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Apple Care Worth It for the Mini?

G

gcortes

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 13, 2011
90
1
Redwood City, California
I rarely buy extended warranties, but I sprang for one for my iPhone 3g. It worked out because it had to be replaced twice in the warranty period. Do you think it would be worth it on the Mac Mini? The tech support is a plus, but I've been a good self learner.

Thanks,
Curt
 
My rule is to always get AC for laptops, never for desktops. It's served me very well for 20 years.
 
Apple seems to constantly have QC issues with LCD panels, so your're likely safe, or at least safer than the iMac owners, on the headless Mac to go without the AC.
 
gcortes said:
I rarely buy extended warranties, but I sprang for one for my iPhone 3g. It worked out because it had to be replaced twice in the warranty period. Do you think it would be worth it on the Mac Mini? The tech support is a plus, but I've been a good self learner.

Thanks,
Curt
Click to expand...

if you are buying the 799 model with a lot of other stuff all from apple online it may pay. In a minute i will post an example. with a pair of screen shots. in one case you pay 150 for apple care and get 750 coverage in the other case you pay 150 apple care and get 3000 plus coverage. if you can get the education discount or a government store discount apple care from apple is 100 bucks. so in a way it is up to you. myself I purchased a 2010 and a 2011 yesterday both basic models (with nothing else) i did not buy apple care and in my case i get the goverment discount.
 

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Last edited:
Minicube said:
My rule is to always get AC for laptops, never for desktops. It's served me very well for 20 years.
Click to expand...

Agreed on this one. With most desktop machines, the parts are pretty damn stable. So any problems you encounter will likely be within the first week or so. Once it's running properly, you rarely see anything go out.

Some people just like it no matter what, just to have that safety net. IMO, to keep yourself from having a heart attack at watching the price stack up, do yourself a favor and get it down the road when your first year of complimentary AC is gonna run out :)
 
philipma1957 said:
if you are buying the 799 model with a lot of other stuff all from apple online it may pay. In a minute i will post an example. with a screen shot
Click to expand...

I was going to get it (the $799 version) from Amazon. Sales tax is almost 10% in my California county. Amazon sells a Square Trade three year warranty for $99. No tech support.

I've done a lot of business with B&H. I'll look into that.
 
You have up to 1 year to decide. Have had 2 minis so far and never had an issue but its worth to wait until the 11th month to see if your experiencing problems.
 
The price in the Education Store on apple.com is $99. No proof required that you're a student/teacher/parent.
 
Purchase with an American Express card and you will automatically get an extra year of warranty coverage beyond the 1st year.
 
Bob Coxner said:
The price in the Education Store on apple.com is $99. No proof required that you're a student/teacher/parent.
Click to expand...

I get fed government worker discount. no proof needed so far, but I am really entitled to get it. State, local ,federal, military all have discounted apple care and gear of course. It can be a relative your spouse your parent for sure. I think your kid not sure about grand parents grandsons daughters aunts uncles cousins. You can be retired and get it. They have never ask me to prove I am entitled but like I said I am.
 
Brenzo said:
Purchase with an American Express card and you will automatically get an extra year of warranty coverage beyond the 1st year.
Click to expand...

That's not the same as AppleCare though and I imagine if anything goes wrong you have to make a claim through AmEx during that second year. Those types of claims are always a hassle and never simple. With AppleCare you deal directly with Apple and if you have an Apple store near by you can just make an appointment at the Genius bar.
 
philipma1957 said:
I get fed government worker discount. no proof needed so far, but I am really entitled to get it. State, local ,federal, military all have discounted apple care and gear of course. It can be a relative your spouse your parent for sure. I think your kid not sure about grand parents grandsons daughters aunts uncles cousins. You can be retired and get it. They have never ask me to prove I am entitled but like I said I am.
Click to expand...

Out of interest can you get the Government discount through the online Apple store and if so how ? The reason I ask is that I work for a government department here in the UK and I believe I'm entitled to a discount here too.
 
Mr.C said:
Out of interest can you get the Government discount through the online Apple store and if so how ? The reason I ask is that I work for a government department here in the UK and I believe I'm entitled to a discount here too.
Click to expand...

Try here: http://www.apple.com/r/store/government/

Whoops, never mind. Got to that link from UK Store website, but it's obviously for the US store. Odd that they'd have that link on the UK Store website.
 
I've been retired military for 15 years, bought allot of macs through apple, and never knew about this. Thanks for posting this. Looks like 20 bucks off a Mac.
 
Mr.C said:
That's not the same as AppleCare though and I imagine if anything goes wrong you have to make a claim through AmEx during that second year. Those types of claims are always a hassle and never simple. With AppleCare you deal directly with Apple and if you have an Apple store near by you can just make an appointment at the Genius bar.
Click to expand...

The only real difference is what you pointed out. The fact that AppleCare allows me to stop in and see any genius when a problem arises. AmericanExpress warranty service is a relatively hassle-free experience, just like their customer service (part of the reason you pay what you do in annual fees.) While I imagine the processing takes a few days longer, it matches the manufacturer's warranty in terms of coverage. Things like battery won't be covered, but a suddenly faulty hard drive, monitor issue (not related to physical damage caused by you), and more will be covered.
 
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