AppleCare for iMac Worth It?

[theSeb]

I was a bit late in realising how great Apple was, so I only started buying their products in 2008. I have owned two Macbook Pros, a Macbook Air, a Macbook (the 12" one), a Mac Mini, a trash can Mac Pro, loads of iphones and at least 5 iPads... maybe more actually. I have never taken out AppleCare on any of these products and I have only had a problem with the Mac Pro. A year out of the standard UK warranty the thing started acting up.

Bluescreens in Bootcamp and kernel panics in OS X. Eventually it would not boot from the internal SSD, so I started using it running of another SSD in an external enclosure. The internal SSD would sometimes show up and sometimes it would disappear. I investigated the issues using Apple Hardware Test and it reported an SSD temperature sensor failure. This was not a surprise considering the location of the SSD on top of one of the GPUs. The computer was 4 years old at this stage, so well out of warranty and no Applecare.

I took it to an Apple Store. They had a look and the chap told me that the SSD drive has failed completely and it will be somewhere around £900 to replace. I quietly and politely asked, "Is there no concession on that considering the Consumer Rights Act of 2015?" He smiled and said he will talk to his manager to see what can be done. A few minutes later he came back to tell me that the fix will be free of charge.

I guess if you live in some part of the world where your consumer rights are not great, or non-existent, then AppleCare may be a good idea. Otherwise it's probably a waste of your money.

 

[sracer]

There's no one universally beneficial approach to buying AppleCare. The decision is highly subjective and depends upon a person's own first-hand experience.

Over the years, I've purchased 60+ Apple devices that were eligible to be covered by AppleCare. I never purchased AC for any of them. In all of those years for all of those devices, I never had the opportunity to be able to use AC.

By not purchasing AC, I've saved $1000's (which allowed me to buy more devices 😆 ) For me, buying AC would be a waste of money.

On the other hand, my adult daughter has needed AC for every device she's owned. Whether it is accidents, bad hardware mojo, sunspot activity, or whatever, she could have taken advantage of having AC... but she doesn't like paying for that so she often goes without AC. For her, buying AC would actually save her money.

There are few occasions where extended warranties benefit consumers, very few. The sales pitches for EW's are often comical. When buying a new car, I can't help but literally laugh out loud when the salesman tells me the vehicle I'm buying has high quality and will last for many years, but by the time I get to the finance guy, the car will fall apart and burst into flames the day after the basic warranty expires and that's why it is important to get an EW.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Applecare is priced to provide Apple with very high margins (as most extended warranties are). While there are times and products where it might be worth it, on an iMac that will sit on a desk I wouldn't bother.

 

[mlsusa]

It comes down to your personal preference. I'd look at it as paying $170 up front for repairs you may wind up needing in the next 3 years.

If you don't anticipate needing repairs within the first 3 years and therefore would rather put that money elsewhere, that's fair. All I'd say about that is, things happen no matter how careful you are with your devices.

For my previous iMac, a late 2012, I wound up needing to bring it in twice. The first time was for screen bruising. They needed to replace the LCD panel which cost around $650. The second time the hinge for the stand broke and the cost to replace it was about $100. Both happened after the first year and if I didn't have AC I would've had to pay that out of pocket. But with AC I didn't pay a cent.

Tangentially, I also bought AppleCare for my iPhone. Sure enough I've also used it twice after the first year. One was to replace the battery and the other was because of an issue with the casing.

I consider myself very careful with how I treat my things. I certainly don't come close to abusing them in any way. I'm well within what would probably be considered normal daily usage and handling. I don't run anything taxing on either my iMac or iPhone. I handle my iMac very carefully on the rare occasion it needs to be moved around. I've never dropped my iPhone on the floor (it's slipped out of my pocket onto the sofa many times, if you consider that dropping it), and put it down gently whenever I need to; I don't throw it on the desk or bed or anything when I'm not using it. And yet they've had to be brought in for repairs, and AC has paid for itself many times over because of it.

 

[ignatius345]

Over the years, I've purchased 60+ Apple devices that were eligible to be covered by AppleCare. I never purchased AC for any of them. In all of those years for all of those devices, I never had the opportunity to be able to use AC.

That's a pretty amazing batting average! I think I've fallen somewhere in the middle: most Macs never saw a repair, a few that had a swollen battery or a bad display.

On the iPhone side of things, I've managed to crack several displays, and have found that even when not strictly covered by AppleCare (this was before AppleCare+), on multiple occasions they've kind of looked the other way and given me a refurb as a replacement.

For those who choose to sell off their devices a couple years after purchase, I would point out that an active AppleCare agreement is definitely a good selling point, as it offers some assurance to the buyer, and is transferable.

 

[hoodafoo]

I was a bit late in realising how great Apple was, so I only started buying their products in 2008. I have owned two Macbook Pros, a Macbook Air, a Macbook (the 12" one), a Mac Mini, a trash can Mac Pro, loads of iphones and at least 5 iPads... maybe more actually. I have never taken out AppleCare on any of these products and I have only had a problem with the Mac Pro. A year out of the standard UK warranty the thing started acting up.

Bluescreens in Bootcamp and kernel panics in OS X. Eventually it would not boot from the internal SSD, so I started using it running of another SSD in an external enclosure. The internal SSD would sometimes show up and sometimes it would disappear. I investigated the issues using Apple Hardware Test and it reported an SSD temperature sensor failure. This was not a surprise considering the location of the SSD on top of one of the GPUs. The computer was 4 years old at this stage, so well out of warranty and no Applecare.

I took it to an Apple Store. They had a look and the chap told me that the SSD drive has failed completely and it will be somewhere around £900 to replace. I quietly and politely asked, "Is there no concession on that considering the Consumer Rights Act of 2015?" He smiled and said he will talk to his manager to see what can be done. A few minutes later he came back to tell me that the fix will be free of charge.

I guess if you live in some part of the world where your consumer rights are not great, or non-existent, then AppleCare may be a good idea. Otherwise it's probably a waste of your money.

I think that they look at your history of owned devices and the fact that you've never chirped about any of them until that incident with your iMac Pro and gave you a courtesy pass. If you were the type to bring something up on a regular basis, I don't think it would have been a free fix despite your threat with Consumer Rights Act

 

[MacStreamer]

After my 2017 developed dust under the screen in year 3 of owning it, I added AC to my 2020 iMac.

 

[Expos of 1969]

I agree with those who say that AC is usually a poor use of money. Unfortunately, over the past few years Apple’s interest in producing high quality products and spending time on quality control in the manufacturing process seems to have dropped. So not buying AC these days may not be the slam dunk decision it was in the past. Some others will of course disagree and that is fine.

 

[Tonal]

I have owned four Macs over the past 14 years (3 iMacs and 1 Mac Pro). Three of them have needed repair within the first three years of purchase. The superior quality of Macs is a complete myth in my opinion. That includes desktop Macs. So I highly suggest buying AppleCare. But you can postpone the decision since you can wait up to a year after purchase before buying AppleCare for a product.

Actually, AppleCare+ can now only be purchased within 60 days of Mac purchase - not a year.

The old AppleCare without the + / accidental damage was discontinued last year.

 

[SmallDane]

Actually, AppleCare+ can now only be purchased within 60 days of Mac purchase - not a year.

The old AppleCare without the + / accidental damage was discontinued last year.

Thank you for the correction. That's quite important to remember.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Actually, AppleCare+ can now only be purchased within 60 days of Mac purchase - not a year.

The old AppleCare without the + / accidental damage was discontinued last year.

Did Apple reverse itself?

See: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/17/21372569/apple-applecare-plus-purchase-window-now-one-year

 

[Tonal]

Did Apple reverse itself?

See: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/17/21372569/apple-applecare-plus-purchase-window-now-one-year

I never heard about it flipping to a year (worked at a big box until recently) so maybe it's still limited to certain Apple stores but definitely not universal.

Their website and new phones (Settings - General - About - AppleCare+) also says 60 days.

A lot of people buying it months later don't do it because they found cash burning a hole - and decided to buy an extended warranty instead of going for a Costco grocery run. It's usually because the screen's already cracked, coffee's spilled, etc. Everything has to be screened when buying it later on.

Buying upfront = no hassle later.