Thoughts of continuing AppleCare+ on a 2020 M1 MBP?

[davidg4781]

My 2020 M1 MBP's AC+ just expired. I extended it on my iPhone and Apple Watch (probably a waste of money at this point) since I figured I take those out in the world every day and a broken screen would not be fun.

But this MBP stays home 99% of the time. Really, the main area I'm concerned about is the charging port. My last 2 MacBooks had MagSafe and I'm worried this USB-C is going to snap or break off. Would maybe another year be unreasonable? I believe it is $89 or $8.99/month.

 

[kitKAC]

How close are you to needing a replacement battery?

 

[davidg4781]

Oh! Good point. I'm at 91% with 114 cycles. I bought this new in early 2022 even though it's a 2020.

 

[Fishrrman]

Put the money you would have spent on AppleCare+ into a special piggy bank marked "new Mac" ...

 

[mreg376]

I don't think $149 in a year is going to go far towards a new MacBook.

 

[okkibs]

I don't think $149 in a year is going to go far towards a new MacBook.

Plenty fast M4 Air base models start at 999 and even lower on sale. In any case it's a waste to extend AC+ on a 2020 M1 model. It's the old one with the touchbar, remember those? They came with the original M1 SoC. They're worth about as much as the M1 Air which means not worth all that much. You can get those used for about 500 bucks.

Who pays extra for an extended warranty on a computer worth that little?

I extended it on my iPhone and Apple Watch (probably a waste of money at this point)

Depends. You take that Watch swimming a lot? AC+ covers you when inevitably it has water damage one day as the seals don't last forever and degrade faster in salt water. Can you give up your iPhone for a day or three if it needs repairs? No? AC+ enables you to get an express replacement up front.

So there is definitely value in AC+ but of course it depends. I need to be reachable on my iPhone every day of the week. If mine needed to be brought in for repairs and I couldn't get a replacement immediately I'd simply have to buy a new one. I pay for AC+ until a time where the iPhone is old enough I can justify simply buying a new one if it fails and that's when I discontinue AC+. If it lasts another year or two without AC+ I'll keep using it. Nowadays iPhones are so fast and software support is great as well so my current iPhone will definitely get a total of 4 years with AC+. After that I'll want a faster newer model soon anyways.

I'm worried this USB-C is going to snap or break off.

No worries there. USB ports do fail sometimes on Macs but you got 2 of them. On current Macbooks the USB ports are socketed and can be replaced so if there is a mechanical issue it can actually be fixed by an independent repair. You can verify with an ifixit teardown if that goes for your model as well. I am not 100% sure. If both USB ports no longer work suddenly then that's an entirely different issue.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I agree with others that the "intrinsic" value isn't great. But, you have to look at your current financial situation. If the Mac would fail tomorrow - can you AFFORD to replace it?

If yes - let it drop.
If not - buy AppleCare+.

Perhaps not intuitive, but AppleCare+ only makes sense if you're on a tight budget.

 

[okkibs]

can you AFFORD to replace it?

A used 2020 M1 MBP costs 500 bucks sometimes less. If OP can't afford that then they definitely can't afford to extend Applecare. I understand your logic but that makes more sense on an expensive highend model. On a $5k Mac definitely extend AC+.