3 year Apple Care for Air. to buy or not to buy?

[Philflow]

I got offered a pretty good deal on 3 year Apple care on my Air. In Europe we already get one year warranty, so this would get 2 extra years.

Normally I never go for extra warranty. Should I be getting this this time?

Maybe there are special reasons for the Air that I am not aware of.
I don't need any software support.

 

[5855997]

If it's a good deal then I would definitely take it. Then you're on the safe side if something fails after a year. Otherwise (depends on which part breaks) it could get a lot more expensive.

I got also a good deal on my Macbook with Apple Care, so I am really happy. You never know what happens in the future. Otherwise, I am not sure if I wanted to pay the extra money, but I might would have.

 

[jonswan]

Buy it, of course - it's a Rev A machine so we have no idea of how they'll perform 18 months from now, AND if you resell it within that 3 year period then the value goes up and it makes it very easy to sell. Of course you don't need to buy Apple care until just before the 1st year runs out - but don't forget!

 

[akm3]

If it's a good deal then I would definitely take it. Then you're on the safe side if something fails after a year. Otherwise (depends on which part breaks) it could get a lot more expensive.

I got also a good deal on my Macbook with Apple Care, so I am really happy. You never know what happens in the future. Otherwise, I am not sure if I wanted to pay the extra money, but I might would have.

I don't know if this helps, but the cost from Apple to replace:
The logic board, the hard drive, the keyboard, and the "top case" (the aluminum that encloses the keyboard) is $757 from Apple.

That is a lot of stuff to break, not much left to ruin...the screen the touch pad, the battery, the rest of the case...the ports?

You'd have to have a lot break (and not from accident) to recoup the cost of Apple care.

 

[alphaod]

You'd have to have a lot break (and not from accident) to recoup the cost of Apple care.

Buying warranty is like expecting something to break in the future; I'd get it for the feeling being covered.

 

[Philflow]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I decided to for it. Feels safe and I propably get it back anyway when I sell it.

 

[Roquefort]

Good decision. It's a new model line, so there's an increased chance of hidden defects. And AppleCare is generally a good idea for portable computers anyway.

 

[poisonapple]

I don't know if this helps, but the cost from Apple to replace:
The logic board, the hard drive, the keyboard, and the "top case" (the aluminum that encloses the keyboard) is $757 from Apple.

That is a lot of stuff to break, not much left to ruin...the screen the touch pad, the battery, the rest of the case...the ports?

You'd have to have a lot break (and not from accident) to recoup the cost of Apple care.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I understand your math. Applecare, on even the SSD MBA is $249.00. Just replace the logic board and the cost of Apple Care pays for itself. Sound far fetched? Think back to the logic board problems of the G4 PBs. I had the logic board replaced in my 15" G4 PB twice.

If you're buying a high end laptop, and you're worried about the couple hundred bucks, maybe you're spending too much on your laptop.

 

[mac-er]

I'm not usually for extended warranties. But, I'd go for AppleCare, especially for a first generation Apple product.

I bought it for my iMacg G5 and had the motherboard and the power supply replaced due to design problems....so it more than paid for itself.

 

[akm3]

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I understand your math. Applecare, on even the SSD MBA is $249.00. Just replace the logic board and the cost of Apple Care pays for itself. Sound far fetched? Think back to the logic board problems of the G4 PBs. I had the logic board replaced in my 15" G4 PB twice.

If you're buying a high end laptop, and you're worried about the couple hundred bucks, maybe you're spending too much on your laptop.

My post was meant to actually agree with you. Yes a logic board would automatically pay for itself, but if it was just ONE item (other than the logic board...or the LCD screen) it would be unlikely to pay for itself. Is the chance of multiple items breaking (due to an Applecare covered reason, versus an accident like say, spilling coffee in it) greater then the odds of just one item breaking and not recouping the cost of Applecare? Unlikely. If it WAS likely, Apple would be losing money on Applecare, and I promise you they are not.

That said, where I do agree with you is it is an insurance plan, and some people sleep easier with that kind of insurance.

/edit: Don't forget you don't have to buy Applecare right at the beginning, you have a year I believe before you have to register for the extension.

 

[neven]

My PowerBook had 3 problems outside of warranty:

1. The keyboard got "unglued"; they had to reseal it. It's way more complicated than it sounds, and it was out for a week.
2. The lower memory slot failed (this alone cost more than AppleCare)
3. The HDD failed

Was AppleCare worth it? You bet.

 

[fuzzielitlpanda]

i'm planning to get the apple care for my mba right before the 1 year is up. there's no point in buying it now if i get a free year of warranty. however, i'll be buying it off ebay as opposed to the apple store.

 

[poisonapple]

My post was meant to actually agree with you. Yes a logic board would automatically pay for itself, but if it was just ONE item (other than the logic board...or the LCD screen) it would be unlikely to pay for itself. Is the chance of multiple items breaking (due to an Applecare covered reason, versus an accident like say, spilling coffee in it) greater then the odds of just one item breaking and not recouping the cost of Applecare? Unlikely. If it WAS likely, Apple would be losing money on Applecare, and I promise you they are not.

That said, where I do agree with you is it is an insurance plan, and some people sleep easier with that kind of insurance.

/edit: Don't forget you don't have to buy Applecare right at the beginning, you have a year I believe before you have to register for the extension.

Oh, ok. I misunderstood your post then

 

[Philflow]

There are very good deals for Apple Care on eBay.

 

[twist2b]

It says apple has the best insurance plan out there, you can get up to 400 elsewere (HP and DELL) for 4 year plans
I think its just better for safety. (does this plan cover if your mac air has been stolen?)

anyways, happy you went for it. I dont think you will be dissapointed

even if nothing happens you wont always be tense holding the thing since you will always know if something happens............. FIXED

 

[akm3]

There are very good deals for Apple Care on eBay.

I never understood this. HOW are deals on extended warranties available cheaply on eBay??

/edit: I'm not disputing they are there, they certainly are. I'm just curious who it is that is selling them, and where they get them, and why they can offer it cheaply....If they can offer this cheaply, why can't they offer iMacs and Leopard and MBP's cheaply?

 

[kockgunner]

i'm not trying to troll but does anyone think it's sad for us to expect a logic board failures in apple's products?

 

[poisonapple]

i'm not trying to troll but does anyone think it's sad for us to expect a logic board failures in apple's products?

I don't think it's just endemic to Apple. I've seen logic/mother board failures on pleny of PC based lap tops, i.e. IBM/Lenovo, Fujitsu, Toshiba...

 

[deputylove8]

If you have the money and wont feel the pinch...go for it dude....

However, for me...i didnt take up the 3 year plan...and so far..for the past 3 years..all is well. ..sent it once only to apple centre..

wanna noe y???

Lightning striked my building...and the whole building just blacked out....and my mac got went into a deep coma...good thing the people at the apple centre
performed CPR...game my mac a new heart...and POOF! Its alive!!!!

 

[neven]

Something that may not be obvious:

Student discounts on AppleCare are greater than student discounts on actual hardware. I believe AppleCare for the Air is $180 or so with the discount.

 

[Philflow]

I believe AppleCare for the Air is $180 or so with the discount.

I got mine for $169 on eBay w/o student discount.

 

[gnasher729]

I got offered a pretty good deal on 3 year Apple care on my Air. In Europe we already get one year warranty, so this would get 2 extra years.

Normally I never go for extra warranty. Should I be getting this this time?

Maybe there are special reasons for the Air that I am not aware of.
I don't need any software support.

Remember that you have twelve months time to buy AppleCare. So if you have any trouble within the first eleven month, you should consider buying AppleCare, if there is no trouble then maybe not.

AppleCare is not insurance. It doesn't cover theft, or accidents. It only covers anything that breaks during normal usage. You need to check what their policy is regarding battery replacements; maybe one of the readers knows (after three years your battery won't be like new anymore, but I don't know if it would be replaced for free because that is normal. Like your car dealer won't give you fresh tires, no matter how long the warranty runs).

Also, if there is some systematic problem (like 90% of all hard drives fail after 15 months), you will likely get it fixed even if you don't have AppleCare.