Is AppleCare worth it?

[Lo83]

I am curious about people's experiences with AppleCare- is it a necessity?

I'm picking up a 14" i-book this week. Money is tight but it is high time for an upgrade. I am trying to decide whether or not AppleCare is a luxury I can skip. FYI, I currently live in a city with an apple store that although busy is pretty good w/ help. I am, however, moving in 6 months to a different city that I don't know much about their store. (I mention this after reading about several posters' bad customer service experiences...)

 

[Macky-Mac]

you don't have to buy it right away of course.....you're allowed to buy it anytime in the first year after you purchase your computer. You can wait to see how it goes and then decide later.

as to whether it's worth it....my experience with 7 different new Macs is that I've never had a need for it so I would say "no"......but there are certainly going to be people who will post their experience of having to replace a display or a logic board and they'll say "yes"

what percentage of buyers have problems that would be covered by the warranty extension? Only Apple knows and they aren't telling!

so I guess ya gotta ask yourself if you feel lucky

 

[kidA]

with a laptop is would say the answer to your question is yes, definitely. of course, you don't have to buy it right away, but if you can afford it you may as well.

 

[rockthecasbah]

On something like an iPod i would say don't bother unless you bought a refurb (if you are even allowed to buy AC for refurbs i don't know). Desktops like Power Macs and Mac Minis i would also say don't bother honestly.

I would however get AC on ANYTHING portable computing wise, all iBooks and Powerbooks, and maybe even an iMac because the computer is like a laptop in design. I personally would rather be safe than sorry with portables, there are so many more issues that can go wrong with them, and they are 'tossed around' so-to-speak a lot more than normal computers.

 

[zen.state]

buy applecare within the first year and you will end up being covered for a total of 3 years.

applecare is a waste on desktops but always a good idea for portables.

 

[shadowmoses]

I'd say it is worth it, but give your credit card a break and buy it a few months after the hardware purchase....

The only reason it is not worth it is if you plan on getting rid of the computer within its standard warranty, as the extra phone support is nothing to write home about,

SHadow

 

[PowerMike G5]

buy applecare within the first year and you will end up being covered for a total of 3 years.

applecare is a waste on desktops but always a good idea for portables.

AC is not a waste on desktops ...

I had a Dual G5 that one day started having kernal panics and slowed performance. It would randomly just freeze up and then started showing that it had only one processor working. Suffice to say, since I had AppleCare on it, Apple without question sent a technician over who ended up replacing both processors and the Logic board. The invoice came out to over $2000 but since I had AppleCare, it was all covered.

I had this mindset of not needing Applecare as my desktop will nver move from its spot when I bought the G5 and didn't purchase AppleCare when I bought the machine. Luckily, I bought it mid year through the original warranty and am glad I did since this happened to me. It just goes to show you'll never know what will happen and better to be safe than sorry. Shelling out another $200 saved me over $2000 in damages.

Lets hope nothing like this happens to my Quad

 

[aricher]

On my PB 17" 1.33 I've had the SuperDrive go out, the logic board replaced twice and the screen replaced for blotchiness all within months after the warranty expired. Without AppleCare repairs would have cost me as much as a new PB. Either buy AppleCare, check with your homeowner's/renter's insurance or look into getting an account with SafeWare.

 

[Kobushi]

Bah, I hate any form of an "extended warranty". You're really just buying insurance. You're betting your computer is going to give out in 3 years or whatever, and Apple is betting it isn't. Personally, I always side with Apple and save myself some bucks.

I also side with pretty much any company for that matter. If I have an inkling that the product might die, I don't want it.

 

[electronboy]

I always recommend AppleCare for laptops. They usually lead a tougher life than their desktop counterparts. The added benefit is that you can call Apple Support for three years after you purchase the product.

 

[Skilz34]

yes get applecare for your ibook. i've used it twice on my powerbook and trust me, applecare covered the cost BEYOND measure. like others have said, you have up to a year. it's a must with laptops

 

[xy14]

Just get it when something goes wrong with your laptop, and if it seems like its gonna go bad after your 12 months, just get it before your 12-months are up.

 

[buddhagoth]

I've been one of the folks that has always gotten AppleCare on laptops but not desktops, with one exception, which is also my only experience of having needed to use it.

Years ago, I got one of the last B&W G3 towers. Two years into owning it, it started to experience erratic and very strange behavior and while on the phone with an AppleCare tech, it stopped working completely. The speediest solution was to drop it off at a local authorized repair center. Next day they called for me to pick it up. I opened it and saw that the entire machine was replaced/brand-new except for my HD's and extra RAM. The tech said it was a logic board failure but they put in a new power supply just in case. Very nice service!

I don't know what all they're like these days, but I'm getting AppleCare for my new PowerBook 12".

Cordially,
B.G.

 

[adk]

my dad's 15" PB had a hard drive failure after 1 year 2 months. Is he happy he had applecare? yes. Although, I wonder if it costs $350 to replace a PB hard drive.

 

[PowerMike G5]

Again, I'd get the AppleCare no matter what ... you'll only be wishing you had it if something goes wrong ...

 

[MRU]

AC is not a waste on desktops ...

I had a Dual G5 that one day started having kernal panics and slowed performance. It would randomly just freeze up and then started showing that it had only one processor working. Suffice to say, since I had AppleCare on it, Apple without question sent a technician over who ended up replacing both processors and the Logic board. The invoice came out to over $2000 but since I had AppleCare, it was all covered.

I had the same problem with my Powermac. One of the 1.8 G5 processors died and had to eventually be replaced. It took three trips to the repair center before they clued the fact that it was one of the processors that had kerput.

I didn't buy Applecare straight away, but after sending my Mac to the repair center a couple of times by courier (as without Apple Care it's your responsibility to get the machine to a repair center, and I don't have one anywhere near me) the costs soon mounted, so I decided what the hell and purchased it. I'm glad I did, as 6 months after my processor was replaced, my Cinema Display developed backlight problems too.

With Apple Care, apple will send a courier to collect the hardware if they can't come onsite and fix it.

I will be buying AppleCare for my new Powerbook in January too. Also shop around for applecare. Apple quoted me 360 Euro for my powermac, whereas the repair center sold me it for 250.

 

[Lo83]

okay

Thanks to all for the immensely helpful advice. I think I'll pick up the laptop now and ask for AppleCare (and another 512 MB) for Christmas or as a university graduation gift. This is my first laptop so I better play it safe.

Thanks again!

 

[pagartimun]

Hi all,

How about AppleCare on new iMAC 20"? Please share experiences on AC on iMAC.....Thanks

 

[ctsport1234]

I will definately be buying AC as soon as I have money to spare. I've had my PB for only 3 months and the mother board had to be replaced. I love my mac but Iam not too confident about apple's reliablity. My ipod mini also died on my less than 3 weeks after purchase.

 

[iGary]

With my 12" iBook, I looked at replacement cost versus warranty cost.

AppleCare was nearly a third the value of the laptop.

I'll take my chances.

I definitely got it on the G5 and monitor.

 

[Lacero]

If the computer doesn't fail in the first year, you're pretty much safe throughout the life of the product. HDs will eventually die. I'd worry most about the motherboard. Everything else is replaceable.

I don't see much point of AppleCare unless it's for really expensive non-replaceable products such as the 30" Cinema Display.

A one-year warranty is good enough for me.

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

 

[GreenDice]

I don't see much point of AppleCare unless it's for really expensive non-replaceable products such as the 30" Cinema Display.

A one-year warranty is good enough for me.

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

I agreed. It is too bad you can't buy AppleCare for the ACDs by themselves.

 

[generik]

I had this mindset of not needing Applecare as my desktop will nver move from its spot when I bought the G5 and didn't purchase AppleCare when I bought the machine. Luckily, I bought it mid year through the original warranty and am glad I did since this happened to me. It just goes to show you'll never know what will happen and better to be safe than sorry. Shelling out another $200 saved me over $2000 in damages.

Lets hope nothing like this happens to my Quad

$200 or $2000 is irrelevant. Apple may very well make that service cost $200,000 for that matter (that's right, it is even more than 100 new PMs!) and still be able to justify it.

Why? Cos no one else stocks the same processor and logic board, it probably only costs them $500 plus labour to do everything for that you that day.

 

[wiseguy27]

I am curious about people's experiences with AppleCare- is it a necessity?

I'm picking up a 14" i-book this week. Money is tight but it is high time for an upgrade. I am trying to decide whether or not AppleCare is a luxury I can skip. FYI, I currently live in a city with an apple store that although busy is pretty good w/ help. I am, however, moving in 6 months to a different city that I don't know much about their store. (I mention this after reading about several posters' bad customer service experiences...)

Although several people have already answered your question, you could also have a look at some information I've added in the advice section in Macrumors Guides - http://guides.macrumors.com/AppleCare#AppleCare_worth_it.3F - this page also has a lot more information about AppleCare.

As mentioned in the article, my recommendation is that you buy AppleCare for your notebook.