Reasons to buy Applecare

[Fiddler70]

Knowing lots of you are buying new Macbooks at the moment, and reading conflicting signals from MR members, I would just like to add my 2 cents.

I have a mid 2007 MacBook Pro 15". In November the logic board went. I used the opportunity to also get a screen replacement because of stains in the backlight coating.

So that was Nov 2009, new logic board, new screen (actually complete lid assembly). Cost... 0,00£

Soon after the repair I noticed crazy backlight bleed and bad colour depth (banding). So planned to take it back in. Added to that one of the fans started to make noise and my superdrive failed to burn any media. It took some time for me to go back to the local Apple care centre. I did that a week ago.

The Macbook is now ready. New screen, new fan, new super drive. Cost 0,00£

There are few components left from my original purchase.

Maybe a premature post as I am picking it up later today. But just wanted to show how much you can benefit from Aplecare. Although Macs are gorgeous and very nice to work with, they have issues like any other manufacturer. To be honest I never had any Hardware issues during 10 years of using Thinkpads. But then I know others with different experiences.

Applecare makes it all good.

 

[C64]

It's nice to be on the safe side for three years. As long as they help you out, it's worth the money, because as you say, you'll save a lot of money when they need to replace some expensive components.

You can get unlucky though, when the folks at Apple Care might not be so helpful as they should be: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/905893/

 

[Fiddler70]

True, you think it's better to go to a local Apple centre? They seem to want to go out of their way to help. Maybe the Apple stores are tougher?

 

[Bisz]

Like all extended warranties, the cost of apple care is such that the company wins a lot more time than it looses - meaning that you loose a lot more times than you win. As such I think its better to save yourself the money and not bother with it.

 

[gooter80]

Like all extended warranties, the cost of apple care is such that the company wins a lot more time than it looses - meaning that you loose a lot more times than you win. As such I think its better to save yourself the money and not bother with it.

Agreed, they aren't losing money on them, and there is a reason for that. I also think it's ridiculous to even need one considering the already sky high price paid for a "premium" notebook. Although this could be said about many premium products, so I'm not bagging on Apple solely.

 

[scaredpoet]

I just posted my rationale on AppleCare in this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9782976/

FWIW: I've gotten Applecare on an iMac, and on my previous MacBook Pro (2007, 2.33Ghz).

The iMac went in twice during year two: one for a faulty optical drive, and a second time when the Airport card quit working. Both were fixed under Applecare, and there was no hassle.

The MacBook Pro on the other hand, never had a hardware problem. It did have a battery that died prematurely, but it happened within year one and Apple replaced it under the standard warranty. Ultimately, Applecare lapsed on that MBP before I could ever use it.

So, two repairs on the iMac, never used it on the MBP. If you lump the two together, I would say I probably broke even, overall. I don't regret it, since I built that cost into my initial purchases, and the repair visits were hassle-free, and knowing that the repair costs were taken care of.

On my current MBP, I don't have AppleCare. But, it's only a couple days old. Near the end of the warranty, I will probably go ahead and get it unless something phenomenally better comes out and I choose to upgrade.

 

[gooter80]

I just posted my rationale on AppleCare in this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9782976/

FWIW: I've gotten Applecare on an iMac, and on my previous MacBook Pro (2007, 2.33Ghz).

The iMac went in twice during year two: one for a faulty optical drive, and a second time when the Airport card quit working. Both were fixed under Applecare, and there was no hassle.

The MacBook Pro on the other hand, never had a hardware problem. It did have a battery that died prematurely, but it happened within year one and Apple replaced it under the standard warranty. Ultimately, Applecare lapsed on that MBP before I could ever use it.

So, two repairs on the iMac, never used it on the MBP. If you lump the two together, I would say I probably broke even, overall. I don't regret it, since I built that cost into my initial purchases, and the repair visits were hassle-free, and knowing that the repair costs were taken care of.

On my current MBP, I don't have AppleCare. But, it's only a couple days old. Near the end of the warranty, I will probably go ahead and get it unless something phenomenally better comes out and I choose to upgrade.

Couldn't it be argued that since they charge such a premium already one of two things should be happening? 1. there shouldn't be so many problems, or 2. even if there are (which of course will happen) they should be fixing it regardless without having to purchase some extra warranty?

 

[scaredpoet]

Couldn't it be argued that since they charge such a premium already one of two things should be happening? 1. there shouldn't be so many problems, or 2. even if there are (which of course will happen) they should be fixing it regardless without having to purchase some extra warranty?

If that's your argument, then you've just made your personal case for never buying a mac to begin with

No product, even one you pay a premium for, will ever have a 0% defect rate. There will also be lemons. I'm also not sure that it's really "so many" problems. MR users, truth be told, are some of the most vocal, most persnickety, most OCD bunch of mac users on the planet, and we'll always find "defects" to complain about.

And no, I wouldn't expect Apple to warrant my macbook forever. It's a piece of technology and technology evolves. Expecting it to last forever is unrealistic.

You might expect Apple to make 3-year warranties standard. But if they did that, I bet you the prices for their products would go up to about the cost of AppleCare.

 

[Plutonius]

The first year is covered under the normal warranty so Apple care just gives you 2 additional years of warranty ?

 

[gooter80]

If that's your argument, then you've just made your personal case for never buying a mac to begin with

No product, even one you pay a premium for, will ever have a 0% defect rate. There will also be lemons. I'm also not sure that it's really "so many" problems. MR users, truth be told, are some of the most vocal, most persnickety, most OCD bunch of mac users on the planet, and we'll always find "defects" to complain about.

And no, I wouldn't expect Apple to warrant my macbook forever. It's a piece of technology and technology evolves. Expecting it to last forever is unrealistic.

You might expect Apple to make 3-year warranties standard. But if they did that, I bet you the prices for their products would go up to about the cost of AppleCare.

Well, I never claimed there should be a 0% defect rate, nor a lifetime guarantee. All I am stating is that when people (not you) use the example of "oh my macbook broke 3 times in a year!" as an argument toward purchasing applecare I cant help but wonder. And I agree that if they were to offer a 3 year warranty they would raise prices, but again, that doesn't make it right considering the huge premium already paid. It's obviously working for them though, just look at their balance sheets.

 

[matoch]

I look at applecare this way. In the next three years do i want to spend another 2500 on a laptop if something goes wrong? If the answer is no then buy applecare. If the answer is it yes then don't buy it.