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Reduced AppleCare for rMBP?

I

iClouds

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 3, 2012
3
0
I know this matter has been discussed several times in general and while I normally would refrain from buying AppleCare (as Apple do their maths so it statistically works out well for them), I've two factors to consider that give me a hard time deciding whether I should add AppleCare to my new MacBook Pro.

i) It's going to be a Retina model which is known to be user-irreparable. Even though Apple is aware of this, AppleCare for the Retina model is not more expensive than for the standard model (in opposition to the optional battery exchange).

ii) My college grants a price reduction of 34 % onto AppleCare.

I'm sure my MacBook Pro will be of decent build quality (else I'd just exchange it) but it's technology after all and as such is known to be subject to a certain rate of failure. Also I plan to carry it around nearly every day for the next few years which is going to increase wear and tear.

Long story, short question: Is AppleCare worth the price in this scenario?
Thank you for your advice.
 
iClouds said:
Long story, short question: Is AppleCare worth the price in this scenario?
Thank you for your advice.
Click to expand...
Its worth it without the discount, given that you can get cheaper makes it a no brainer
 
If you don't want apple care you always buy squaretrade Warranties which cover water damage or any other kind of damage . If you have Amex they cover 1 additional year of warranty making it 2 year total without paying apple. and depending of which Amex card you get they also offer protection against theft
 
Apple Care is a good idea. Discounted Apple Care is an even better idea.

Ed discounts are good if you do not get eaten by local sales tax. My niece is a home schooler. She get 8% off but has to pay 6% tax. So she really gets a net 2% off a local purchase. For my rMPB I ordered from MacMall and got 3% off with no shipping or tax. So was better off with MacMall than ordering via her. For Apple Care I ordered from B&H and paid $244 instead of an MSLP of $399. The difference is over 34%.

Ed discounts are a good thing. But sometimes they are not the best thing.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/582543-REG/Apple_MC247LL_A_3_Year_AppleCare_for_15.html
 
It's a great idea since it has been confirmed that the parts for the retina will be very expensive, even the battery isn't user replaceable. One warranty claim for it will make the AC purchase pay itself back.
 
Whoever you buy it from, I'd make sure it was an apple authorized reseller. A couple of months ago, I bought AC from ebay in a new, still sealed box, and I had to wait a couple of days and talk to a person at AC support before they'd initiate it, and I had to scan in the document with the applecare s/n on it.

The AC support person mentioned the problem with pirated AC serial numbers from a couple of years ago, and suggested buying AC only from Apple or an authorized reseller in the future to ensure I didn't run into this problem again.
 
I believe Apple Care is always worth it, these items are expensive and to put it simply - better safe than sorry.
 
I'm guessing everyone assumes you're US based. Just in case any UK readers come in here, if you buy your mac online through your University Higher Education store, you get 3 years warranty cover and 1 year telephone support for free. This is in addition to the 15% discount on MBPs and rMBPs.
 
Thanks for your replies.
The general consensus is clearly to go for AppleCare - against my initial perception. I think I'll add those two years of extended guarantee to my cart.

I also checked taxes, shipping etc but these are all included in the mentioned 34 percent discount! So it really seems to be the best option around.

For those worrying about fake AppleCare serials: The college shop requires me to log in with my account then forwards me to the official Apple web store where I can choose from the limited line-up they offer during this special. I don't think I'll take any risks there (nevertheless worth keeping security in mind ;)).
 
rockyroad55 said:
Do you have to buy AC now for the discount? Usually I'd wait until the final months of the original warranty to decide
Click to expand...

Well the discount offer expires in late September but it is likely they'll offer the same thing next year around this time (as they did the years before). With a bit of planning it should be no problem to get discounted AppleCare one year from now.

But what is the advantage of this practice? As far as I know the guarantee is not extended for more than three years after the date of purchase of the MacBook Pro? How will I decide different after one year of owning the product compared to now? Or is it just "spend the money as late as you can"?
 
iClouds said:
Well the discount offer expires in late September but it is likely they'll offer the same thing next year around this time (as they did the years before). With a bit of planning it should be no problem to get discounted AppleCare one year from now.

But what is the advantage of this practice? As far as I know the guarantee is not extended for more than three years after the date of purchase of the MacBook Pro? How will I decide different after one year of owning the product compared to now? Or is it just "spend the money as late as you can"?
Click to expand...

There's really no advantage. I do it because I want to wait and see if something better comes around next year and then I'd get that laptop and buy AC for it. This is the retina's first run. Who knows, maybe the next revision will be better and worth the AC for it. My opinion though and as far as I know, these education discounts are usually year round on Apple.
 
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