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Apple Care+ (Plus) worth it for Mac Studio?
- Thread starter JojiApple
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For the Mac Studio? Yes. it's affordable at $59.00/year. I got the yearly AppleCare+ for my new 14" MBP M1 Pro as well.
For a mac that will be sitting on your desk 24/7, won’t be leaving your house, wouldn’t bother getting AC+.
Not sure what the consumer laws are in your country, we get 3 years warranty on macs here in Australia.
Not sure what the consumer laws are in your country, we get 3 years warranty on macs here in Australia.
Statistically, no. Extended warranties are always priced such that they charge the customer more than the probable cost of repairs. Which is why they sell extend warranties. If you were to set aside the money you save on never buying warranties, you could have an emergency fund able to pay for any repair you might encounter and maybe a small vacation. That being said, I did include AppleCare in my Studio order. I know that it will probably be a net cost of no redeemed value, but I'm not perfectly rational and this gives me some "peace of mind" in the face of concerns about the limited repairability for Apple Silicon devices.
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I agree.
For a laptop, I would get AC+ as there are many things that can go wrong carrying it around.
But for a mac that is stationary all the time, no. Generally, if something in electronics will fail, it is usually within a year.
My 2011 27" iMac got the video card replaced twice during the 3 years of AC+. Without AC+, each GPU card would have been $600. AC+ for the iMac was $129 if I recall. After that, I get AC+ for all my Apple devices but for stay home iPads.
I got the 3 year Applecare+ with my Studio Ultra. I had a 2011 MBP with a failed GPU due to lead-free solder (which unfortunately failed after the recall ended!) and I've heard plenty of stories of GPUs failing on 2013 Mac Pros.
As a V1 Apple product I do expect some bugs to appear in the Studio, and even if I never use the Applecare, I think it could increase the resale value as well, if I want to trade up to the Studio 2.
As a V1 Apple product I do expect some bugs to appear in the Studio, and even if I never use the Applecare, I think it could increase the resale value as well, if I want to trade up to the Studio 2.
100% agree - desktops no AC - laptops / tablets yes AC.
My last AC purchase was for the ill fated 16" Intel MBP which I am glad I did as the battery degenerated quickly due to the high temps and full on fans....
The SSDs are confirmed to be slotted not soldered, one less worry to consider down the road. Though the AC+ price for the Studio is pretty low, and it does not increase with BTO options even with upgrading to M1 Ultra, so if you spec yours out hard it’s more worthy.
That is my point. You are taking no less than $2000 our of your pocket, so $60 a year is peanuts compared to AC+ for iPhone or MacBook Pro. Better having it and not needing it than needing it and not having it!!!
No brainier in my opinion. Just saved me £1132 (after paying £229) as spilt some water accidentally on my MacBook Pro 14 which saw them having to replace speakers, keyboard and logic board. You therefore dont realise its value until it is needed as this would not have fallen within warranty rights.
Here's how I understand the AppleCare+ plan (for U.S. purchases) based on the terms and conditions and information on the Apple website:
AppleCare+ for Mac Studio is $169 (adds 2 additional years to 1 year warranty), or is $60 per year. You have 60 days after purchase to sign up for either plan.
So you actually pay $11 more for the first 3 total years of coverage by signing up for yearly payments.
The yearly plan automatically renews each year until you cancel, but Apple has the right to discontinue the plan whenever they no longer want to support a product model.
The 3-year (2 additional years) pay up front plan does not automatically renew. Currently, you can choose to convert to a continuing annual plan within 30 days of the 3-year plan expiring, but that could change in the future.
I'll probably go with the annual plan for $11 more just so it automatically renews and nothing later distracts me from continuing the cheap $60 a year plan after 3 years.
AppleCare+ for Mac Studio is $169 (adds 2 additional years to 1 year warranty), or is $60 per year. You have 60 days after purchase to sign up for either plan.
So you actually pay $11 more for the first 3 total years of coverage by signing up for yearly payments.
The yearly plan automatically renews each year until you cancel, but Apple has the right to discontinue the plan whenever they no longer want to support a product model.
The 3-year (2 additional years) pay up front plan does not automatically renew. Currently, you can choose to convert to a continuing annual plan within 30 days of the 3-year plan expiring, but that could change in the future.
I'll probably go with the annual plan for $11 more just so it automatically renews and nothing later distracts me from continuing the cheap $60 a year plan after 3 years.
I bought the yearly subscription. I guess the best case scenario is that I'll yet again find that I never needed it, which could make me feel it wasn't worth it. 😁
This is statistically true in the aggregate, which is the view from the perspective of a large vendor of insurance and why it's such a profitable business. It is however *not* true from the perspective of the insured, because your personal device failure rate is not the statistical average, but literally either 0% or 100%. It's always a negative bet, because the insurer needs to make a profit, but in exchange you are protected against catastrophic loss. Lots of people who can afford $100/y would struggle to replace a $5000 computer.
After 60 days you can't purchase either AppleCare plan online but you can walk into any Apple store and purchase either plan up to one year after purchase if you let them inspect it and the machine is found to be in good working order. If it doesn't pass it will need to be repaired first by Apple and then you can purchase the plan once it passes.
The aggregate also works for the consumer when viewed across all their purchases, which is why I mentioned putting the extended warranty money into an emergency fund. If, as a personal policy, you put money for any extended warranty you would consider into an emergency fund instead, you will most likely come out ahead even after paying for a few expensive repairs/replacements over the years.
Though one thing to consider is that “cost of repairs” is typically different for the manufacturer than the end user. I don’t believe it typically works this way, but the warranty price could be less than the average cost of repairs as charged to the customer, but still more than the average cost for the manufacturer.
Grant it was a laptop, but I still remember my 2011 MacBook Pro GPU failing and getting a 2013 retina MacBook Pro because of AppleCare.
I don’t anticipate every needing to use Apple Care + on the Studio unless there’s a design defect, but at $60 a year it gives me a mental comfort and that is worth the cost to me.
I don’t anticipate every needing to use Apple Care + on the Studio unless there’s a design defect, but at $60 a year it gives me a mental comfort and that is worth the cost to me.
With no way to clean dust out of the thing without voiding warranty, I wonder if it is good to get Apple Care for the Mac Studio. Surely after a few years these things will be full of dust.
I have a M1 Ultra coming next week that I haven't bought apple care for yet. Think I probably should reading peoples views here.
I have a M1 Ultra coming next week that I haven't bought apple care for yet. Think I probably should reading peoples views here.