Applecare worth it?

Is Applecare generally worth the money? I know it is hard to say, and that each individual case varies, but overall, do most Mac users need it? It is really expensive, and I am eyeing it.

The answer to that depends on your comfort with the device, particularly with fixing any issues and how well the Mac is treated (that said, some hardware faults will never be your fault). Can you fix and replace parts yourself if need be? Can you tackle fixing software issues? Do you have a desktop Mac?

I have a Macbook Pro. I can install RAM, but that is about it. Can I buy Applecare at the very end of my one year purchase warranty?

It's worth it if you have a problem! Ask the average person who has it…and never needed it…and they may say…"wasn't worth it." But ask a person who had Applecare…and HAD a problem…they will most likely say…DEFINITELY get Applecare! This is sort of the way it goes with most warranties.

Two points of clarification:

1. Applecare only covers manufacturing defects. It does not cover accidents, liquid damage, anything that was the fault of the owner.
2. You already have Applecare. Every new & refurbished computer Apple sells automatically comes with 12 months of Applecare. What we are talking about is extended Applecare (an extra 2 years)…for a total of 3 years. Which can be purchased anytime within the first 12 months.

Is Applecare worth it (or any extended warranty)? All depends on how much peace of mind you require. Someone out there would probably sell you an extended warranty for a toothbrush if they could get you to buy it! A computer is an expensive purchase…and repairs for Apple computers generally are pretty expensive. But again…Applecare only covers manufacturing defects. It's NOT a "safety net" for any and all issues.

Let me also mention that from time to time…there does seem to be a bit of "gray-area" when it comes to Applecare repairs. Sometimes some issues are taken care of that you may not have expected Applecare to cover (which I would say is a bonus to having the Applecare). As far as cost. I've seen Applecare for 13" Apple laptops around $229 US.

Finally. Applecare used to not cover battery's. One of the recent important changes to Applecare is it now does cover battery's. If a battery fails to retain 80% of it's charge/life within the warranty period…it will be replaced for free. Of course nothing is really "free". I believe that the cost of Applecare has gone up. Since I remember not long ago…Applecare for 13" laptops was under $200 US.

HTH,

- Nick

Thanks Nick. The batteries thing is actually a good motivation. I may extend it at the end of this year. Normally, how does one get a battery replaced?

mattymac said:

The batteries thing is actually a good motivation. I may extend it at the end of this year. Normally, how does one get a battery replaced?

Click to expand...

Normally to get the battery replaced…a person would visit an Apple Store. But since not everyone lives close enough to an Apple Store…I know that Apple has an excellent program for you to ship it to them for these sort of things (repairs).

As far as the extended Applecare. There are two aspects to Applecare. The repair part & the phone support part. With each new or refurbished computer Apple sells…you get 12 months of Applecare…which includes 30 or 90 days (I forget) of free phone support. To extend this free phone support…extended Applecare must be purchased quickly (I think before the free initial period of phone support runs out)…30 or 90 days (I forget).

If extended Applecare is purchased BEFORE the initial free phone support period runs out…then you also extend free phone support to 3 years. This is another motivator (for some folks) to purchase extended Applecare quickly (instead of waiting until near the end of the initial 12 month period).

Of course I don't think that there's very much we here at Mac-Forums couldn't answer that the Apple phone support folks would/could answer! But then again...being on the phone (one on one) with an Apple support person for whatever amount of time it takes has its benefits too!

- Nick

Ok thanks.

I purchased the extended Applecare when I bought my Mac. The hdd died two weeks before the Applecare expired. Applecare was worth every cent!

Over the past 7 years, I've been associated with 4, bought from new, Macs at home and work. The oldest is now 7 years old, and the youngest, 5. Non of them had any problems that would have needed Applecare.

Hopefully, my new MBP will be the same.

LOL, you never need Apple Care until you need it. ;D

Exactly!

Just like a:

- Parachute
- Air Bag
- Life Preserver
- Flood Insurance
- etc.

Extended warranties are loved & hated!

- Nick

And Matty to enact AppleCare you must do it prior to the expiration of your twelve month warranty.

What? No insurance agents here?

It's perhaps just worth mentioning that AppleCare+ isn't just an insurance against malfunctioning products or parts.

It also covers telephone assistance when you can't get something to work even if the problem is user-based. I've been helped on several occasions by being talked through a solution to a difficulty largely created by my own ignorance. It's almost like a one-to-one session that you get in an Apple Store.

Ian

My Macbook Pro Retina died a recently. I contacted Apple Care,on Friday morning, from another machine. After trying their suggestions, to no avail, they arranged to send a box with a prepaid shipping label, via Fedex for Monday AM. The box arrived at my door Monday at 9:30 AM, I called Fedex to schedule a pick-up. Fedex picked up my Mac at 4:30 PM, on Monday. Wednesday , at 10:30 AM, my Mac arrived at my door, having been from NJ, to Texas, & back again... Fixed & working like a dream! Cost to me: $0.00
I'll never think twice about getting AppleCare again!

I bought Apple Care with my iMac purchase in March. Haven't needed it (yet) and I hope I never need it. But, for me, it was a small price to pay for piece of mind.

I have AppleCare+ on all of my Apple products. I recently had a Fusion hard drive failure. 2 days laters everything was working fine at $0 cost. When ever I have a question on how to do something I call AppleCare and they walk me through it. I'm not normally one for purchasing extended warranties, but in my opinion AppleCare+ is certainly worth it.

Have to agree with Vansmith. A lot of whether Applecare is a good investment depends up what type of Mac you have and how comfortable you are working inside the computer. I've had AppleCare on my 2006 Mac Pro and '08 MacBook Pro. I used AppleCare to replace the hard drive in the Mac Pro simply because I had time available on the warranty. They cross shipped a replacement drive and I installed it. Had I not had the extended warranty I could easily have purchased a replacement and installed it for less than the warranty. Had I blown a logic board though that would have been different.

I had AppleCare on the notebook but never used it. I'll definitely be adding AppleCare to the new iMac though. There isn't anything in it i"m comfortable replacing on my own (except memory).

This really depends on your comfort zone. If you can search for answers, here or online, and solve most things yourself, then I think Apple Care is too expensive. I've been through 2 laptops, 1 iMac, 2 iPads, and 2 iPhones, and never needed Apple Care. The people in this forum are marvelous, and have helped me immensely. As someone said, if you spill something on it, or have an accident, you're not covered anyway. Bottom line - if you've confidence in your DIY ability, save your money.

More and more, MBPs and MBAs are becoming difficult for the user to fix. Smaller parts, tolerances, and the need for special tools, plus the use of glue to hold parts in place are making user repairs and upgrades difficult. That makes AppleCare more reasonable. (Yes, let's hear from the conspiracy theorists about how evil Apple is doing all that deliberately. I don't believe that, by the way.)