Questions for Business Users...possible recruit...

Hi There,

I am a possible new Macbook Pro owner but there are a few things I have to ask to all the business users out there.

With all of my windows laptops I purchased the extended warranty with on-site service. This came in handy that if my laptop ever crapped out and needed actual parts, I was always 48 hours away from being fixed.

Well when researching apple care I found that they only do on-site for desktops.....this is very weird in my opinion. Only for desktop? Well anyway. Here are my questions.

How the heck does apple expect a business person to be without their laptops for 7 -10 business days?

I know that it is possible, but not likely that a local Apple store could fix it, but still that is 2-4 days.

They said I could possibly get a loaner...but basically I have to purchase a refurb machine at full refurb price, then get a refund when I return the machine. That is hard on the wallet.

Any thoughts?

I am trying to figure this out, but I am at a loss as to what to do...

For what it's worth, Apple usually can gets a laptop back to you in 2-3 (overnight delivery-repair-overnight return). But they don't guarantee that, and it may be longer if, say, a part is out of stock at the depot. And that's in the US; don't know about elsewhere.

There's also the "ProCare subscription, but that's another huge expense, and it still only guarantees head-of-line service--no help if the store is not equipped for your particular problem.

What business are you in? What would you need the notebook for? Your employer should pay for this, though some won't. If it is a job requirement, they should foot the bill for all things involved, even a loaner if needed.
Still, the most important question to ask yourself is how would a MacBook Pro benefit you and your job. If you and your employer use and have used Windows exclusively, it is best to stick with that. The fact remains that no matter what the manufacturer, if a serious issue were to arise then it would take time to fix it. Either way, you would experience downtime until the unit is repaired.

I didn't know about that ProCare. I figured they had something like that, but I didn't know what it was called. WHY the applae care people I spoke to didn't tell me about that, is another thing.

I will check that out.

About my business. I am in the finance industry so there is not a need to swtich for my industry. My feelings are more like this:

"The best part of the Mac experience so far is that the technology simply works. I have yet to experience software conflicts, viruses and spyware infections, and endless tinkering and tweaking. Installing a printer, an Apple Airport Express, or some other peripheral is easy and painless. The bottom line is that I am simply spending more time getting real work done. And that’s what I was hoping for by making the switch."

from http://www.michaelhyatt.com/workingsmart/tabletpc/index.html

That is what I am feeling at this point. Hope that explains some things.