[fiddlin'man]

My philosophy for a while has been to not buy extended warranties, etc. Ever.

The margins that retailers make on these are HUGE! They are overpriced insurance policies, where the premiums are far to big compared to the risk you take.

Over the long run, I think I win by never buying these things. If I save $300 or so on every major purchase, then in the end, I think I've saved enough to replace or repair at my own expense the one or two TVs, refrigerators, laptops, whatever, that die and would could have been covered by some extended warranty. I'd also note that to date, I haven't been burned by this philosophy.

So when I buy my new PowerBook, I'll be declining AppleCare. I was wondering if there were people out there who bought AppleCare and think it was worth it, and why.

[autodata]

I've had to use applecare at least once with every powerbook I've owned. In fact, I just used it last week on my 2 yo powerbook to get the logic board and optical drive replaced. That would have been over $1000.

It's also the second time it has gone in, since I had to send it in for a bad firewire port a week after I got it.

One of my buddies who decided not to get applecare started getting horizontal lines across the screen a month after the year ran out. That was over a year ago, and the powerbook has lines on the screen to this day (although it's only being used as a server now). If he had applecare he could have sent it in and gotten it fixed in a matter of days.

[thegelding]

on my iMac flat panel i broke off some tiny plastic clips that hold in the ram i was adding...needed a whole new logic board because of my thick thumbs...even with it being my fault, applecare took care of it...my superdrive also acted werid a year later, it was replaced no problems...i recommend it always, especially with laptops...plus tech support is very very nice once they find out you have applecare

g

[pscates2.0]

I purchased it last October, just prior to my one year period lapsing. I looked at it from a two-prong perspective:

1. I'm a klutz
2. Resell value

I guess you could add a third factor and just accepting that it's a tough world out there, full of accidents (and purposeful acts of shitheadedness) waiting to happen. I feel quite a bit better knowing my PowerBook is covered. I hear a major repair can be quite expensive.

And when I go to sell it here soon, I'm hoping the fact that it's covered until October 2006 will bring a higher price from someone who cares about such things.

On a desktop Mac, it's very affordable. It's the $349 for us PowerBook users that it gets kinda tough...



But I weighed my options, played out the various "what if" scenarios and went with my initial gut instincts, which, I believe, are going to pay off in the end, one way or the other.

[SKMDC]

Two months before my first year was up on my iBook the CPU died, it would have cost 950 clams, before my year was up I ponied up for AppleCare, since then it's paid for a new power supply.

I agree, you're going to by a new dvd player? or a run of the mill appliance, the extended warranty is a rip-off. But if you're getting a laptop, i'd say get it.

[morsen]

Hi All.

My forthcoming 15" PB will be my first Apple since the ][e days. So, is it true that there is no advantage to having AppleCare during the first year of ownership? Might not I just as well buy AppleCare coverage for my machine a week before the first year is up?

Thanks.

[_Ω_]

Originally Posted by morsen Hi All. My forthcoming 15" PB will be my first Apple since the ][e days. So, is it true that there is no advantage to having AppleCare during the first year of ownership? Might not I just as well buy AppleCare coverage for my machine a week before the first year is up? Thanks.

Correct. You have a year to make that decision. You do do lose the 90 day phone support option, but you can see how your machine is going and then make the decision.

I personally think AppleCare is mandatory for laptops. They are very expensive to fix. If I had to pay for all the repairs to my Ti I could have gotten 2 new laptops.

[SKMDC]

Actually if you have a severe hardware problem, i.e. no screen, flames coming out the back end etc. and you are past your 90 days but not yet past your year they probably will take your call. Why? DINGDINGDINGDINGDING! to sell you applecare! (or procare) as well as fix your problem.

[torifile]

I've always gotten the Applecare on every laptop I've kept longer than a year. I've never regretted. My brother just got a new iBook G4 because of Applecare. His 2.5 year old iBook 600 mhz, CD-ROM version went south and they just replaced it on the spot.

For laptops, it's a no-brainer, especially if you consider the resale value it adds.

[chromos]

I agree with the posters above: Applecare is definitely worth it. Since the 1yr mark, I've had to take my Powerbook in twice, once for a logicboard/video problem, and the other time for the dreaded hinge-seizing-up issue. Both of these would have been VERY expensive fixes.

While I don't buy extended warranties for other consumer electronics like stereos, etc., I wouldn't dream of not buying one for a computer. It's a different beast.

That being said, you don't have to buy it from Apple. Try doing a search on Pricegrabber or whatever to look for a better deal. I paid $249 for my Powerbook coverage.

[Ebby]

I never bought applecare. My motto: If it doesn't break in the first year, it probably won't if you are nice to it. If the computer arrived with a hardware problem, it is apple's job to fix it. If the user broke it, tuff.

I just know my luck; if I get applecare the "event" won't be covered.

[srizvi1]

I think there's another thread on this somewhere where pretty much everyone said to buy it. I went in with my powerbook countless times. Even little things like my AC Adaptor that broke two years later they covered. And when I had the tibook, after some much of hte paint chipped, they replaced the casing on one visit for no random reason. They also gave me OS X 10.2 (originally it came with 10.1) after they deemed the software corrupt. Last reason to buy applecare, resale value. If you sell your powerbook two years later, having a year of applecare left on it will help ease those ebay buyer's minds and get the price up on your machine.

Buy it - if not today, sometime within your year of ownership. I just got my PB a week ago and I'll pick mine up sometime in the next few months.

[JayReding]

AppleCare is expensive, but it's a must for a laptop. Laptops get dinged around, it's a fact of life, and if something like the screen goes, you'd end up paying a lot more than you would if you had AppleCare - and yes it does increase the resale value as well. All in all, if you're getting a high-end laptop like a PowerBook you're best off getting AppleCare support at the end of your first year if not sooner.

[superditka]

Note to all American Express Cardholders. If you buy your powerbook with an AMEX card, it AUTOMATICALLY doubles the manufacturers warranty. So, the incremental cost of AppleCare (assuming you buy with an AMEX) only gets you an extra year of coverage (2 vs. 3 years) in which case it might not be worth it.

I just bought my first apple yesterday (PB 12") and I debated the same issue.

[autodata]

Originally Posted by superditka So, the incremental cost of AppleCare (assuming you buy with an AMEX) only gets you an extra year of coverage (2 vs. 3 years) in which case it might not be worth it.

note: applecare is 3 years

[ironlung]

i have a friend who bought his tibook using his amex card. His screen went out after one year had just gone by...amex didnt replace it for him...i cant remember what exactly was what they said but he had to pay for a new screen by himself

[murbot]

note: applecare is 3 years

That's what he said. The Amex card gets you two years of warranty, which is the one year Apple warranty doubled.

AppleCare is a three year warranty.

Three years is one year longer than two years.

You get one extra year.



(though you also get phone support for 3 years with AppleCare, if that means anything)

[autodata]

Ok, got it now.