does a cinema display really need applecare?

[excalibur313]

I was curious how important it would be to get applecare on a monitor. I'm trying to plan the selling of my powerbook so that I can get the most for it so I can buy a intel book (12"). The problem is that I have no idea how long I will be waiting for that (whether it be january for the ibook or longer for a powerbook which I don't know if it will come in a 12" version). I do have a winblows computer that I could use in the meantime but since I was planning on getting a 20" cinema display to use with the intelbook I thought that I could use the screen instead of this crt screen I currently have (my desk is very small at college and having a crt screen would be difficult). The issue is that if you get the laptop and the monitor at the same time the monitor is enrolled in applecare for 3 years but I'm not sure how critical that is for the monitor. What do you guys think I should do?

 

[starnox]

Personally I don't get applecare on any of my purchases. As long as you treat your purchases with respect, then apart from a freak hardware failure you won't need applecare. So far it has paid off for me.

 

[Will Cheyney]

I agree.

 

[radiantm3]

Personally I don't get applecare on any of my purchases. As long as you treat your purchases with respect, then apart from a freak hardware failure you won't need applecare. So far it has paid off for me.

However, freakish hardware failures happen quite often with some apple product lines. *cough* powerbook *cough*. I would never buy a powerbook without applecare.

 

[ipacmm]

However, freakish hardware failures happen quite often with some apple product lines. *cough* powerbook *cough*. I would never buy a powerbook without applecare.

I agree about that, I didn't use applecare on my laptop until 2 years later and it really did pay off for having it. I bought applecare for my new Quad because it was only $149 and it is worth it if you need to call them for some help.

 

[excalibur313]

I agree that getting applecare with a powerbook is a must but from what you guys are saying it seems that waiting to buy the monitor with the computer might not be needed?

 

[Will Cheyney]

ipacmm, just looking at your setups, and WOW!

My Macs: 2.5GHz Quad-core Power Mac G5, 1TB HD (2 X 500GB), 5GB of RAM, SuperDrive, BT & APE; 23" Aluminum Apple Cinema Display; Powerbook G4, 15", 1 Ghz, 1GB RAM, Superdrive; Powerbook G4, 12", 1.33 Ghz, 768 MB RAM, Combo; Mac Mini G4, 1.42 Ghz, 512MB RAM, Combo; Apple Xserve's G4 & G5, 2 GB RAM, Combo, Mirrored drives. Xrack to rack the servers in.

My iPods: 60GB Black iPod video; 6GB Green Mini; 512MB Shuffle.

How do you afford all that stuff?!

 

[Josh]

I always wait 1 year before buying AppleCare.

You've got 1 year warranty that covers everything when you purchase it, so anything that happens in that year, you don't need AppleCare to have it fixed.

Buying AppleCare within the same year as your purchase is just waisting your money on nothing, as having AppleCare gives you no benefits the first year.

When your year is about up, and you worry, then buy AppleCare.

And usually, if your machine is problematic, you will know within the first year, which will help you decide if you really need AC once the initial year is up.

ipacmm, just looking at your setups, and WOW!

How do you afford all that stuff?!

Ridiculously over-priced web hosting, I'm guessing

 

[excalibur313]

Does that mean that if I get my powerbook after my monitor and i get the applecare later it can cover both? Or is it still dependant on getting both at the exact same time?

 

[Macky-Mac]

Does that mean that if I get my powerbook after my monitor and i get the applecare later it can cover both? Or is it still dependant on getting both at the exact same time?

monitors have to be bought at the same time as the computer in order to be eligible for applecare coverage

 

[SummerBreeze]

I always wait 1 year before buying AppleCare.

You've got 1 year warranty that covers everything when you purchase it, so anything that happens in that year, you don't need AppleCare to have it fixed.

Buying AppleCare within the same year as your purchase is just waisting your money on nothing, as having AppleCare gives you no benefits the first year.

When your year is about up, and you worry, then buy AppleCare.

And usually, if your machine is problematic, you will know within the first year, which will help you decide if you really need AC once the initial year is up.

That's what I have done on my purchases as well. It's so hard to spend so much money on a computer and then drop another 300 bucks for AppleCare, but after I wait for awhile it's not as huge a deal.

 

[CalfCanuck]

Check if your credit card has an extended warranty. Some higher end cards (Gold, Platinum) offer a doubling of the manufacturers warranty, up to an extra year, for no price.

All the consumer groups say that they are a poor choice. Companies make a TON of cash on this, which is why Circuit City, Best Buy, etc push this so hard on all their purchases.

Of course some people have problems, and they are the ones who often say that warranties are great deals. But the other 95% that paid $200 and never made the claim are subsidizing these smaller number of claims.

The other factor to consider is that if your monitor does fail in year 3, you could buy another used monitor (the identical to the original) for a MUCH reduced price. So insuring a $1000 new monitor might really only cost $400 to replace in year 3. If you send in the monitor on Applecare, they generally just repair it, and then give you back a repaired 3 year old model.

 

[Bear]

Suggestion...

If you're still using your PowerBook, why sell it? You don't know when in the next 18 months the Intel based PowerBooks will start shipping.

Instead of thinking just raw $$$s think of the value of having the PowerBook and using it.

I don't plan on getting an Intel basd Mac until all the heavy software I use has universal binaries available. (Heavy as in uses AltiVec/requires a G4 or G5.)

 

[Dreadnought]

Also, wait with buying a new ACD a couple of months or untill you really need it. Updates are on the way!

 

[Xenious]

Yea pick up apple care, but wait till your first year is almost up. If you can then buy the display and the computer at the same time so it will be covered. My apple display has a dead FW port (died within the first year) that I haven't had fixed yet, so I'm depending on my apple care to come in handy. I figure I'll buy another monitor before my 2 extra years are up then i can easily send in the older one for repairs. Otherwise I can't be without it.

 

[hasselhoff]

GET APPLE CARE

I have a 20" LCD for my ad agency that I babied for 1 and a half years.

Now, every time I wake my computer up from sleep, power it off, or even bump my desk, the display turns dim and the power light blinks 3 times.

I don't have applecare.