How many of you MBA owners opted for Apple Care?

[BENJMNS]

I'm still well within my 14 day Apple Store return period, but pondering whether I should go for AC or not on my 13.

Curious to get your thoughts on this especially as a newbie Apple guy with general knowledge about certain issues that seem to crop up with the new release.

TIA

 

[jfulcher]

I'm still well within my 14 day Apple Store return period, but pondering whether I should go for AC or not on my 13.

Curious to get your thoughts on this especially as a newbie Apple guy with general knowledge about certain issues that seem to crop up with the new release.

TIA

Can't you buy AC any time in the first year?

 

[aristobrat]

To me, these versions of the Airs are essentially Rev A products (with the screens and these particular SSDs), so I'm strongly considering it.

You have until the included one-year limited warranty expires to purchase AppleCare. I'll probably wait until month 10 or 11 until I decide for sure.

 

[iserian]

Yes - you have 1 year from date of purchase.

 

[coochiekuta]

dont own a mba but with all prebuilts i go with a warranty. when you build something yourself, you pour your blood into it. you know everything about it down to the shape of the screws on the mobo. its a warm fuzzy feeling. with something someone else built, i cant get the warm fuzzy so i must pay for the extra coverage. i have used it more than once in the past.

i havent gained all of the money back that i have spent on extended warranties through using them but i did save some time so its a balance i think.

 

[gb1631]

Yes, I did order Apple Care with the purchase of my Maxed out Macbook Air 11". To me it's cheap insurance.

 

[BENJMNS]

so it's basically an extension of your 1 year warranty to 2 additional years, correct?

i don't care much about the 90 day tech support, but i understand this is extended as well.

any other details i'm missing from the marketing collateral on apple.com? transferable?

 

[aristobrat]

so it's basically an extension of your 1 year warranty to 2 additional years, correct?

Correct, you end up with 3 years of total coverage, from date of purchase.

 

[Apple OC]

so it's basically an extension of your 1 year warranty to 2 additional years, correct?

i don't care much about the 90 day tech support, but i understand this is extended as well.

any other details i'm missing from the marketing collateral on apple.com? transferable?

You have it nailed ... 2 extra years ... you need to buy before 1st year is up.

 

[svkuj]

I bought it since this is essentially a first version. Better safe than sorry.

 

[potentpotable]

I'm waiting till the 50th week until I go on eBay to buy an AC key.

 

[pfjellman]

yes, you have a full year. i'm waiting until about month 10 or so before i get it for my MBA 13". you can sometimes find applecare keys on ebay (or craigslist if you're in a big city), so that's an idea.

also, applecare is transferrable, so any apple machine you buy within the next 3 years can be covered by it if you decide to get rid of the MBA.

 

[SammySlim]

I got AC at time of sale for my new MBA 11. Agree re the Rev. A comments and because everything is so integrated ... but my AC has paid for itself on my earlier MacBook and my wife's MBP, so I like it anyway.

 

[johnnymg]

I 'self insure' all of our Macs. I essentially purchased the latest 13" MBA with saved funds from not purchasing Apple Care on the previous macs (five not including the recent MBA).

Your mileage may vary when it comes to this issue.

I personally would characterize the current version as "mature". Not at all worried about the design/components of this computer.

That said, I would recommend Apple Care if your computer is used extensively on the road or you aren't particularly handy with managing "issues" with computers.

cheers
JohnG

 

[Mac Composer]

My philosophy is, if you're planning on keeping the computer for more than 2 years, get Applecare. I've had 2 previous Powerbooks, which both had screen issues between 2.5 & 3 years. In both cases Applecare fixed the problem with a minimum of disruption. I got an additional year out of my 2002 P'book. And my 2006 17" P'book still works great.

So I've purchased Applecare for both my wife's 13" Air and my 15" MBP.

 

[Jaro65]

I always get AppleCare, but I normally wait and get it before the first year is up. Buy then I'm sure that I want to keep the laptop longer.

 

[eyespii]

I don't think I'm going to purchase applecare for my 13.3" MBA. American Express doubles the manufacturer warranty for free, so I've basically got two years coverage on this thing. If my MBA breaks in the 25th month, well, that's just excuse to go out and pick up the next latest and greatest

 

[Finnxeon]

I would highly recommend it merely because with these new designs there are very few key components and most repairs would require a costly logic board replacement as many bits and bobs are fused to this to save space. These can run very expensive, my friend just paid £400 for one on a 13" MacBook Pro that was just out of warranty, but this machine doesn't have the ram and such fused to it so i am assuming the MBA will be a more expensive repair. Makes the AppleCare seem cheap, rather be safe then sorry myself.

 

[thinkdesign]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)

Of course I got it.

There's an advantage to getting AC when buying the Air. If you buy a superdrive or monitor etc. on the same receipt, the AppleCare extends the warranty on those too, at no extra cost above the $249.

Not all Apple store salespeople seem to know that, but the policy's on the web site.

 

[Jaro65]

I don't think I'm going to purchase applecare for my 13.3" MBA. American Express doubles the manufacturer warranty for free, so I've basically got two years coverage on this thing. If my MBA breaks in the 25th month, well, that's just excuse to go out and pick up the next latest and greatest

I do the same, but have you tried going through AmEx, as compared to an Apple Genius?

 

[wirelessmacuser]

I'm still well within my 14 day Apple Store return period, but pondering whether I should go for AC or not on my 13.

Curious to get your thoughts on this especially as a newbie Apple guy with general knowledge about certain issues that seem to crop up with the new release.

TIA

I _always_ buy AppleCare.

It's a great investment and the one item I have no problem giving my money to Apple for (besides the computer). Currently if you do a comparison on price, it's very competitive, where once it was overpriced. The service they provide both over the phone tech support, and the value of being able to send your computer in anytime during that three year period should a problem arise, is in my opinion well worth the price.

That's my 2 cents...

by the way I've owned more than 30 Apple laptops, over a decade and there have been just a few times I've really needed it. The other times when it has indeed enhanced the price I was able to resell my computer for when it came time to replace it. Finally speaking for myself, it's like car insurance, I don't relish paying for it, but the peace of mind it brings is great. Apple is far better than most when it comes to the quality of service and friendly, fast, telephone support.

Cheers

 

[Corax]

I'll probably get AC within the year, just to be sure.

 

[guy86]

Apple Care is well worth it. If you use your computer regularly, you WILL experience issues 2-3 years down the line, be that the track pad, dimmed screen, keyboard etc. the list goes on. My Macbook is just out of the 3 years warranty and so far I replaced the top case 3 times, screen, superdrive, battery (which was at 600+ cycles and technically outside warranty, but they replaced it anyway). It's nice to know you can go to an apple store and stamp your feet to have it fixed.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I just charged it on the American express, i get one extra year of coverage on all purchases.

 

[Xeperu]

I didn't, the law in my country requires 2 year warrenty on consumer product. (Least expected life time), however in the second year you have to provide "evidence" that you didn't break it by user error (i.e. dropped it). I'm not too fussed.