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Should I buy Applecare?


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Should I buy Applecare?
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faramirtook
A for effort.
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
 
2010-06-02, 19:04

Hey all,

I'm almost up on my first year with my 13" Macbook Pro, and I'm debating whether or not I should buy Applecare. I know that laptops are more prone to random hardware failure, but on the other hand, I'm approaching broke-ass college student status.

Any advice?

Thanks.

Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think
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Capella
Dark Cat of the Sith
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rochester, NY
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2010-06-02, 19:11

Yes. It doesn't matter how broke you are, AppleCare will save your butt. I'm a broke college student too, and the warranty saved my tail when my power board fried.

"A blind, deaf, comatose, lobotomy patient could feel my anger!" - Darth Baras
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thegeriatric
geri to my friends
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Heaven
 
2010-06-02, 19:14

Capella said it all.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2010-06-02, 19:23

They've started changing some of their repair pricing structures, but I'd still get it. (they're cheaper to fix stuff now than before, flat rate repairs)

However, if it's a laptop I'd get it anyway.

Unless you have reason to believe you're going to have a ton more money in a year's time, get the AppleCare now.

Google is your frenemy.
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dmegatool
Custom User Title
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: At home
 
2010-06-02, 19:24

I changed a couple of parts on my 15"MBP and the total is still lower than AppleCare (400$CAN).

I would say AppleCare may save your butt.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-06-02, 19:26

Agreed. My decision tree for AppleCare is:

1) Is it a laptop? Buy it.
2) Is it anything else? Buy it.

It's the one extended warranty that proves its worth again and again, in my experience.

Hell, Apple replaced the mobo on a PowerBook G4 three months *after* the AppleCare had run out its maximum three year coverage. "Oh, you've never used your coverage, I see... we'll take care of it for you." I was just calling to get a repair estimate to see if it would be worth buying a whole new laptop...
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-06-02, 19:30

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
Agreed. My decision tree for AppleCare is:

1) Is it a laptop? Buy it.
2) Is it anything else? Buy it.
Just curious, are you including AppleCare for iPod and iPhone in that?

I agree that AppleCare is a no-brainer for any Mac except possibly the Mac mini. I don't get it for iProducts, though.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-06-02, 19:40

You're right, I haven't purchased it for iDevices, just Macs. (And to be honest, I didn't buy it for the last monitor I got either...)

My B/W G3 tower and Core2 mini both had it purchased for them - the B/W was repaired after a lightning storm went through our area, even though they didn't need to do it, and I was so impressed I bought it for the mini too.

I can say that the repairs savings have easily outstripped the AppleCare costs, for me.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-06-02, 20:05

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
You're right, I haven't purchased it for iDevices, just Macs. (And to be honest, I didn't buy it for the last monitor I got either...).
I like how, if you buy a Cinema Display with your Mac, the AppleCare covers both. I would have purchased AppleCare if I got the Cinema Display, or if I got the mini server or something. But for the $549 mini I didn't.

I've bought it for every other Mac I've ever had. I've only needed it once, but that's a good thing right? I would definitely, 100% buy it for a laptop, no question.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2010-06-02, 21:16

I used to buy AppleCare for everything but now I generally don't buy it. Apple has always taken care of me too. My Minis are all serviced by me. My MBs have never given me a real problem other than the cracking shell. Apple still replaced the shells for both of the MBs. They even replaced the top case for my wife's because it was a first gen machine that had never ha that done.

After building up and swapping parts on the Clamshells I'm not to worried about what Apple throws at me. Repair manuals and iFixIt covers all my needs. Plus, if I can take apart multimillion dollar RADARs then certainly I can handle a laptop.

Though to be fair, if you aren't at my skill level I recommend it. So for the most part I recommend Plans to just about everyone.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2010-06-02, 22:19

Thanks for the reminder! My Applecare expires on June 17th. I just re-upped. I always buy Applecare. It helps the resale value and it give me peace of mind. With the Ed discount, it's kind of a no-brainer.

If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2010-06-02, 22:24

Being an avid Apple user, I'd say buy AppleCare for Laptops, iPods, and iPhones. Desktops, let them go.
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PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
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2010-06-03, 00:12

I'm in the same boat, my 13"MBP pro is almost a year old, but I've never had a Mac die or have a problem during the warranty period covered by Applecare, so I'm not sure that I'll bother this time around. Of course that is tempting fate in some ways, so maybe I will.
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Xaqtly
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-06-03, 08:27

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yontsey View Post
Being an avid Apple user, I'd say buy AppleCare for Laptops, iPods, and iPhones. Desktops, let them go.
This is my advice too.
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2010-06-03, 15:30

Quote:
Originally Posted by faramirtook View Post
Hey all,

I'm almost up on my first year with my 13" Macbook Pro, and I'm debating whether or not I should buy Applecare. I know that laptops are more prone to random hardware failure, but on the other hand, I'm approaching broke-ass college student status.

Any advice?

Thanks.
YES! YES!! YES!!!



I'll never make this same mistake again. After paying $226 out of pocket for some repairs to my iMac last month, I've had to take it back. Thankfully, a polite, inquisitive phone call to Apple on Tuesday has resulted in them going above and beyond and covering the cost of a new graphics card (parts and labor). Had I had AppleCare to begin with, I wouldn't have been in such a shaky position. Like Kickaha above, I was just calling Apple to get some info on repair costs, asks them a question or two about diagnosis, etc. and I guess my story struck someone as compelling and I got passed up the line a level or two, and wound up getting my iMac back today, without paying anything.

This iMac is the first time I've not purchased AppleCare (money has been tight in 2008-2009), but it will be the last time I fail to do so.

I was gambling on 15+ years of "good luck" and thought "eh, I've never used it before...".

Naturally, my iMac gets demonically possessed and turns into a raging a-hole in March. I'm just now, early June, coming out of it all (hopefully).

So, yes. As Capella says, broke or not, it's worth it. Think of how broke you'll be if you're staring at some insane, out-of-the-blue $900 logic board replacement! Suddenly, that $349 will be the smartest money you ever spent.



My Mom just got AppleCare today for her MacBook, and I just finished registering it all about 7-8 minutes ago. She's now covered until September 2012, and is happy about that.

A timely thread...

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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-06-03, 15:41

College students also get a big-ass discount on AppleCare, so yeah. No brainer.
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thegeriatric
geri to my friends
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Heaven
 
2010-06-03, 19:48

Just a thought, having made the decision to buy an expensive piece of kit, isn't it sensible to protect it for as long as possible?
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remlemasi
Formerly “theelmerguy”
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Irvine, California
 
2010-06-04, 15:00

Try eBay! I just got AppleCare for MBP13/MBA/MB for $83.95.

They usually go for around $100-120, but I found a seller who semi-regularly sells it for the price above: http://myworld.ebay.com/hqorganization

The first time I came across his listings, I waited too long and the "5 available" disappeared quickly. So I saved a search for his listings and a few days later I got an email saying he had new listings. Sure enough, it was back at $83.95 and I snagged it right away. If I had stalled literally a minute longer, I would've missed it again (I got the second to last one and the last one disappeared a minute later).

Note: His listing says it's for MacBook Pro 13", but it works for all 13" Apple notebooks.

(Here's an example of a listing for $105 from a 100% positive seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Care-Apple...ht_1905wt_1139)

P.S.: It is true, all they do is email you the codes and it sounds fishy, but since the sellers have good reps, I went ahead and purchased it the code worked fine.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2010-06-04, 16:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by theelmerguy View Post
Try eBay! I just got AppleCare for MBP13/MBA/MB for $83.95.

They usually go for around $100-120, but I found a seller who semi-regularly sells it for the price above: http://myworld.ebay.com/hqorganization

The first time I came across his listings, I waited too long and the "5 available" disappeared quickly. So I saved a search for his listings and a few days later I got an email saying he had new listings. Sure enough, it was back at $83.95 and I snagged it right away. If I had stalled literally a minute longer, I would've missed it again (I got the second to last one and the last one disappeared a minute later).

Note: His listing says it's for MacBook Pro 13", but it works for all 13" Apple notebooks.

(Here's an example of a listing for $105 from a 100% positive seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Care-Apple...ht_1905wt_1139)

P.S.: It is true, all they do is email you the codes and it sounds fishy, but since the sellers have good reps, I went ahead and purchased it the code worked fine.

One question, have you ever actually used your Applecare code you got for a repair on the machine? How do you know it works fine?
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-06-04, 16:41

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
One question, have you ever actually used your Applecare code you got for a repair on the machine? How do you know it works fine?
Yeeeeeaaaahhhh...I'd just spend the extra $99 and buy it from Apple (again, student discounts!) so I don't have to worry about any unexpected "surprises" later. That's the entire point of AppleCare, really. What's the point in buying insurance an extended warranty -- with the express purpose of protecting yourself from potential sudden costs -- from someone you don't trust?

I suppose one could just be very trusting of everyone on eBay with a high reseller rating, but I wouldn't be. As xkcd pointed out, you could mail a bobcat in a box to people one out of every thirty times and still have 97% approval.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong

Last edited by Robo : 2010-06-04 at 17:01.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2010-06-04, 16:52

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
What's the point in buying insurance from someone you don't trust?
Be careful with your wording. Keep in mind that AppleCare is not an insurance policy, but an extended warranty! There's a big difference between the two. A warranty covers premature failures due to manufacturing defects. Insurance covers failures due to abuse or "accidents". If you spill soda on your MacBook, for example, AppleCare will not cover it.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2010-06-04, 16:58

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
Be careful with your wording. Keep in mind that AppleCare is not an insurance policy, but an extended warranty! There's a big difference between the two. A warranty covers premature failures due to manufacturing defects. Insurance covers failures due to abuse or "accidents". If you spill soda on your MacBook, for example, AppleCare will not cover it.
Oh yeah. I knew that, but I should have worded that more carefully.

I've clarified my post. Please don't buy AppleCare thinking it's an insurance policy.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
  quote
JohnnyTheA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2010-06-05, 13:18

AppleCare is a very good idea but if you are a student, it is a NO brainer. The discount is very good.
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remlemasi
Formerly “theelmerguy”
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Irvine, California
 
2010-06-05, 22:40

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
One question, have you ever actually used your Applecare code you got for a repair on the machine? How do you know it works fine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman View Post
Yeeeeeaaaahhhh...I'd just spend the extra $99 and buy it from Apple (again, student discounts!) so I don't have to worry about any unexpected "surprises" later. That's the entire point of AppleCare, really. What's the point in buying insurance an extended warranty -- with the express purpose of protecting yourself from potential sudden costs -- from someone you don't trust?

I suppose one could just be very trusting of everyone on eBay with a high reseller rating, but I wouldn't be. As xkcd pointed out, you could mail a bobcat in a box to people one out of every thirty times and still have 97% approval.
All valid points, but I am going by two assumptions:

1. I did some light googling and did not find any "evidence"/complaints pointing to fraud. I'm positive that if this method of obtaining AppleCare was a problem, it would have popped up on at least a few of the forums.

2. Entering my serial number on Apple's support site (https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do) tells me I'm covered and Apple also emailed me my "proof of coverage".

As a graduate student, an extra $99 goes a long way...
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faramirtook
A for effort.
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
 
2010-06-07, 11:55

I bought it.

My one concern is, being that I bought it online just now and that my one-year window ends tomorrow , whether I can register it after the window has expired despite having bought it before the window expired.

Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think
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remlemasi
Formerly “theelmerguy”
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Irvine, California
 
2010-06-07, 17:28

Did you buy it on eBay? Are they sending you the full box or emailing the code?
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Maciej
M AH - ch ain saw
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-06-19, 20:04

Is it just me or did Apple raise the price of AppleCare recently? $349 ($239 for edu, thankfully I qualify) for 17" MBP. I thought it was a little cheaper, around $180?

User formally known as Sh0eWax
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2010-06-19, 20:21

FWIW, I paid $349 nearly six years ago for the AppleCare coverage on my 15" PowerBook G4 I bought in autumn 2003. It definitely wasn't $180! The iMac and Mac mini AppleCare prices are in the mid-$100's, and have been for a long time. Maybe you're thinking of those?

I'm not aware of the coverage for the 15" and 17" pro models, pre- or post-Intel, being $180-ish.
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Maciej
M AH - ch ain saw
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2010-06-19, 20:31

Yeah, you're right. I just looked up my order from October 2009, for my previous MBP, and it was the $239. False alarm folks, I just had a brain fart!

User formally known as Sh0eWax
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