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Tight on Money - Is Apple Care worth it? Early 2015 Macbook Pro

nanogirl21

nanogirl21

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 20, 2011
758
92
Midwest United States
I recently became unemployed and was curious if Apple Care is worth it on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015). I have to buy it before April 8 and my funds are running short due to no income. April 8 is only a few days a way and not enough time for me to buy for a different site and them mail it to me. Is it worth it? If you have it, how often did you use it and for what? I always purchased Apple Care on my iPhones, but never used the service. That's why i'm wondering. I haven't had any issues with my laptop, but I do use it everyday. It also travels with me to school daily. I don't plan on getting a new laptop for a few years. Apple Care is about $250 + additional payment if something breaks correct? I don't see anything happening to my screen/keyboard. If anything, my charger will stop working. At that point wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a charger? According to Coconut Battery my manufacture date is 2/13/2015 and it is 86.7% good. Thanks for any tips/advice.
 
You may never use it, but if something fails and you need a new display, logic board, etc. AppleCare is going to look like a bargain in comparison.

You paid a lot of money for a computer you plan to use for a few more years. All the more reason to protect your investment, especially if money is tight right now.

I would get it if you can.
 
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Don't bother. However, since you do carry it around a lot, I would make sure you have some sort of accident insurance for it (which should also cover it for theft.)
 
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I have always bought AppleCare on my machines and always gotten my moneys-worth from it.

I suppose if you are running really low on money, I might not. But it'd be hard for me not to.
 
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Extended warranties are sold for profit, just like any other product. In other words, from a financial perspective, an extended warranty is simply not worth it, period.

With electronics in particular, the great majority of the time, if a product has any sort of issue / defect with it, the defect will surface shortly after purchase. If no issues pop up within the first couple months of use, the product will usually be without issue for its expected lifespan.

Companies offer extended warranties for this very reason. Apple for example, already offers a 1-year base warranty with their products. If you purchase Applecare, you’re then paying for years 2 and 3 only. It’s extremely unlikely for new issues to pop up in this 2-year window (as mentioned, if there are any defects, they will almost always pop up shortly after purchase / within that 1st year). This is precisely why companies are always trying to sell you on their extended warranties (the great majority of the time, it’s just money in the bank for them).

On top of that, with consumer electronics / computers, on those rare occasions where an issue does pop up within that second / third year, it’s the result of a widespread defect in one of the components used in the device. When this happens, a recall is issued by the 3rd party / component manufacturer, and you’ll be covered regardless of whether your product is still under warranty or not.

For example, there was a black screen issue with NVIDIA 8600M GT GPUs (which Apple used in the MacBook Pro) a few years back. A recall was then issued by NVIDIA, and if you experienced the issue, you got a free logic board replacement regardless of whether you purchased Applecare / were still under warranty.

The last thing to keep in mind (that a lot of people don’t consider), is that even if you do purchase Applecare and a problem does occur in the second or third year, Applecare STILL doesn’t necessarily pay for itself.

For example, lets say you have a battery issue, send your MacBook Pro in, and get a new battery under Applecare. The battery replacement would have cost you $199, but you still paid $349 for Applecare (i.e. you’re still in the red $150). Factor in the time value of that $349 (because the potential to see a return on that $349 isn’t even realized until 2-3 years later), and you start to see that extended warranties aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

My advice (if you often purchase extended warranties) is this: Every time you’re offered an extended warranty, instead put the money in a savings account. On the outside chance that an issue does pop up with a purchase, simply pay for the repair / buy a new one out of the extended warranty savings account. You’ll find that while an extended warranty may pay for itself on rare occasion, collectively you come out far, far, FAR ahead by avoiding extended warranties all together.
 
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duervo said:
Don't bother. However, since you do carry it around a lot, I would make sure you have some sort of accident insurance for it (which should also cover it for theft.)
Click to expand...
ADH + theft protection almost a year after purchase? Where would you find a plan like this?
 
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Sorry to hear about you losing your job, thats always rough. As much as I hate spending/giving more money than I want, sometimes its a good idea. If money is that bad, you might want to look into your house/property insurance or if you paid by a credit card sometimes they will give you extended warranty. I always purchase AppleCare for my products just because I have really bad luck with Apple products. All but 1 (my good old 24" 2007 iMac) Apple product I have had didn't need repair or a recall on a part. My current MacBook Pro is 1 year old this month. At 7 months of having it I had to get a new SSD and logic board. It's good for peace of mind. Good luck with what you choose and hopefully you find a new job soon.
 
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For me Applecare would not be a good bet. My Macbook Pro is not vitally important to me, it's part of my hobby interest, so if it fails and I can't get a warranty fix I'll just mutter foul words and move on. What I would say to the OP is that the work you do on a computer is more important than the hardware, please back it up to another device or the cloud, both is best. If real disaster strikes then one way or another you'll be able to pick up where you left off and carry on.
 
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I bought it for my iMac, though I've never used it for my laptops. I've owned Apple laptops since the Powerbook days, and it was never used. I do think it provides a nice level of peace of mind, but thinking back, its not something that was used by me.

My last MBP (2012 rMBP) did not have AC, and its been rock solid, its well out of that warranty but still going strong.
 
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Bought it for my 2013 retina and had the screen replaced twice - so totally worth it :)

Thing is, you cannot repair anything really - if something is broken, its basically too expensive to repair.
 
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I always buy it. My 2011 15" Pro died 3 times and they finally replaced it with a 2013 RMBP for free. All repairs were of 0 cost.
 
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Not sure what 13" model you have, so that is a big variable. For example, the base 13" MBPr is available as a refurb for $1,099, so at that level, AC might not be a wise investment, especially if funds are tight.

Now if you owned the top of the line 15" MBPr, it would make more sense to consider investing the $229 for AC.

I have it on both my 15" MBPr
m
 
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nanogirl21 said:
I recently became unemployed and was curious if Apple Care is worth it on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015). I have to buy it before April 8 and my funds are running short due to no income. April 8 is only a few days a way and not enough time for me to buy for a different site and them mail it to me. Is it worth it? If you have it, how often did you use it and for what? I always purchased Apple Care on my iPhones, but never used the service. That's why i'm wondering. I haven't had any issues with my laptop, but I do use it everyday. It also travels with me to school daily. I don't plan on getting a new laptop for a few years. Apple Care is about $250 + additional payment if something breaks correct? I don't see anything happening to my screen/keyboard. If anything, my charger will stop working. At that point wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a charger? According to Coconut Battery my manufacture date is 2/13/2015 and it is 86.7% good. Thanks for any tips/advice.
Click to expand...

There are a number of things to bear in mind before discussing the advantages or not of getting Applecare.

The very first to note is that you can buy it any time during the first year (keep the receipt of when you buy the computer as proof of purchase) after you have bought the computer, but not one minute after that. So, you can buy it at any time during the first year of ownership of the computer (and Applecare will transfer with the computer), but not any later than that.

Personally, I have always had Applecare - although I delayed purchasing it for a good few months after I had bought my first Apple - a MBP - as I was working abroad. Since, then, I have bought Applecare whenever I have bought a computer.

Now, commentary on Applecare seems to be divided into those who think it is a monumental waste of money (and source of profit) and those who value peace of mind and have had cause to use it. I'm in the latter camp.

Re the argument that it is a source of profit, is not all business based on offering a service and hoping that you derive profit from that?

Anyway, personally, I have always had Applecare on my Apples. Firstly, because it gives me peace of mind. And secondly, because it determines my buying cycle, and this means I don't have to think of buying afresh for three years.

Thus, in practice, this means that my buying cycle spans three years, and is not determined by what is considered the latest by way of technological advance. When a computer is coming to the end of its Applecare cycle, I start thinking of buying another.

To my mind, Applecare has paid for itself. My original MBP had a HDD failure in its third year, and that was replaced by Apple without a murmur. Likewise, the MBA that replaced it had keyboard and Magsafe problems, which were dealt with (the keyboard was replaced) under Applecare. Magsafe issues also featured with my current computer, and again, Applecare dd the needful.
 
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With it to some and not others. It's totally subjective. You have to decide base on your own history. I have never had any expensive electronics fail on me so I would. It get such an expensive plan.
 
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Well, the key point to consider is that you do not need to get it immediately, you can wait almost a year. However, you cannot wait any longer than a year.

However, if something does go wrong, Apple computers are expensive to repair, and that is when Applecare comes into its own. Personally, I have actually found that with each of my computers, Applecare has paid for itself, as I have needed to use it.

One other caveat: Personally, - if I were buying a used computer - I would never buy a computer that didn't have Applecare on it. Applecare, in itself, will not add hugely to the value of a computer should you wish to sell it, but it will - more than likely - serve to give the buyer some peace of mind.
 
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I buy AC - sometimes I need it and sometimes I don't. I needed it for one of my laptops in November, and the cost of the repair was about equal to AC for that laptop and 4 of the Minis in my shop!

Save a few bucks - sign up for a free trial Amazon Prime membership (if you're not already a member), and buy the AC from them - it's about a $35 cost reduction.

Good luck getting back in the work game soon!
 
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Thanks everyone for your input.

A lot of people mentioned buying used computers and purchasing within the first year. I have my computer and my 1st year is over on April 9. Meaning I need to buy within the next 2 days if I decide to. Yes, I know. I get it. LOL

Is there somewhere that list the prices to have different parts replaced if you do NOT have Apple Care? Does Apple Care not cover ANY type of accidental damage? I know with Apple Care for the iPhone there is a $100 service fee to have a screen replaced or if there is water damage or something.
 
marc55 said:
Not sure what 13" model you have, so that is a big variable. For example, the base 13" MBPr is available as a refurb for $1,099, so at that level, AC might not be a wise investment, especially if funds are tight.

Now if you owned the top of the line 15" MBPr, it would make more sense to consider investing the $229 for AC.

I have it on both my 15" MBPr
m
Click to expand...

MacBook Pro Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015(This is the one with the force touch trackpad)
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.9 GHz
Memory: 8 GB
 
I bought Applecare for my last 2 MacBooks and my old iPhone. Never used it for any of them. I'd love to get that $500-$600 back.
I won't be buying Applecare again.
 
As others have posted the repair costs for a macbook can get exorbitant so it can be usefull especially with the high end 15inch macbooks... But for your model and accounting your situation l'd skip it.

Chances it breaks down between the 2nd and 3d year are pretty slim imo.
 
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