Apple Care on iMac - General Consenus

[RedlegsFan]

Obviously, if I had the extra funds I would purchase this when I purchase an iMac for peace of mind for a few extra years, but for those who have had iMac's for several years, how are they holding up, generally speaking? Have you had to utilize Apple Care?

 

[ray737]

Apple care is a must I think. Just for peace of mind. I had to use it when I had a power surge that messed up my iMac. I even had a surge protector. It was the only time I had to use apple care for my iMac. It has been totally trouble free beyond that 2011 iMac 27

 

[roadkill401]

I have had my iMac for about 16 months and still having issues with the unit. I'd hate to admit but this $3500+ computer is an overpriced hunk of junk. Now Apple says that it is all software issues, but that software effects the use of the hardware and who do you blame the issues on.

- keyboard and mouse constantly dropping and cannot connect consistently.
- usb accessories work for a bit and then stop.
- screen has major image retention so you can't use the iMac to watch a movie or a tv show full screen.
- contacts doesn't link right with facetime or imessage
- photo's doesn't work and re-formate photo's when connecting to my iPad

I have apple care but it doens't amount to much as the machine still doesn't work like it should and apple will not do anything to fix the issue. What is very frustrating is that some of these 'software' issues cannot be replicated on any other machine at apple, or the apple store or other people who own an apple product. So the software glitch is isolated to my hardware so it will never get addressed by apple or ever expected to get fixed. So reality is that apple care is a bit of a waste as the product is a total waste of money. I had better service and equipment support with a $350 HP

 

[Keebler]

Obviously, if I had the extra funds I would purchase this when I purchase an iMac for peace of mind for a few extra years, but for those who have had iMac's for several years, how are they holding up, generally speaking? Have you had to utilize Apple Care?

My thoughts:

- they are expensive to fix generally speaking

- I've owned 8 Macs with, thankfully no major issues, but a few times DVD burners have died or in the case of an iPhone, a problem with the camera. Applecare fixed them quickly.

- big thing for me - mine are all business machines so I'm losing money if they're not being fixed plus, if I don't have Applecare, it's an expense I don't want whereas if i buy Applecare up front, it's tax deductible to a certain extent. Peace of mind too

Factor Applecare in over the years you plan to have the Mac an it's worth it imho.

My buddy stubbornly refused to put the money out on his Macbook. Sure enough, it ended up needing some work. He was livid at the cost.

Yes, I was the jerk who reminded him about the small cost of Applecare vs his repair...

Again for me, it's business related reasons.

But I'd buy if even still.

 

[997440]

I have had my iMac for about 16 months and still having issues with the unit. I'd hate to admit but this $3500+ computer is an overpriced hunk of junk. Now Apple says that it is all software issues, but that software effects the use of the hardware and who do you blame the issues on.

- keyboard and mouse constantly dropping and cannot connect consistently.
- usb accessories work for a bit and then stop.
- screen has major image retention so you can't use the iMac to watch a movie or a tv show full screen.
- contacts doesn't link right with facetime or imessage
- photo's doesn't work and re-formate photo's when connecting to my iPad

I have apple care but it doens't amount to much as the machine still doesn't work like it should and apple will not do anything to fix the issue. What is very frustrating is that some of these 'software' issues cannot be replicated on any other machine at apple, or the apple store or other people who own an apple product. So the software glitch is isolated to my hardware so it will never get addressed by apple or ever expected to get fixed. So reality is that apple care is a bit of a waste as the product is a total waste of money. I had better service and equipment support with a $350 HP

If you've exhausted all other means of escalation, email a synopsis of your situation to Tim Cook. Best of my knowledge, it's still tcook(at)apple.com.

 

[RUGERMAN]

Apple care is a must I think. Just for peace of mind. I had to use it when I had a power surge that messed up my iMac. I even had a surge protector. It was the only time I had to use apple care for my iMac. It has been totally trouble free beyond that 2011 iMac 27

I certainly wouldn't argue against AC, but I have had an IMAC bought Refurb in 2010. 3.06 C2D 500 g HD and it still runs beautifully. I did add memory 2 months ago, but that's it. If you are not near an Apple store AC is worth it just for the phone support. My daughter had a HD go out on the same year IMAC but that's all. Only a couple hundred bucks so they still saved a little without AC.

 

[Weaselboy]

Obviously, if I had the extra funds I would purchase this when I purchase an iMac for peace of mind for a few extra years, but for those who have had iMac's for several years, how are they holding up, generally speaking? Have you had to utilize Apple Care?

I have owned literally dozens of Apple products over the last 14 years and never bought AppleCare and never once had anything happen that would have allowed me to use AppleCare. With all the money I have saved, if my rMBP broke today and I threw it in the trash and bought a new one for cash, I would still be ahead.

Nobody can answer this for you. If having the peace of mind makes you feel better, then have at it. But I don't see the value.

 

[golfgirlgolf]

I'll usually get it - but buy it after the fact on Ebay or Amazon. You can still purchase it any time during the original 1 year warranty period. It doesn't add 3 years in addition, only from the date you 1st purchased it.

Generally I don't ever have problems with any Mac but, off an on over the last 30 years of ownership, sometimes things happen. Being a 3 year program if you plan on selling and upgrading every 2-3 years it's also very helpful as a resale point.

 

[bodonnell202]

I generally get AppleCare+ on my iPhone as it gives me some peace of mind that if I break my $1000 device (that I carry around everywhere with me) I will be able to get it replaced without dropping another $1000. I've honestly never invested in AppleCare on a Mac and I've never had a hardware issue on a Mac (including the now 7 year old iMac that my parents still use), but I'm also tech savvy enough that I can troubleshoot software issues on my own. If it gives you peace of mind, go for it but I don't think it is a must have if you or someone in your life can troubleshoot software issues without an Apple Genius.

 

[CWallace]

My iMacs have all been fine, but considering there are no user-serviceable parts inside, if there ever was a problem I'd likely be faced with a repair bill more than the original cost of AC or a scrapped machine. So I always get it for piece of mind.

 

[colodane]

I do recommend getting AppleCare on iMacs. For the record, I'm not generally big on extended warranties. I never buy them on my cars, appliances, etc. I also do not purchase AppleCare on my iPad and iPod iOS devices. Or on an iPhone if I had one.

There are a couple reasons for this seemingly inconsistent behavior on my part. First, look at the ratio of insured value vs. the "premium" cost. Any iMac I would buy is around or over $3000, and the AppleCare cost is about $150 if memory serves. My iOS devices top out in cost at less than $1000, yet Apple charges even more for insuring them than they do for iMacs. Probably because people damage them. I take good care of my iOS devices and, in the event that I do really screw up, feel fine with self-insuring for a loss of a few hundred $$.

Another consideration is that the iMac is pretty much a non-repairable device for the average customer. It is highly integrated - you can't even get inside the dang thing without messing around with special adhesives, etc. So pretty much any repair, even for an inexpensive component, tends to be an expensive proposition. And, of course, a failure of the logic board, screen or GPU would cost more than we want to think about. It isn't like an "old-fashioned" computer where I can swap out drives, GPU, power supply, monitor, etc. for just the cost of the new component. Don't read this as a slam on Apple's reliability. I think it is tops for consumer-level computers. But there will eventually be failures for some people.

That is why I choose not to self-insure on an iMac. I don't have a need or a desire to own a MacBook, but would probably also purchase AppleCare on that since is has comparable levels of cost and integration.

If you are on the fence, this may convince you: With AppleCare you get free phone support for 3 years. I have not yet needed an hardware replacement but have used the phone support several times to resolve system and software issues. It was fast, efficient, and very helpful.

Also, with AppleCare on an iMac you get the same warranty extended to Apple peripheral devices purchased during a very generous time window. Think items such as AirPort routers, DVD drives, Keyboards, etc.

So, all-in-all, I think it is a pretty good deal.

 

[havokalien]

I recommend applecare if you can afford it as usually they wont repair if you take it in, they will just replace with exact gear or replace. The stores if you can get to they are pretty good about it usually.

There will always be horror stories. Every set of goods, no matter how well made has a failure rate that cannot be foreseen. I have had macs for alot of years now, and had minimal issues, when I had an issue that was really basically my fault in essence (act of god lightning strike/power surge) the repair shop still was able to have apple replace my imac G4 motherboard on the last day of warranty.

Just have to use some tact, be calm, breathe and ask nice. Usually they will do what they can.

 

[maflynn]

I have it, part of my reasoning is that the iMac (like all Macs now it seems) is virtually sealed, and if something failed inside, in 13 or 15 months, I'd be pretty much screwed. Its basically insurance and you're buying peace of mind.

I've purchased AppleCare on and off, and I think I've only needed it once

 

[NZiMac]

I too have been pondering whether to get Applecare as my iMac will be a year old at the end of this month. It has been problem free so far. From your posts I think it would be worth investing in.

 

[circatee]

Just bought my first Mac, ever. And, I made it a point to buy Apple Care. Then again, I have it on my iPad Air II and iPhone 6s Plus, too

 

[maflynn]

From your posts I think it would be worth investing in.

Its really a personal decision, but the odds are any problems incurred from month 13 and beyond will likely exceed the cost of AppleCare. That's basically the logic I've used, perhaps in the past when Macs were more open, I was less willing as I could do much of the work myself, but now that they're they're glued and what not, its easier to drop the $$ and have peace of mind.

 

[RedlegsFan]

It's nice you can pick up Apple Care on sites like Amazon and save a little bit of money.

 

[Poncho]

If you live in the UK your Mac will be covered for up to six years after purchase so Apple Care is a waste of money.

I believe the same holds for other countries in the EU.

See here: http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

Oh yeah, and I'm still using an iMac I bought in 2008 and a white plastic Macbook I bought in 2006. Neither has skipped a beat.