I'm going to be buying a new macbook... and I'm thinking that with all of the problems people seem to be having I need to get applecare. However, you don't need applecare for factory defects correct? I'd like to save the money... and I know that is not an excuse but in the almost 3 years I've had my current powerbook I've never used the applecare I've bought with it. What do you guys think?
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How neccessary is applecare?
- Thread starter spacehog371
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spacehog371 said:
You've got a year to decide whether or not to get AppleCare. That gives you time to see how things are going.
Verto said:
thank you... i didn't know how long after you had to decide if you wanted it. I guess if I have a problem I will buy it... and if I don't then I will probably buy it anyways at a time where I'm not that tight on money.
also, the student discount on AppleCare is quite nice (assuming your a student).
If you are, its not as much money as you've been expecting.
If you are, its not as much money as you've been expecting.
Technically you have an entire year to decide. But in my opinion, especially for a laptop, it's a smarter investment than the laptop itself, if that makes sense...
I think the statistic is that 15% of laptops will break within the first year of use. Desktops, it's more like 1%. Keep in mind I pulled those stats out of my ass, but they're along those lines.
Not necessary by any means, IMO. Keep in mind, you have a one-year warranty and most electronics will fail fairly quickly, if they fail at all. The next two years covered by AppleCare cover the years when the value of your computer will fall to 50% or less of what you paid for it. AppleCare is a steep price to pay, considering the replacement value of the computer during that time.
As for phone support, forget about it. You'll get better technical support from your friends here at MacRumors.
As for phone support, forget about it. You'll get better technical support from your friends here at MacRumors.
I bought Applecare for every Mac I purchased. So far, I did not have an opportunity to use it at all (which is good). Even though my Ti PB's Applecare expired last year, it has yet to develop any problem so far.
For the first 3 Macs, I bought Applecare when I bought Macs. But, for the 4th one (iBook), I purchased Applecare via an on-line merchant. No sales tax, which is good. When I buy MBP and Power Mac replacement next year, I will get Applecare via the online merchant so that I don't have to pay sales tax.
If you get Applecare for Apple's notebook computer, it has a global coverage. This comes in handy when you need to move out to overseas.
For the first 3 Macs, I bought Applecare when I bought Macs. But, for the 4th one (iBook), I purchased Applecare via an on-line merchant. No sales tax, which is good. When I buy MBP and Power Mac replacement next year, I will get Applecare via the online merchant so that I don't have to pay sales tax.
If you get Applecare for Apple's notebook computer, it has a global coverage. This comes in handy when you need to move out to overseas.
IJ Reilly said:Not necessary by any means, IMO. Keep in mind, you have a one-year warranty and most electronics will fail fairly quickly, if they fail at all. The next two years covered by AppleCare cover the years when the value of your computer will fall to 50% or less of what you paid for it. AppleCare is a steep price to pay, considering the replacement value of the computer during that time.
As for phone support, forget about it. You'll get better technical support from your friends here at MacRumors.
But if you're computer is down, then you'll have a heck of a time getting to MR.
I totally agree. I don't even bother calling up computer makers' tech support as I feel whoever is at the end of the line is reading the on-screen ready-made answers, which I could have just looked up by googling or asking questions on the forums like this one.IJ said:As for phone support, forget about it. You'll get better technical support from your friends here at MacRumors.
bobber205 said:But if you're computer is down, then you'll have a heck of a time getting to MR.
Ha, this is true. Still, some people do manage, and personally I've found Apple's tech support to be uniformly useless; certainly not worth paying extra to get. Less than useless actually. The last I used them, they suggested reinstalling OSX to address a kernel panic, when the real problem was bad RAM -- which I discovered on my own.
That is the reason I have 4 Macs and 3 PCs. A backup machine after backup machines. I cannot go back to the time I only had 1 or 2 machines. I need to keep at least 4 machines just in case as I am now spoiled with my current set up. One for road use (which is subject to higher chances of getting damages), 1 for work only machine, and 2 for personal/hobby/work machines. And a few others.bobber205 said:But if you're computer is down, then you'll have a heck of a time getting to MR.
If my PB goes out, I will send it in to Apple and I will let them take whatever time it takes for them to fix it, while I keep doing my daily routine with my other machines.