Okay, here's the situation. I'll probably be buying the Macbook from Futureshop sometime this summer. As far as I know, there are no Apple Store's closer than about 3 or 4 hours from here, so buying AppleCare would be a pain if I ever needed to use it, right? I guess what I'm asking is: Is AppleCare meant for people who have access to the Apple Store, or should I just get the Futureshop warranty, if they offer one? (Will I need any warranty?)
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AppleCare: Worth it?
- Thread starter fearxtragedy
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No, AppleCare just extends your warranty. This means phone support, and if you have a problem you can have a box sent to send your computer to Apple for service.
And yes, you should get it.
And yes, you should get it.
i wouldnt bother if your good at computers in general, if you can take out a hard drive etc youll be fine
you get 90 days complimentry support nehu.
Buy it on eBay and you can get it for less than $200 delivered. That's only $100 per year for the extra 2 years. The quality of AppleCare service is really second to none. I would strongly recommend it for all laptop owners since these machines tend to get lugged about a lot more.
yea, 90 days of PHONE support and 1 year limited hardware warranty. (and no, accidents are not covered) enjoy your compy!
Normally, extended warranties are a suckers bet, but not when it comes to laptops. Consumer Reports has found that laptops enjoy a higher failure rate than desktops, and that the parts are much harder to replace (not to mention more expensive). If you are good with computers, and you have the money to replace expensive parts, then forget the warranty. BUT, if either of these does not apply to you, then the warranty is your best bet. If you really don't have the spare cash to dish out fourteen months from now should something go wrong, you'll be glad you have it. If nothing goes wrong, take solice in the fact that you were covered and wouldn't have had to worry about paying for it.
GET APPLECARE
you must be careful when buying macs
you never know when you might have a problem
in the macbook case it could be RSS
I would say its def. worth it
I would have paid a lot more $ if i hadn't got it
you must be careful when buying macs
you never know when you might have a problem
in the macbook case it could be RSS
I would say its def. worth it
I would have paid a lot more $ if i hadn't got it
AppleCare is a must for a laptop. Things just tend to happen to them. Just make sure you're very careful with it either way, since accidents are not covered.
If you can afford it, get Applecare. I don't buy extended warranties, but with Apple it just comes down to having piece of mind - and the service really is good. Replacement parts from Apple will almost certainly be more expensive than for a generic PC.
i wouldnt bother if your good at computers in general, if you can take out a hard drive etc youll be fine
you get 90 days complimentry support nehu.
Actually, just because you know how to replace a HDD doesnt mean that you know how to replace, or rather, buy, a new logic board. (I had to had mine replaced...900$. Thank god it was under warenty)
I say get it, if nothing else, it offers peace of mind. You would feel awful if your new computer broke one day out of warenty.
If you can buy it with a good VISA card, you will automatically get a free year of warranty on top of Apple's first year. Then you can extend through VISA for two more years (4 years total) for quite a bit under $200. The only thing you don't get is the tech support, but that's what this site is for. Save yourself some money! Apple can still repair it, or you can take it anywhere you want for repair.
One more thing... A computer that is resold with AppleCare tends to fetch a higher price. If you sell it in two years time, you can recoup some or all of the cost of AppleCare.
oh i will. I am an experienced user and have no worries about doing replacements of hardware, also, i havent even used phone support at all, simply becaause the internet is a great resource for any info you need. 1 years hardware support is fine by me, i always upgrade memory and hard drives atleast once a year. However i do have a mac mini, so its not likely to get dropped etc. plus applecare was something stupid like almost half the price the mini cost in the first place, so definately was NOT worth it for me.
ill enjoy the £150 i saved.
while you're at it you might want to get a Monster surge protector, Monster cables and you might be able to get a free subscription to Entertainment Weekly as well.
You clearly have never needed to use insurance products. You're lucky. And rare.
Insurance is usually a lot better than AppleCare. Though it's technically not the same thing. Warranty covers manufacturing defects and insurance covers "operator errors" or "idiot incidents" however you might want to put it. I have never had manufacturing defect on a +1yr hardware, but I have seen many creative accidents happen to laptops, hence the need for an insurance.
Also, if the laptop costs 1000 dollars, wouldn't 200 dollars be too much for peace of mind? That's +20% for god's sake! By *not* buying the extended warranty (which should be included by today's standards) and if something happened to it, you would already have gotten 200 dollars off from the laptop you supposedly buy to replace the broken one.
Also, if the laptop costs 1000 dollars, wouldn't 200 dollars be too much for peace of mind? That's +20% for god's sake! By *not* buying the extended warranty (which should be included by today's standards) and if something happened to it, you would already have gotten 200 dollars off from the laptop you supposedly buy to replace the broken one.
Does anyone have any experience with using this extra year of warranty offered by Gold Card holders (not only Visa)? I always mention this to sales reps when they try to sell me their extended warranties. Just curious whether it actually works and what kind of hassle is involved.
Vintage
Yes, definitely worth it.
I bought AppleCare when I got my 17" Powerbook G4 two years ago. I had to take it in because it failed to charge and I had a lot of vertical lines of pixels go out. They said they would change the logic board, but three weeks later they called and said that since they were out of a certain part, they were giving me a brand new MacBookPro 17" Core 2 Duo... right off the shelf. They even transferred the data from my old machine so that it looked just like my old computer when I started it up. So that $300 purchase 2 years ago got me a new $2800 machine now. Not bad. Makes me an even more loyal Apple customer.
I bought AppleCare when I got my 17" Powerbook G4 two years ago. I had to take it in because it failed to charge and I had a lot of vertical lines of pixels go out. They said they would change the logic board, but three weeks later they called and said that since they were out of a certain part, they were giving me a brand new MacBookPro 17" Core 2 Duo... right off the shelf. They even transferred the data from my old machine so that it looked just like my old computer when I started it up. So that $300 purchase 2 years ago got me a new $2800 machine now. Not bad. Makes me an even more loyal Apple customer.
If you're buying a portable Mac AppleCare is a must IMHO. I have a 3.5 year old PowerBook 17" 1.33. Right after the first year, when the warranty ran out, I had screen problems - blotchy spots. AppleCare replaced the screen. Then, a few months later the SuperDrive died - AppleCare replaced. Then during the next year I had to have the logic board replaced on two separate instances - all covered by AppleCare. In each instance I took the PB to the local Apple Store, dropped it off at the Genius Bar and had it back in under a week - usually 3-4 days.
I would never buy a portable without AppleCare. If you do, don't come crying when your logic board, screen, SuperDrive, etc. go out and the replacement cost is nearly as much as a new MacBook.
I would never buy a portable without AppleCare. If you do, don't come crying when your logic board, screen, SuperDrive, etc. go out and the replacement cost is nearly as much as a new MacBook.
I never bought it for my iBook or iMac and I don't regret it, but I will indeed buy one for my Macbook. Warranty is a piece of mind, laptops especially have a good chance of breaking in some way so with Applecare you protect yourself for 3 years.
I have tons of experience with it with laptops, printers, cameras, ipods - you name it. In two words: great/hasslefree. Everything that would be covered under the original warranty is covered by visa. you actually have to send them a copy of the original warranty when you make a claim.
What's great?
- Extremely courteous and professional reps
- Hasslefree. You have it repaired by any authorised repair person/center, pay up front usually and send the receipt to VISA with a copy of your original receipt and credit card statement with the product. YOu can fax it too.
- Within a week, they call you to tell you that the check is in the mail and, usually, you get it the same day or the day after the call.
I've never had anything but good experiences with VISA. Master card I used once and it wasn't as well organised, but no problems there either. The great thing about VISA is that you can often extend the warranty for 2-3 additional years beyond the second free one. It's very affordable and has other extra benefits like a no-lemon clause. FInally, what makes it better than applecare is that VISA never tries to get out the repair - they believe the authorised repair center that the item needs repair. No questions. Applecare sometimes claims that things are normal within specifications or not covered.
There are few things I would recommend without any hesitation or caveats whatsover, but this is one.
I doubt it. I have never had any problems with any laptop I have ever owned. Neither has anybody I know - although none of them have
LOL This is the way I look at it - if you buy some sort of extended warranty like that you are banking on the product breaking within that timeframe.
In my case, if it breaks or has problems (within ~3 yrs) I may get it fixed on my own $ but that will be the last time I ever buy a product from that manufacturer. I don't care who it is.
Skrilla™;3671581 said:I doubt it. I have never had any problems with any laptop I have ever owned. Neither has anybody I know - although none of them have
This is the way I look at it - if you buy some sort of extended warranty like that you are banking on the product breaking within that timeframe.
In my case, if it breaks or has problems (within ~3 yrs) I may get it fixed on my own $ but that will be the last time I ever buy a product from that manufacturer. I don't care who it is.
I think most people don't have problems with their laptops, whether Apple or otherwise. These forums have a way of magnifying the real ratio of problems to no problems, and that's expected, as these forums are a place for people to ask questions, get help, etc. I just think that for certain people, like college students, who wouldn't be able to afford the repair on their own, an extended warranty is worth it, since a college student may not have the money to replace a bad LCD display, or buy a whole new laptop two years after their purchase.
Since you said FutureShop...a Best Buy affiliate you may consider getting a Accidental. It covers accidents as well as normal wear and tear.
Think about it.
Think about it.