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iPad Pro Applecare worth it?

J

jerryk

macrumors 604
Original poster
Nov 3, 2011
7,421
4,210
SF Bay Area
Hi.

I have an 11" iPad pro, 64GB, Wifi. Paid $649. I am having a hard time justifying $129 for 2 years of Applecare+ If I had a model with Cellular and a Gig of memory (approx $1100) maybe. But given the price and the fact this thing may be replaced by a new model 11" in 6-7 months I am really having issues spending the money. Any thoughts?
 
AppleCare plan makes reselling device a tricky business as Apple May refuse to provide service for new owner under AppleCare even with receipt. If your ultimate goal is to grab a new iPad this year or earlier next year, if new one comes out, then not worth it.
 
Shirasaki said:
AppleCare plan makes reselling device a tricky business as Apple May refuse to provide service for new owner under AppleCare even with receipt. If your ultimate goal is to grab a new iPad this year or earlier next year, if new one comes out, then not worth it.
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I've not heard of Apple refusing to repair one of their devices that still had remaining AppleCare or AppleCare+ especially with a valid sales receipt, and even without a receipt. Where are you getting that information from?
 
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chscag said:
I've not heard of Apple refusing to repair one of their devices that still had remaining AppleCare or AppleCare+ especially with a valid sales receipt, and even without a receipt. Where are you getting that information from?
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Some people share posts on local forums saying they are refused to receive lower payment accidental damage repair since they are not the “original owner of the device”. I guess that’s isolated cases but then I am a bit worried about that.
 
For me, it boils down to replacement cost and timing. Can't live without my iPad (it gets much more use than my iPhone) and I don't think I'd be happy spending $500+ for an older model when it's, say, just 6 months until Apple Keynote announcement. It ends up being a bit more expensive but I think I'd just hedge my bets and sign up for monthly AppleCare+ ($5.99/mo) before the 60 days are up.
 
Shirasaki said:
Some people share posts on local forums saying they are refused to receive lower payment accidental damage repair since they are not the “original owner of the device”. I guess that’s isolated cases but then I am a bit worried about that.
Click to expand...

Hmm...Unless the seller did the transfer of ownership to a new owner, I don't think there would be an issue with getting them replaced.
 
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rui no onna said:
For me, it boils down to replacement cost and timing. Can't live without my iPad (it gets much more use than my iPhone) and I don't think I'd be happy spending $500+ for an older model when it's, say, just 6 months until Apple Keynote announcement. It ends up being a bit more expensive but I think I'd just hedge my bets and sign up for monthly AppleCare+ ($5.99/mo) before the 60 days are up.
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Thanks.

I should have mentioned that I have a backup 9.7 iPad Pro. So if the 11" dies I can go back to that, with the dull screen, slow charging, terrible BT keyboard, .....
 
Lol, I do, too, but if I upgrade, I'd still get at least monthly AC+. I probably waste more than $6 per month on the vending machine at work.
 
I had not bought it before but did with my recent purchase of a 2018 512GB 12.9 Pro - the price had gotten high enough for me that I was willing to spring for the additional insurance. Extended coverage in general is a great money maker for sellers and this is the first time I caved, for better or worse. Note that you may have some good coverage under your credit card if purchased that way. Insurance sucks until the day you need it - e.g., my car was hit by a hit and run driver the other day.
 
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Shirasaki said:
Some people share posts on local forums saying they are refused to receive lower payment accidental damage repair since they are not the “original owner of the device”. I guess that’s isolated cases but then I am a bit worried about that.
Click to expand...

I've not heard of that occurring here in the US. Applecare and AC Plus is verified by serial number which would include the date of purchase. Unless there is fraud or theft involved, Apple will honor it.
 
chscag said:
I've not heard of that occurring here in the US. Applecare and AC Plus is verified by serial number which would include the date of purchase. Unless there is fraud or theft involved, Apple will honor it.
Click to expand...

I pay for Applecare+ when I purchase my Apple products. When I sell them months later, I call Apple up after the sale and have them refund me for the unused premium. Works every time.
 
wmadan said:
I pay for Applecare+ when I purchase my Apple products. When I sell them months later, I call Apple up after the sale and have them refund me for the unused premium. Works every time.
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That’s good to know. Maybe I should check policies in Australia a bit.
And, I just remember something. I asked Apple store staff if AppleCare plan could be carried to China, and he said AppleCare plan did not get carried to China. I feel I mixed my memory a bit and just assume AppleCare plan is not transferred to new owner.
My bad guys. :)
 
wmadan said:
I pay for Applecare+ when I purchase my Apple products. When I sell them months later, I call Apple up after the sale and have them refund me for the unused premium. Works every time.
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You can certainly do that, however, when selling your Apple device you may find that it will sell faster and you can get more for it if you leave Applecare with it instead of requesting a refund from Apple.
 
Apple care protects my devices from me... lol.

For me it’s worth every penny. Not because I’m concerned about my devices breaking, but more so in case I accidentally break my device while traveling. I had accidentally scratched my gen one 12.9 iPad screen. $600 for Apple to replace it. I had never used Apple care on my pervious devices so I skipped Apple care on the 12.9. A $600 lesson learned.
 
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Shirasaki said:
Some people share posts on local forums saying they are refused to receive lower payment accidental damage repair since they are not the “original owner of the device”. I guess that’s isolated cases but then I am a bit worried about that.
Click to expand...

I've actually written to Apple to request transfer of AppleCare from a MBP that I sold to its new owner. They told me that they'd go ahead and update their databases, but I should also give the new owner all of the original purchase information just in case their database doesn't update properly. The person I got seemed to indicate that they have some data problems that affect the stability of an AppleCare transfer.
 
jerryk said:
But given the price and the fact this thing may be replaced by a new model 11" in 6-7 months I am really having issues spending the money. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
If you're goal is to only own it for a few months, then yeah I suppose it's hard to justify the expense, but (it's a big but), what happens if the iPad bends during that time? You'll be on the hook for the repair
 
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In all my years of owning Apple products, I've never purchased AppleCare. I don't use protective cases. I'm not particularly careful with how I handle my devices, but not particularly clumsy. In the long run, I just don't see it paying off. In the event that something bad happens I may get hit but, compared against decades of unused AppleCare, it just isn't worth it to me.

Like all insurance, if your risk profile is average or better and you can handle the out of pocket expense should the unexpected happen, it's almost certainly cheaper to forgo the insurance premium.
 
jerryk said:
Hi.

I have an 11" iPad pro, 64GB, Wifi. Paid $649. I am having a hard time justifying $129 for 2 years of Applecare+ If I had a model with Cellular and a Gig of memory (approx $1100) maybe. But given the price and the fact this thing may be replaced by a new model 11" in 6-7 months I am really having issues spending the money. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
You are in the best position to answer that question...

How accident-prone are you? Of the dozens of Apple products I've bought over the years I've never purchased AppleCare. In 13+ years, there was never a single time when I could've used AppleCare. My adult daughter on the other hand, regularly drops her devices and was able to use AC with nearly every device.
 
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I haven't bought AppleCare for any Apple product in probably over 12 years or so and never will again. It's just an extended warranty and those are usually a waste of money. If you're the type of person who's constantly dropping/breaking devices, then use a case and a glass screen protector and stop being so clumsy :)
 
I bought AppleCare once or twice for previous iPads, but never used it. Eventually, it seemed like a waste of money since I'm fairly careful with these devices, and they (iPads) stay at home. As sracer says, much depends on how much care is taken when using it. I'd add a good case makes it less of a need as well.
 
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For iPhone and Apple Watch, I pretty much always purchase AC+ since I take both devices everywhere with me. I primarily use my IPP and MacBook at home, so I don't see the need for me to purchase AC+. That's just me though. I know everyone has different preferences.
 
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