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Did you purchase Apple Care+ for your new iMac?

bpeeps

bpeeps

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Original poster
May 6, 2011
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Currently I have a 2011 iMac that I'm looking to upgrade. I'll be purchasing a 2019 spec'd out iMac and I'm wondering if I should add AppleCare+ to it or not. My 2011 machine needed a motherboard replacement just outside my 3 year AppleCare warranty, so I ended up paying out of pocket for it anyway. Just wanted to hear some personal experiences on why people decide to go for AppleCare or why they decided to skip it.
 
I'm a big fan of AppleCare. Having said that, I've used the coverage on all the MacBooks I've bought, but I've never used it on the several iMacs I've purchased. I still would recommend purchasing it as the the AppleCare+ now covers accidental damage. I've also never damaged any of my iMacs, but you see a lot of cracked screens on Craigslist and eBay.
 
applecare is much cheaper on the imacs (i've always had it on my macbooks, and it's saved me numerous times). seems well worth it...
 
bpeeps said:
Currently I have a 2011 iMac that I'm looking to upgrade. I'll be purchasing a 2019 spec'd out iMac and I'm wondering if I should add AppleCare+ to it or not. My 2011 machine needed a motherboard replacement just outside my 3 year AppleCare warranty, so I ended up paying out of pocket for it anyway. Just wanted to hear some personal experiences on why people decide to go for AppleCare or why they decided to skip it.
Click to expand...

My 2019 iMac was delivered yesterday and I'm pondering that very question, it's a bargain if you happen to need the cover but money down the drain if you don't. Do you feel lucky? Do I?
 
bpeeps said:
Just wanted to hear some personal experiences on why people decide to go for AppleCare or why they decided to skip it.
Click to expand...
Taking out AppleCare, like any insurance, is basically like placing a bet. You're betting that your new device will cost more in maintenance during the first three years than the cost of the insurance. If it's any help, Apple has already done the maths for you and priced the insurance so that they make a healthy profit on it.

You may find that local consumer law, particularly in Europe and some US states, already mandates that your machine be repaired for free if it develops a fault in the first year (or more). You may also find that your household insurance already covers you for the cost of accidental damage. Checking these details could save you hundreds of pounds in unnecessary insurance.

My current laptop, a MacBook Pro, is eight years old. It's only maintenance cost has been a motherboard replacement a few years ago - well outside its warranty period - that cost me about £600 to £800. Currently, AppleCare for the current MacBook Pro costs about £400 and only covers the first three years.
 
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i've had the motherboard, hard drive, AND the ram replaced on a 13" macbook pro under applecare. the motherboard and the keyboard/entire bottom plate replaced on my 12" macbook. plus some powerbook replacement parts (way back when), etc. only a mac mini (a decade ago) survived without a repair.

for $169, seems insanely well worth it...
 
I would get it for any laptop, but not for any other Apple product. There is one part in my laptops that are almost sure to need AppleCare. It's the battery. My usage pattern kills all but the most robust batteries. For me there's at least a better than even chance that my battery is not going to last the full three years.

Besides that, I found Apple to be amazingly generous in what they were willing to fix under AppleCare. I had a 2016 MBP that I sold. Prior to selling it, I brought it to Apple to get a new battery and have a display discoloration problem fixed. They sent me back a machine with a new top case, new bottom case, new display, new logic board, new GPU, and new Thunderbolt 3 ports.

I was surprised they replaced the GPU, logic board, and ports. I suppose they may have been connected to something else or they just detected something odd and swapped them out without me asking. Either way, I was stunned to turn in a well worn laptop and receive back something that looked as good as a refurb unit. The ports on that unit were loose from day 1, but the replacement ones were tight and had snap.

Yeah, I'm a fan of AppleCare.
 
I didn't do that ..yet...because I did not yet buy iMac 2019. But I certainly will by Apple Care when I do (as I did with present and earlier iMacs). Reasons: (read above). Small cost for a pricey iMac.
 
$189 is pretty inexpensive. It covers hardware for 3 years plus any accessories you buy with it.

Even though the Mojave 10.14.4 update took care of the T2 issues that many audio pros were having on the iMac Pro, I want Apple to own that—and any other issue—for the full 3 years.

Ignore what Apple says about phone support. As long as you can tie it to a recent OS update or an Apple App, it's free no matter how old the hardware. Of course, if they find a hardware issue one day after the original warranty expired and you don't have AppleCare, you're out of luck.
 
Tha
mikehalloran said:
$189 is pretty inexpensive. It covers hardware for 3 years plus any accessories you buy with it.

Even though the Mojave 10.14.4 update took care of the T2 issues that many audio pros were having on the iMac Pro, I want Apple to own that—and any other issue—for the full 3 years.

Ignore what Apple says about phone support. As long as you can tie it to a recent OS update or an Apple App, it's free no matter how old the hardware. Of course, if they find a hardware issue one day after the original warranty expired and you don't have AppleCare, you're out of luck.
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$190 is pretty inexpensive when I'm already considering spending $3600 plus on the computer. My thoughts were to initially skip AC and put that money towards an even bigger RAM kit.

smirking said:
I would get it for any laptop, but not for any other Apple product. There is one part in my laptops that are almost sure to need AppleCare. It's the battery. My usage pattern kills all but the most robust batteries. For me there's at least a better than even chance that my battery is not going to last the full three years.

Besides that, I found Apple to be amazingly generous in what they were willing to fix under AppleCare. I had a 2016 MBP that I sold. Prior to selling it, I brought it to Apple to get a new battery and have a display discoloration problem fixed. They sent me back a machine with a new top case, new bottom case, new display, new logic board, new GPU, and new Thunderbolt 3 ports.

I was surprised they replaced the GPU, logic board, and ports. I suppose they may have been connected to something else or they just detected something odd and swapped them out without me asking. Either way, I was stunned to turn in a well worn laptop and receive back something that looked as good as a refurb unit. The ports on that unit were loose from day 1, but the replacement ones were tight and had snap.

Yeah, I'm a fan of AppleCare.
Click to expand...
This is my exact dilemma. AC is a must on macbooks, I had my 2008 macbook's battery replaced under AC. But my personal experience on desktops so far has been that it was unnecessary purchase. But then there's that 'what if' sitting in the back of my head.
 
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I am told that Apple, while not advertising it, is still offering the standard AppleCare coverage without damage protection for iMac if you call them to order it. It is not available online. I don't know the current price but it is definitely less expensive than AppleCare+.

For my last three iMacs, including my current one I bought the boxed version of the regular AppleCare coverage. Now they are almost impossible to find.

I definitely recommend AppleCare. I would never buy an iMac without it. I've made claims for every single iMac I've owned including several LCD panel replacements. Most recently, I had the panel on this 2017 iMac replaced when an insect had somehow gotten between the panel and the backlight.
 
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No, because they aren’t going to clean the dust and put in better thermal paste.
 
If Apple offers AppleCare+, regardless of the mark up, I buy it. Never think twice.

If they don't, like for AirPods, I sigh!
 
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