP the HDD failed, and on one of my MBAs the keyboard and MagSafe both needed to be replaced all of which was taken caee of by Applecare.

In the case of the MBP, the HDD failure occurred in my third year of ownership.

Moreover, if you are thinking of selling on the computer, while Applecare will not significantly add to the price you can ask, it should give some sort of peace of mind to a potential purchaser. I'll put it another way: Personally, I would never buy an Apple computer (new or used) without Applecare.
 
I would look at it from the perspective of how long you plan on keeping your MacBook Pro. If you plan on keeping it for 3 years, it might end up being worth it; especially if you resell it within that period of time.
 
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Well, consider this. Around 20% of premium-class laptops are expected to fail within 3 years. In the end, its a gamble. Pay $349 for insurance now or have ~ 20% risk of paying up to $1000 over next two years :) And your risk might be higher depending on how you use your keyboard and what environment are you in, since the butterfly keys are not very reliable.

That said, I don't think that AppleCare is good value. There are much cheaper insurances, but its probably too late for those options.
 
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Abaganov said:
how insane is it not getting AppleCare for this machine considering the keyboard problem many people complain about? $349 is a pretty stiff price.
Click to expand...
Applecare is less then the cost of a single keyboard repair, and those who had issues with the keyboard seemed to have multiple failures. Given the poor reputation of the keyboard, I'd say AC is an absolute must.
 
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My 2017 is coming to the end of it's warranty in July - I'm still undecided.

It was a CRU - so I haven't actually bought a new laptop in a few years, and this is my second machine (bought an iMac to replace it before the apple store screwed it up beyond recognition).

£340 seems like a lot of money, but then, with the keyboard issues these have had - I'm half tempted. And I'm sure it will be easier to deal with a replacement with AC than trying to use consumer law (as much as I'm an advocate for that).
 
aakshey said:
For Applecare in India it is indeed 365 days. For AC+ anywhere it is 60 days.
Click to expand...

Correct.

Regular Applecare must be bought within one year, applies anywhere in the world. (note 1 at the bottom of this page)

Applecare+, different product, has to be purchased within 60 days, and is not available in many countries yet. (See Important Notes box near bottom of this page).
 
maflynn said:
Also consider how you pay for the MBP. Many credit cards offer automatic extended warranties.
Click to expand...
Yes, AMEX for instance doubles the warranty and it can even be added at the end of AC so it can be 1(Apple)+1(AMEX) or 1(Apple)+2(Apple Care)+1(AMEX) :cool:
 
OP:

It all boils down to what Clint Eastwood said (paraphrasing):
"Do ya feel lucky, punk...?"

If you buy AppleCare and never have a problem, well, it cost you.
If you don't buy AppleCare and your keyboard fails out-of-warranty, it's going to cost you MORE.

But (like Arlo Guthrie said in "Alice's Restaurant"), there may be a "third possibility" that no one's counting on.
That possibility is, that Apple will settle the KeyGate™ lawsuits by an agreement to repair all failed keyboards on the 2016/2017 models (AppleCare or not) for a period of five years from the original date of purchase.

This is only my prediction, but that's how I expect these suits to conclude.
May happen.
Might not.

But again, it all comes down to...
"Do ya feel lucky, punk...?"
 
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Abaganov said:
My 1 year warranty and 1 year time window to get AppleCare on my 2017 15" MPB will expire in 2 months.
so far I had no problems at all and very happy with the machine.

how insane is it not getting AppleCare for this machine considering the keyboard problem many people complain about? $349 is a pretty stiff price.
Click to expand...
I got apple care plus Because the $350 for it is cheaper then fixing my laptop should I break it because of a fault of my own in the first 3 years.
 
A lot of great opinions here, thanks guys for all the great comments till now.

right now I am leaning towards getting the AppleCare. even if I won't end up using it, my thought is that just for the peace of mind I will be getting knowing that I'm covered - it's kind of worth it.
 
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Abaganov said:
A lot of great opinions here, thanks guys for all the great comments till now.

right now I am leaning towards getting the AppleCare. even if I won't end up using it, my thought is that just for the peace of mind I will be getting knowing that I'm covered - it's kind of worth it.
Click to expand...

AC is also a selling feature if you do decide to get replace the unit under the warranty period. Buyers will feel more comfortable buying knowing they have warranty coverage.
 
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I have never bought AC for any of my Apple products and consider myself several $1000 better off for it

However on these newer less serviceable MBP's there maybe a more compelling case

I think if you sell your MBP after 2.5 years you can recoup part of your AC costs with easier/better resale value but if you intend to keep your MBP for longer 3 or 5 or more years then your $700 repair bill just cost you $350 more as it's more likely to happen outside of AC coverage

Additionally I understand on older laptops you are more likely to be eligible for a flat fee repair

Tough call on long term ownership IMO
 
Glmnet1 said:
Yes, AMEX for instance doubles the warranty and it can even be added at the end of AC so it can be 1(Apple)+1(AMEX) or 1(Apple)+2(Apple Care)+1(AMEX) :cool:
Click to expand...

How's that work?

Nevermind. Did some research on my Citi card and found they extend warranty by 24 months, and even do so beyond customer-purchases extended warranty. That'd be effectively five years total coverage. :cool:

http://i.info4.citi.com/wpm/100164/PDF/Guide1.pdf
 
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SteveJUAE said:
I have never bought AC for any of my Apple products and consider myself several $1000 better off for it

However on these newer less serviceable MBP's there maybe a more compelling case

I think if you sell your MBP after 2.5 years you can recoup part of your AC costs with easier/better resale value but if you intend to keep your MBP for longer 3 or 5 or more years then your $700 repair bill just cost you $350 more as it's more likely to happen outside of AC coverage

Additionally I understand on older laptops you are more likely to be eligible for a flat fee repair

Tough call on long term ownership IMO
Click to expand...


I am not sure a failure is less likely to happen during the AC coverage period.

The 2016 and 2017 MBPs are all within the 3 year window for AC coverage. There are 3 class action suits in progress regarding the keyboard for the MacBook and 2016 and 2107 MacBook Pro models with the new keyboard. So there the need for the keyboard replacement does not yet appear to be a function of system age. And AC can cover you from an expensive keyboard repair in years 2 and 3 of ownership.

It may turn out the frequency of the problem increases as the systems age, like the 2011 MBP GPU failures. But, only time will tell.
 
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