Ok ok… I was being a bit harsh with that. My apologies. Just to be clear, my contention has been that "peace of mind" alone is a poor reason to recommend extended warranties. Not that there aren't good ones, but that in itself is really lousy. I'll just leave it at that.
No worries. I wasn't REALLY offended.. I mean, it was a silly comment, and can definitely see how others might actually be offended if they thought about it, but it takes more than that to snark my delicate sensibilities
Two more points for you:
I'm OK with new car warranties because the repair costs can be significantly high; the cost of that extended warranty is a trivial fraction of the cost of the vehicle; extended downtime means significant issues in getting to work, to make money, to make the repair; and making car payments on a non-functioning vehicle isn't an option.
You're not thinking about anyone or much of anything other than yourself. This doesn't boil down to a singular experience for you alone... Lest you forget, for a LOT of people, a computer IS their car. It's the main tool used for the job which pays their bills !
Downtime on a computer for some people, means a loss of time and revenue. Perhaps a loss of clients and future failings. Not having to deal with that headache means everything. That "peace of mind" alone.. certainly IS worth the extra couple bills and is not at all lousy, sir. Also, it's harder to remain logical, if your peace of mind has been disturbed, especially after you realize that the problem could have been avoided.
Last point and question for you: How many Computers do you purchase per year? My current MacBook Pro has been serving me for 3 years now. I've used Apple Care once and will perhaps need to call upon it once more this week. It has already more than paid for its self. Back to the point... If you purchase one computer for yourself *not for your wife or kids, just you* do you have need for more than that computer? Yes, you might have a laptop and desktop or perhaps a tower. Which ever suits you... Here's my point though: If that computer serves you well for let's say.. 5-6 years or until you get the itch to get a newer model.. that extra couple hundred you spent would have no impact other than a positive one in case you needed it.
Of course, that's given that any problems which have occurred, did so towards the beginning of its life span, likely meaning a defective part etc.. Hard drives fail... mostly all of us have seen this happen. They're easy to replace and cheap. Same goes for RAM. But a naturally occurring failure to a component such as the logic board, GPU, CPU, or LCD will usually happen far more rapidly than those other parts. I kind of wish that Apple Care extended for 3 full years, rather than the extra 2, but I guess that they've done the proper research and figured out the best time frame according to the rate of failure in each component.
That's it for me here. I'll just agree to disagree. BTW, my wife neglected to purchase Apple Care for her MacBook Pro. She lost track of the time... I really hope we have the same luck as you have had with your stuff!
Doug