AppleCare Protection Plan?

[MacFan91]

Hi Guys,

my MacBook is now almost 1 year old.

I have to decide until the end of November if I want to buy an ACPP.

So far nothing has happened to my MacBook.

Even thought it only costs about 150$ at Ebay it is still really expensive.

Do you think I should buy it?

Do you have one?

 

[djinn]

Hi Guys,

my MacBook is now almost 1 year old.

I have to decide until the end of November if I want to buy an ACPP.

So far nothing has happened to my MacBook.

Even thought it only costs about 150$ at Ebay it is still really expensive.

Do you think I should buy it?

Do you have one?

I am in the same boat and as everyone knows, its that one day after your warranty expires something happens. Its like a curse as if the manufacturers rigged their product to break that one day after.

So personally, even if something hasn't happened yet, it wouldn't be a bad call. I'm renewing mine in Dec.

 

[cmaier]

Hi Guys,

my MacBook is now almost 1 year old.

I have to decide until the end of November if I want to buy an ACPP.

So far nothing has happened to my MacBook.

Even thought it only costs about 150$ at Ebay it is still really expensive.

Do you think I should buy it?

Do you have one?

It comes down to placing a bet. If you buy it, you are betting that you'll need $150 of repairs in the next 2 years. If you don't, you are betting that you won't.

If something goes wrong, there's a good chance it would cost you $150 or more, though if you feel comfortable fixing things yourself, you can save the labor.

I don't think there's a good way to answer you. I am very comfortable repairing laptops, but I bought it, just because my experience with other laptops is that things tend to go awry after a couple years, and I think I'll have my MBP longer than I have kept other laptops. But, again, it's just a gamble.

 

[f1]

I am in the same boat and as everyone knows, its that one day after your warranty expires something happens. Its like a curse as if the manufacturers rigged their product to break that one day after.

So personally, even if something hasn't happened yet, it wouldn't be a bad call. I'm renewing mine in Dec.

how do u renew ur applecare? i thought u can only purchase it once and after the three years is up u can't get anymore coverage even if your're willing to pay for it??

 

[sammich]

how do u renew ur applecare? i thought u can only purchase it once and after the three years is up u can't get anymore coverage even if your're willing to pay for it??

You can only purchase AppleCare Warranty once. It lasts up to the end of the 3rd year of ownership of your computer. Unfortunately, that means you can't renew. It wouldn't make sense for a company to offer lifetime warranty, especially for computers, as things get older, more and more problems show themselves, and it would be difficult to prove whose fault it is, therefore after 3 years, it is always your fault (in a manner of speaking).

 

[noodle654]

Do it. I promise that your MacBook will have a problem within the next few months. Think about it this way.

Your screen/motherboard magically dies.

With AppleCare----> Free ($150 on eBay but you are covered for 3 years)

Without AppleCare----> Apple quotes you a nice solid $1000 for the repair.

What do you think your best option is?

 

[agentphish]

I have had my powerbook g4 1.5 ghz for 3 years an 2 months.

At 2 years and 11 months I had both the screen and hard drive crap out on me... IMO those are the two most likely components to crap out on you and they did, and have now been replaced by apple for free and hopefully I can get another 2 years out of this machine.

Applecare is worth it... ESPECIALLY on a laptop (or any device w/ a larger LCD screen)

 

[CalBoy]

I actually answered the same question earlier today (for a mbp instead of a macbook though, but the logic holds up the same), so I'm just going to copy and paste my answers and one other poster's answers. Sorry

Fact: A macbook pro costs around $2000 +tax for the base model.

Fact: Applecare on a macbook pro is $350 from Apple, and less if you buy via ebay. I'm going to be simplistic about it and assume $350.

Fact: Hardware that is likely to fail is most likely to fail within the first year of a product's lifespan.

Fact: Applecare is a product/service like any other; its end goal is to make money for Apple.

Fact: Apple has a profit margin of around 50% on Applecare. The hardware margins are around 30%.

Fact: Most credit card companies offer free extended warranties (mine does; one extra year at no cost to me-plus I get 2% cash back on my purchase ).

Now, if we examine all of these facts objectively, we see that Apple sells Applecare on mbps for $350, with a profit of around $175 (50%). This is after having retail employees sell it to you, after creating the system which maintains records, and after the legal expenses involved (probably the highest cost of production).

With these facts alone, we can surmise that you are statistically only likely to need a total of $175 worth of coverage on your mbp, for which you must pay $350. Sounds like a bad deal to me so far.

Now, we all know how insurance works, so I'm not going to bother with actuarial science here (especially with the way I suck at math ).

The odds of your particular mbp needing extra work between months 13 and 36 are incredibly low. The fact is that because Apple only pays out $175/mbp on average, the odds of your particular notebook needing an expensive repair (or an entirely new machine) are low. If we do some quick math, we find that $175/$2000=8.75%. In other words, the odds of your notebook needing a complete replacement or extensive repairs is less than 9% (less when we consider the others administrative costs of Applecare).

So, is it worth it? I'd say it isn't. With the free year of extended coverage I get, my odds of being covered are quite good. I feel no need to shell out an additional $350 of "insurance" that is statistically unlikely to help me.

If you're in a position where you don't foresee being able to pay for a repair that has an 8.75% chance of happening, Applecare might be a good idea for you. However, there are better insurance policies out there, especially for students. Many of them cover accidental damage and are priced better.

Even more the point, insurance should only be purchased to cover losses that you cannot pay for yourself should you incur them. Insuring for relatively minor losses that you could easily address yourself is going to be a bad deal for you in the long run (and a very good deal for the insurer). For some people, the loss of a $1,100 MacBook might be a major hardship, so paying a 20% premium for it upfront might make some sense. But if you keep in mind that by the end of the three years, your $1,100 MacBook would probably cost maybe $500-600 to replace, then that $250 AppleCare premium has to look kind of excessive. In effect, you're bargaining that there's a better than 50/50 chance of that your MacBook will become inoperative within three years.

 

[Tshapi]

Lets get a few things straight here.

1. $150 for the macbook on ebay? or $150 for Acpp via ebay?

2. you can do all the mathematical calculating you want to rationalize why you shouldn't protect your investment.

Look at it this way, spend the extra money now, and your gauranteeing that your computer will be defect free for at least a couple more years, because if something turns up faulty it gets replaced FREE!

IF YOU DO NOT BUY A WARRANTY, THEN IF SOMETHING TURNS UP FAULTY, YOUR PROBABLY BETTER OFF PURCHASING A NEW COMPUTER OR YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT OUT OF POCKET.

I bought my current computer from Bestbuy, i got the 3 year warranty. just after it turned a year old, it dies, i bring it in and find out that my hard drive got corrupted so i got a free hard drive replacement, just a few weeks ago i take it in again and they replace the LCD and my AC adapter still unter the warranty.

Now imaging where i would be if i had to pay for all of that out of pocket?

This computer is almost 2 years old now.

My opinion,

better safe than sorry!

Also, if for some reason you decide to sell before the warranty is up, the warranty is a good selling point.

 

[CalBoy]

Lets get a few things straight here.

1. $150 for the macbook on ebay? or $150 for Acpp via ebay?

2. you can do all the mathematical calculating you want to rationalize why you shouldn't protect your investment.

Look at it this way, spend the extra money now, and your gauranteeing that your computer will be defect free for at least a couple more years, because if something turns up faulty it gets replaced FREE!

IF YOU DO NOT BUY A WARRANTY, THEN IF SOMETHING TURNS UP FAULTY, YOUR PROBABLY BETTER OFF PURCHASING A NEW COMPUTER OR YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT OUT OF POCKET.

I bought my current computer from Bestbuy, i got the 3 year warranty. just after it turned a year old, it dies, i bring it in and find out that my hard drive got corrupted so i got a free hard drive replacement, just a few weeks ago i take it in again and they replace the LCD and my AC adapter still unter the warranty.

Now imaging where i would be if i had to pay for all of that out of pocket?

This computer is almost 2 years old now.

My opinion,

better safe than sorry!

Also, if for some reason you decide to sell before the warranty is up, the warranty is a good selling point.

I don't really care to rehash the same point over and over, but it's long been known that extended warranties are a losing bet, especially for electronics. Your story is great, but it doesn't represent the real-life odds of failure, for if it did, no one would sell extended warranties

The fact is that if the replacement cost of a macbook isn't too high for you, then Applecare is pointless. Insurance works best when what you insure is too costly to replace out of pocket (your home, your health, etc).

Lastly, my point about credit cards still stands. Mine gives me one free year of extended protection, which renders Applecare a really bad value.

 

[Dybbuk]

For $350 from Apple? No.
For $150 from eBay? Hell yes.

 

[MacFan91]

But I have new Ram and I am going to buy a new HDD in a few weeks.

Does it still make sence?

 

[emac82]

But I have new Ram and I am going to buy a new HDD in a few weeks.

Does it still make sence?

Yes.

 

[CalBoy]

But I have new Ram and I am going to buy a new HDD in a few weeks.

Does it still make sence?

Yes.

Not really. The HD is the most likely unit to fail. If you're buying your own, then Applecare won't cover the new unit, only the one they put in.

 

[byakuya]

there seem to be a lot of "applecare yes or no threads" lately and I will give my standard answer.

buy it-150 bucks for the MB applecare via ebay or other resellers...it's def. worth it...that's around a quarter per day you pay for peaceful sleep
and free repairs for the next two years (if it falls under warranty)

 

[CalBoy]

tthat's around a quarter per day you pay for peaceful sleep

Wow, if you're losing sleep over it, you need a shrink!

and free repairs for the next two years (if it falls under warranty)

But the fact that accidents aren't covered really negates a great deal of the benefits of Applecare. It provides no safety net for those who have children or who work in chaotic environments. Plans offered by retails stores that include accidental coverage are often only marginally more than Applecare. That is more justifiable.

 

[byakuya]

Wow, if you're losing sleep over it, you need a shrink!


But the fact that accidents aren't covered really negates a great deal of the benefits of Applecare. It provides no safety net for those who have children or who work in chaotic environments. Plans offered by retails stores that include accidental coverage are often only marginally more than Applecare. That is more justifiable.

it was just an example of the cost...and a way to interpret LOL
in fact not so sure how I would sleep without applecare (have switched 6 months ago..so never been with an "unprotected" mac before

you're absolutely right about those household accidents...they're not covered but for me one of the main selling points was also the fact that you get global service (which is important to me because I am abroad a lot).

 

[smadder]

Definitely worth it!

It's completely worth it. If you buy from Apple's education store online, it's way cheaper. I have always done what you are doing: cruise for the better part of the first year before buying the APP. This way, if a new design or major upgrade comes out that you want (and for me, this almost ALWAYS happens ever since the Intel transition - not that it's a bad thing), you can sell your current MB without tossing out the APP with it.

Turnaround time on repairs have been as short as 3 business days and as long as 5 for me (and those are the only two I've ever experienced). And believe it or not, when my iBook died, they sent me a refurb MB Core Duo (which was the latest at the time). I was so excited when I opened that box; I checked the documentation a dozen times to make sure it was really for me. They even transferred my data for me. It's the best computer support I have ever experienced. It reminds me of what Dell and Gateway were like when the Pentium 2's/3's came out and both companies were in their heydays. If you are planning on keeping your MB for a good while longer, I'd get it, or some kind of alternate coverage plan as suggested by CalBoy. If not, I would suggest that (if you can) you sell it, get the SR based MB, and cruise for a year again. It just depends on your financial situation and how much of a gearhead you are. I, unfortunately, am a gearhead. But recently finances haven't been so hot, so my MB is going to hang out for a while, but I'm going to wait until the end of year one to get the APP if I have decided to keep it a few more years and I can afford to buy the plan. I've just had such great care and response from them, it's worth it to me, especially with the education discount. And I think most folks know you can get an ed discount without actually being a student or working at a school. I work in higher ed so I haven't lied to Apple yet, but I know a ton of people go through the online ed store to save some money. Dishonest? Yes. Cheaper? Yes. I do think CalBoy's and other posts are right about the screen and the HD being the things to go first. I'd add the optical drive to that. I think besides the screen it's the easiest thing to break. One screwy or dirty or dusty disc, and you could be SOL.

 

[Karpfish]

I actually answered the same question earlier today (for a mbp instead of a macbook though, but the logic holds up the same), so I'm just going to copy and paste my answers and one other poster's answers. Sorry

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Apple may only pay out $175/MBP, but that is Apple's cost. For a repair that costs $175 in parts of Apple, you are looking at a bill well over the price of Applecare if you are indeed out of warranty. Done. You lose.

 

[CalBoy]

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Apple may only pay out $175/MBP, but that is Apple's cost. For a repair that costs $175 in parts of Apple, you are looking at a bill well over the price of Applecare if you are indeed out of warranty. Done. You lose.

You misunderstood what I meant by $175/mbp. Apple does pay out up to the cost of your mbp for certain repairs (essentially giving you a new one), but that is not the norm. By far, 90%+ of Applecare buyers will never go in for repairs because they will not have problems. Apple pays out an average of $175 per mbp based on what they charge for extended warranty services. Like others have pointed out, your mbp will depreciate by more than the value of Applecare over those two years. All around, Applecare is a bad deal because of the high margins Apple has on it. At 50% profitability, I'd be goading customers into buying it as well

 

[joeaston]

Uh-oh!

Is the general consensus that you have to purchase / register AppleCare within one year of purchasing a product?

One year was 2 days ago! Argh! (ethernet socket on my MacBook has worn out)

Can't you buy anytime within 3 years?

Anyone clued up on this?

 

[CalBoy]

Uh-oh!

Is the general consensus that you have to purchase / register AppleCare within one year of purchasing a product?

It isn't a general consensus as much of a statement of the facts

I think you're out of luck, sorry.

Find out if your credit card offers an extended coverage program.

 

[aquajet]

The odds are always significantly in Apple's favor if you choose to buy Applecare. That doesn't make me sleep any better.

Even if your computer breaks between day 366 and day 1095 after the original date of purchase, you still paid significantly more than a person who didn't pay for Applecare and whose machine didn't break -- and let's be clear that odds are in the end user's favor for whether or not a machine will break. To think one got a great deal in this situation makes no sense whatsoever.