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Tall Steve

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 28, 2006
39
0
I am a mac newbie, actually still a wanna be for a few more weeks.

Normally when ever I buy anything I never go for the extended warranties because if you do the statistical annalysis is does not make sense, how ever I see so many people refer to the apple care on this board I wanted some of your input on why to get it.

Plus with the education discount it is only 119.00 rather than 169.00 which makes is a better option.

Thanks in advance
T.S.
 
The search option will bring up a million threads.

Essentially, the consensus here (majority opinion, not universal opinion) is that laptop owners should buy AppleCare - probably near the end of the first year (but not at the very end, as processing takes a day or three).

Desktop owners who want peace of mind should buy it, but it's less generally recommended - far more people suggest getting it for laptops than desktops, but a lot of people get it for their desktops as well.

I buy it for all of my laptops but about half of my desktops.
 
If you get screwed once by not having the extended warranty, you'll buy it every time after that. $120 is worth it for the peace of mind. Go with it and rest (relatively) easy for the next three years.
 
Tall Steve said:
....Normally when ever I buy anything I never go for the extended warranties because if you do the statistical annalysis is does not make sense....


the few statistics that are available, at least those that I've seen, suggest that the chance of using or needing the extended warranty for Apple's computers is about the same as for other manufacturers
 
jsw said:
The search option will bring up a million threads.

Essentially, the consensus here (majority opinion, not universal opinion) is that laptop owners should buy AppleCare - probably near the end of the first year (but not at the very end, as processing takes a day or three)....


after reading your reply I wondered if there have been any Macrumors polls or surveys about buying applecare. The one I found shows that the majority of people don't buy applecare (56% according to the poll).........but the poll is more than 3 years old now and I wonder if that has changed with the current line of products

anyway, the poll from the past;
http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=116&ref=forums.macrumors.com
 
It really depends on how long you expect to use your computer. For instance, I bought it on my iMac because I expect to use it for at least 4 years. My laptop, however, doesn't have it, since I bought the lowest config possible. When (if) my laptop dies, I plan on buying another one and using the money I saved from not buying AppleCare as a "rebate".
 
Applecare for $119 is a good deal. If you do not get it with the machine, make sure you can get this price later. Usually you get a lower price if you buy Applecare at the same time as the computer. If you think you you are going to get the extended support, buy it now. Besides the price break, you get the 3 years of phone support and, most importantly, your whole computer purchase is behind you. $119 does not seem like a lot when added into the price of the machine, it will seem like more later. Plus, you do not have to worry about forgetting (as many do).
 
A good rule of thumb for applecare would be if you are buying a 1st generation machine (Any Intel Mac) wether notebook OR Desktop your much better off getting AppleCare.
The Machines that have been perfected through many revisions are much less likely to fail within 3 years.
 
gman71882 said:
A good rule of thumb for applecare would be if you are buying a 1st generation machine (Any Intel Mac) wether notebook OR Desktop your much better off getting AppleCare.
The Machines that have been perfected through many revisions are much less likely to fail within 3 years.

more specifically if you plan on buying a macbook or macbook pro with merom when it comes out. I plan on waiting a few weeks to assure myself that there aren't any major flaws. But even after that i would still buy apple care
 
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