I bought a MacBook Pro M1 Max in late 2001. My Apple Care+ just ran out, and I'm trying to decide whether paying $149 to extend it for another year is worth it. I recently retired, and when I was working, I'd take my computer back and forth to work. Now, I'm either using it at home or going to a local coffee shop to work. I always buy Apple Care on my iPhones and MacBooks when I buy them and have saved myself a lot of money over the years. However, $149 seems a little steep. I don't plan on buying a new Macbook Pro for at least 3 years due to the cost and this computer works great. Thoughts about this? Thanks for your input and opinions.
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Worth It To Extend Apple Care+?
- Thread starter Coachcasa
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If that were me, I would forgo anymore AC+. The yearly cost / actually use benefit probably won't be realized.
I have 10 days to renew and am hovering over the $99/year AC+ renew button.
Truth is - it's probably not worth it. Although it's the best computer I have owned, it's 3 years old. Looking at the used market, I see similar spec (16GB/1TB) machines going for under $1,000, so that's my maximum risk exposure - not the $2500 or so I spent when I bought it. And, while I don't baby my MacBook, I am generally careful with it.
Spending $100 to protect $1,000 (and probably less by year-end) doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Especially as I will likely migrate to an M4 MacBook Air when they come out.
That said, it is 'just' $100 which buys a lot of peace of mind but, on balance, I think that's better saved and put towards the next laptop.
Truth is - it's probably not worth it. Although it's the best computer I have owned, it's 3 years old. Looking at the used market, I see similar spec (16GB/1TB) machines going for under $1,000, so that's my maximum risk exposure - not the $2500 or so I spent when I bought it. And, while I don't baby my MacBook, I am generally careful with it.
Spending $100 to protect $1,000 (and probably less by year-end) doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Especially as I will likely migrate to an M4 MacBook Air when they come out.
That said, it is 'just' $100 which buys a lot of peace of mind but, on balance, I think that's better saved and put towards the next laptop.
Accidents randomly happen, unless you are super careful with your product. I would advise you to invest in Apple Care+ unless you no longer give a ***beep*** on your product, lol.
I had taken good care of my m1 pro until recently that I traded it in for an M4 Pro.
I had taken good care of my m1 pro until recently that I traded it in for an M4 Pro.
Have been a long time Mac user with pretty much every product they have offered along the way and none of my devices or from my family broke down. If you are a careful person, not needed, otherwise do get it.
I have used AppleCare once on my multiple devices. I was in a car wreck and the other parties insurance refused to pay the damage on my iPad. I used the AppleCare.
I have owned four phones, three MacBooks, three iPads, three Watches; the wife has owned three iPhones, two iPads. We purchased AppleCare on a few of the devices, but never again.
I have traveled many times, spent dozens of hours on German trains, several trips overseas, multiple car trips, and the devices have survived. The MacBooks have protective cases and travel in padded bags meant specifically for MacBook machines.
We are not prone to accidents and the amount we saved over the years will cover the cost of any damage in the future for one device.
Like all insurance, it is a betting game. Apple betting you won't need AppleCare, you betting you will need AppleCare. You have to make a decision based on your use.
Based on your description of your use, if it were me, I would skip the AppleCare. Ultimately it is your decision and this is just my opinion.
I have owned four phones, three MacBooks, three iPads, three Watches; the wife has owned three iPhones, two iPads. We purchased AppleCare on a few of the devices, but never again.
I have traveled many times, spent dozens of hours on German trains, several trips overseas, multiple car trips, and the devices have survived. The MacBooks have protective cases and travel in padded bags meant specifically for MacBook machines.
We are not prone to accidents and the amount we saved over the years will cover the cost of any damage in the future for one device.
Like all insurance, it is a betting game. Apple betting you won't need AppleCare, you betting you will need AppleCare. You have to make a decision based on your use.
Based on your description of your use, if it were me, I would skip the AppleCare. Ultimately it is your decision and this is just my opinion.
If you don’t renew, you’re basically taking the chance that you may have to accelerate the replacement purchase by up to 3 years. If that’s not a financial burden forego AC+. If it would cause problems, buy AC+
I think $50 or even $100 a year would be maybe reasonable. But not $150 a year. Over 3 years. that’s half the price of a 16GB MacBook Air at today's prices (and I assume in 3 years the base MBA will have 512GB of base storage, tho prob also still 16GB of RAM). And a 2025 or 2026 MBA is going to largely outperform an M1 Max.
Even for a fully loaded M1 Max, I don’t think another $450 makes sense. The most likely repair you’ll need will be a battery replacement, which will be less than what you'd pay for AC+
I'd look into what your home owner or renter's insurance covers because it might be better than reupping AC+.
Even for a fully loaded M1 Max, I don’t think another $450 makes sense. The most likely repair you’ll need will be a battery replacement, which will be less than what you'd pay for AC+
I'd look into what your home owner or renter's insurance covers because it might be better than reupping AC+.
A claim that small may be less than the deductible. It will also be a claim that will raise the premiums. Even if the insurance pays nothing because the claim was less than the deductible. I would never use home (or renter’s) insurance for a claim against a sub 3K laptop.
I decided not to renew the AppleCare on my Mac Pro 7,1 for next year. I will run until it isn't supported and then probable just get whatever "mini" is being sold at the time.
My work machine is finally fast enough to do everything I need to (M3 Max MBP); so the need for my personal machine to be top notch just isn't there anymore. Hindsight 20-20, I never should have bought the Mac Pro.
My work machine is finally fast enough to do everything I need to (M3 Max MBP); so the need for my personal machine to be top notch just isn't there anymore. Hindsight 20-20, I never should have bought the Mac Pro.
Right. This was why I said to investigate. It totally depends on the cost to replace, your deductible, etc.
Like my 2023 M3 Max was $6000 MSRP — so even tho I have Apple Care+, if in two years something happened, it would be worth looking at what my rate would be after a claim and what the deductible would be to get it repaired or to get a replacement (granted with modern hardware).
I've been thinking of this since my M1 MBP's AC+ is expiring in a few months. I've had AC on my last two MacBooks (2006 MB CD and 2010 MBP) but with those, I didn't have the option to renew. The 2010 MBP is still running strong. The 2006 was sold years ago. Other than batteries, I only had a display cable issue on the 2006.
With this MBP, I think the only issue I'll have is the battery. The rest of the hardware is pretty tried and true. I do feel like my K key is a little sticky sometimes but it's working fine for this sentence.
Now, for my Apple Watch and iPhone, that's a different issue. Both are older but there's the risk of dropping it at any time. I have the AW SE2 but had the SE1 before. I didn't get AC+ on it and caught it at work on a button. The strap unsnapped and it fell off and cracked the screen. Brand new. It's been sitting in my room ever since. I was keeping AC+ on my 11 Pro to get the battery replaced (saved $89) but now that I've had that done, I may drop it. I want to wait to upgrade until the 17 but I can always get the 16 if I really need to.
With this MBP, I think the only issue I'll have is the battery. The rest of the hardware is pretty tried and true. I do feel like my K key is a little sticky sometimes but it's working fine for this sentence.
Now, for my Apple Watch and iPhone, that's a different issue. Both are older but there's the risk of dropping it at any time. I have the AW SE2 but had the SE1 before. I didn't get AC+ on it and caught it at work on a button. The strap unsnapped and it fell off and cracked the screen. Brand new. It's been sitting in my room ever since. I was keeping AC+ on my 11 Pro to get the battery replaced (saved $89) but now that I've had that done, I may drop it. I want to wait to upgrade until the 17 but I can always get the 16 if I really need to.
Schmancy credit cards sometimes throw in an extra year of warranty coverage, so worth checking before you renew. I just found out that the Chase Sapphire Reserve will give you an extra year of coverage, but only on warranties up to 3 years. That made my decision for me, I didn’t renew my 14” M1 Max’s AppleCare.
Just calling an insurance company to inquire about making a claim will have an adverse effect. The company will consider a person a higher risk. It will be considered a possible claim and most likely increase the rate at the next renewal.
A person should know their deductible as that is in the policy documents.
I just bought someone an iPad, and I bought the AppleCare+. For me $69 for two years peace of mind is worth it and a no brainer. With a portable device you are more likely to have an accident.
They're called accidents for a reason: you don't need the insurance until you do. You're basically taking a gamble and only you can decide if it's worth it or not. It's a tradeoff between spending a little for insurance vs the replacement cost.
They're called accidents for a reason: you don't need the insurance until you do. You're basically taking a gamble and only you can decide if it's worth it or not. It's a tradeoff between spending a little for insurance vs the replacement cost.
I don’t think the next year should be any different from the previous years, if you don’t plan to replace the device anytime soon. Do you feel that your existing AppleCare+ has been worth it so far?
Didn't get AppleCare for my 16 " MBP M4 Max && iPhone because the MBP is at home most of the time [cbf waiting for Mac Studio taking wayy too long] and iPhone always have a case on... from previous experience my iPhone 11 Pro Max still looked pristine 5 years externally because I had a case on despite dropping it a lot. Until I traded it in which was worth it; they took the phone away from me just for peace of mind for 270$ back [sure it sucks thinking of it but 5 years of use, wow]. In this case the iPhone guarantee don't need AC. Because I monitor and baby them like crazy [don't let anyone else hold it except me]
My Apple Watch Ultra 2 however I did get AC fixed for 2 years. That is way more prone to dinging/knocking in comparison to the other two which I baby a lot.
My Apple Watch Ultra 2 however I did get AC fixed for 2 years. That is way more prone to dinging/knocking in comparison to the other two which I baby a lot.
There are two aspects to AppleCare: Warranty coverage and coverage for accidental damage. When the device is no longer exposed to the dangers of accidental damage e.g. not taken on trips etc. then the extended coverage for accidental damage is probably not worth it, in my opinion. However the risk is that the machine has a built in flaw due to faulty manafucture or a design failure. The extended coverage for this may be worth it. I would check the history on your machine type and see if they have a history of issues like, for example, failing hinges or premature screen failures or wiring harness faults etc. If is clean then I would not bother spending the money. Like all insurance you never know whether you need it until you need it, but you can assess the risks.
I think the thing people are missing is that the price to extend the AppleCare+ is annual only, so if you’re on a 16”, it’s $149.99 a year. And that’s fine for a brand new machine. It’s a law of diminishing returns the longer it goes on.
Like, I still pay $60 a year for AC+ for my iMac, even tho it is 4 years old. But even that will cease to be a good ROI at some point. I’m doing the same thing for my Studio Display, paying $50 a year for a $1600 display — but again at a certain point, that ceases to be a good financial investment.
For displays and even stuff like iPads, the relatively low price and the long lifespan of the devices makes it make sense, imho to extend coverage up to a certain point.
For laptops, I think it faced with $150 a year post year three, it probably only makes sense for at most, two years post expiration because by 5 years post purchase, that $300 (plus the $400 you spent for the proceeding 3 years), could represent more than 70% of the value of the laptop.
For instance, a used 16” M1 MBP with 32GB and a 512GB SSD in very good condition is under $1200 on eBay and that’s at 3 years old. It’ll be even cheaper in a year. And even cheaper a year after that. So at a certain point, it makes zero sense to spend $150 on something that might have a value of $600 or $700.
Like, I still pay $60 a year for AC+ for my iMac, even tho it is 4 years old. But even that will cease to be a good ROI at some point. I’m doing the same thing for my Studio Display, paying $50 a year for a $1600 display — but again at a certain point, that ceases to be a good financial investment.
For displays and even stuff like iPads, the relatively low price and the long lifespan of the devices makes it make sense, imho to extend coverage up to a certain point.
For laptops, I think it faced with $150 a year post year three, it probably only makes sense for at most, two years post expiration because by 5 years post purchase, that $300 (plus the $400 you spent for the proceeding 3 years), could represent more than 70% of the value of the laptop.
For instance, a used 16” M1 MBP with 32GB and a 512GB SSD in very good condition is under $1200 on eBay and that’s at 3 years old. It’ll be even cheaper in a year. And even cheaper a year after that. So at a certain point, it makes zero sense to spend $150 on something that might have a value of $600 or $700.
That makes sense. This is my first MacBook that I'm able to add additional time on AC+ but I really don't think I'll do it. Almost 3 years later and I haven't had any issues with it. For AppleWatch, that's a different story. If this cracks, I'm out the full price since there's no way to fix it. iPhone, depending on the model, could be fixed inexpensively.
i never buy extended warranties. just save that money, and add a little to that till each year. my credit card will double up to one year the standard manufactures warranty. most manufacturing failures come to light within the first year. i buy items from reputable manufactures (like toyota).
accidents are a different story. i have never had one with any of my electronics, but by definition, accidents are unpredictable. doesn't even have to be your fault. your cat may jump on your laptop and cause it to crash to the ground. unfortunately, AppleCare provides discounted repairs, not fully covered costs. so, add the warranty cost and the per accident out of pocket, and on a $1500 laptop, if you are careful handling it, you probably don't need it. if i bought a $3500 laptop, i might buy the coverage.
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Be smart. Don't purposely step on it or sit on it and you don't need it. I've never damaged a phone, laptop or tablet in my life.
A lot of people will purposely leave their devices on the floor or on the couch. Then they wonder why it got damaged when they accidentally sat on it. Like really?
A lot of people will purposely leave their devices on the floor or on the couch. Then they wonder why it got damaged when they accidentally sat on it. Like really?
Thanks everyone for their input here. I still haven't made up my mind. $149 seems a bit steep for one year. That being said, I paid something like $3200 for this MBP and new one would run me somewhere in the that neighborhood. I've had to use my Apple Care+ twice in recent years on my MBPs and was so glad I had the AC+. Once for this machine and once for my previous and in both circumstances I spent a few hundred dollars rather than thousands. On my previous MBP, I had it sitting on the counter where I was working and my wife set a glass of water on the counter and then accidentally knocked it over. It flooded my machine and it died. I had it back and working in 3 days. On this machine I set it down on a chair next to me for just a moment (which I don't normally do) and it slid off and dented the casing on the leg of the chair. Again, for the cost of the repair the case is brand new and. Currently after 3 years my battery is at 98% health. If I renew it might only be for another year or two at most.