It is definitely worth it. I didn't think i'd need it but my parents bought it for me anyway - within the 1 year warranty, only the battery went nuts, but they replaced that for free. 3 months outside what would have been the end of free applecare - my HD died (thanks seagate), my trackpad button stopped working, and my disc drive failed to read DVDs and crashed while installing leopard. All in all, it would have cost a lot, lot more if i hadnt had the apple care. Its definitely worth it, IMO. Maybe im just accident prone though.