to applecare or not to applecare....
just wondering if i should plunk down the cash for applecare on my new, about to purchased in a week or so depending on what upgrades or updates it gets, ibook 
standard warranty is what, a year? knowing me, i may trade up and upgrade in a year, i'm a little foolish when it comes to electronics (allows upgrading and changing stuff that works for something newer).
but really, just wondering how good the applecare actually is.
i used to have a gateway laptop and the extended warranty i had on it was great. a couple times i had a problem, i sent it in, and had the laptop back in a week, they paid for the shipping and sent me the box also (they wanted to make sure the laptop was secure when it was shipped). i rated there service very high.
how does apple's service fair?
also, how do they handle upgrades done by the user? i plan on immediately upgrading the hard drive in whatever it is i get (i have a 60gb 7200rpm drive), what would happen to the applecare if i do this upgrade?
thanks in advance for any help
standard warranty is what, a year? knowing me, i may trade up and upgrade in a year, i'm a little foolish when it comes to electronics (allows upgrading and changing stuff that works for something newer).
but really, just wondering how good the applecare actually is.
i used to have a gateway laptop and the extended warranty i had on it was great. a couple times i had a problem, i sent it in, and had the laptop back in a week, they paid for the shipping and sent me the box also (they wanted to make sure the laptop was secure when it was shipped). i rated there service very high.
how does apple's service fair?
also, how do they handle upgrades done by the user? i plan on immediately upgrading the hard drive in whatever it is i get (i have a 60gb 7200rpm drive), what would happen to the applecare if i do this upgrade?
thanks in advance for any help
Comments
Originally posted by slick
[B]just wondering if i should plunk down the cash for applecare on my new, about to purchased in a week or so depending on what upgrades or updates it gets, ibook
standard warranty is what, a year? knowing me, i may trade up and upgrade in a year, i'm a little foolish when it comes to electronics (allows upgrading and changing stuff that works for something newer).
but really, just wondering how good the applecare actually is.
If you really will sell it before a year, forget it. Otherwise, it's worth every penny on a laptop.
how does apple's service fair?
"fare", you mean. It's as you said for the Gateway - you call, they send a box, you call for pickup, usually you get it back in a few days.
also, how do they handle upgrades done by the user? i plan on immediately upgrading the hard drive in whatever it is i get (i have a 60gb 7200rpm drive), what would happen to the applecare if i do this upgrade?
You are on your own if they notice it.
Originally posted by lundy
If you really will sell it before a year, forget it. Otherwise, it's worth every penny on a laptop.
applecare isnt transferable is it? i might get it if it is, it would make a great selling point.
"fare", you mean. It's as you said for the Gateway - you call, they send a box, you call for pickup, usually you get it back in a few days.
sorry for the spelling error, thats what you get with a 4 year degree
You are on your own if they notice it.
dang, that sucks. is there a way to take this drive to an authorized apple retailer and have them install it? i assume they wont because its a 7200rpm drive, and if they wanted it in there, they would have put on in themselves, but i thought i would ask.
thanks for the reply, its helpful.
Originally posted by slick
just wondering if i should plunk down the cash for applecare on my new, about to purchased in a week or so depending on what upgrades or updates it gets, ibook.
Not Apple Care Related but: The iBook was last updated a while back...if I were you, I would deffinatly wait for the next update...
In terms of Apple Care, if you are an advanced user, its not worth your money in most cases. If you arn't very advanced, then, it might be a good thing to get. Again, with laptops, Apple care is that much more important, but...what YOU have to decide is if its $200 more important.
It's a gamble. The odds are heavily in your favor for not needing Applecare. On the net I see lots of problems with Apple hardware, but that's because only those with problems post about them. In real life I don't know anyone who's had any problems that Applecare would have solved. A few had Apple replace their Macs a few days after purchase, but problems never arose later on.
Apple wouldn't offer Applecare unless it generated a profit. That means most people who buy Applecare don't use it beyond what they paid for it. Don't fall for Apple's crapware insurance policy - Macs aren't that bad!
Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg
I'd skip the Applecare. IMO, Applecare is basically a statement by Apple saying, "our hardware sucks, it will break, buy this and protect yourself against our crapware." Yet we know Apple hardware is very high quality stuff.
It's a gamble. The odds are heavily in your favor for not needing Applecare. On the net I see lots of problems with Apple hardware, but that's because only those with problems post about them. In real life I don't know anyone who's had any problems that Applecare would have solved. A few had Apple replace their Macs a few days after purchase, but problems never arose later on.
Apple wouldn't offer Applecare unless it generated a profit. That means most people who buy Applecare don't use it beyond what they paid for it. Don't fall for Apple's crapware insurance policy - Macs aren't that bad!
Sorry. As a seasoned owner of many many notebooks the money spent on AppleCare or any other NOTEBOOk warranty is well-spent.
My opinion is that if you bring your notebook with you, move it around a lot, and treat it, well, as a portable computer (which is what it's supposed to be) it's a great idea to get the warranty.
I just had a DELL notebook that needed its LCD to be replaced (it's almost three years old). The LCD alone would have cost me at least $300. I would get Apple Care for the coverage on the LCD alone which is very prone to problems.
If you're buying a $2K plus notebook, what's $300 to spend on a warranty? You can even get back some money from AppleCare if you don't want it after you buy it.
Originally posted by cj3209
Sorry. As a seasoned owner of many many notebooks the money spent on AppleCare or any other NOTEBOOk warranty is well-spent.
My opinion is that if you bring your notebook with you, move it around a lot, and treat it, well, as a portable computer (which is what it's supposed to be) it's a great idea to get the warranty.
I just had a DELL notebook that needed its LCD to be replaced (it's almost three years old). The LCD alone would have cost me at least $300. I would get Apple Care for the coverage on the LCD alone which is very prone to problems.
If you're buying a $2K plus notebook, what's $300 to spend on a warranty? You can even get back some money from AppleCare if you don't want it after you buy it.
a prorated refund on the applecare, thats pretty cool, i didnt know that.
the applecare is cheaper on the ibooks anyways, $250, i guess i can do it, a little piece of mind is worth that much.
you mention that the apple laptops are prone to problems when it comes to LCD's, care to elaborate?
Originally posted by slick
you mention that the apple laptops are prone to problems when it comes to LCD's, care to elaborate?
Mac fans use their laptops to death. (that's my take on it) All my Mac laptops held up very well... but over time they eventually need a little TLC (ala Applecare)
btw, i may purchase my laptop from compusa, if they have them in stock. can i buy from there and then go online to purchase the applecare? those morons tried to sell me there compusa protection plan on the mac mini i bought, when i told them no (it was $200), they started to negotiate it with me, "how about $180?". i dont like that crap, pushy fools like that bug me, but its the closest place to me that sells apple.
Originally posted by slick
oh, i thought that there was a defect or something i should know about, no biggie.
btw, i may purchase my laptop from compusa, if they have them in stock. can i buy from there and then go online to purchase the applecare? those morons tried to sell me there compusa protection plan on the mac mini i bought, when i told them no (it was $200), they started to negotiate it with me, "how about $180?". i dont like that crap, pushy fools like that bug me, but its the closest place to me that sells apple.
You can buy AppleCare from eBay if you wish; it's like a commodity which you can buy and sell (as long as you don't register it). If you really want to save some $$, you can get it off eBay for around $200 (I'm referring to a powerbook applecare warranty). If you're a student or gov. worker you can get a discount from apple.com.
CompUSA is kinda funny b/c you can actually haggle with them over price. If you need accessories or notebook bags you can haggle the entire price if you're buying everything at once. A friend of mine got a nice Brenthaven bag for half-price at the same time as a 12" pb that he purchased.
i thought the a$$ was trying to get me to buy the worthless compusa warranty, thats why he was lowering the price.
i might do that, haggle some accessories out of it, a small bag for my new 12" ibook/possible powerbook
Desktop macs have a way of never dying (hence their curse in being compared to newer PCs that have replaced ones that died) ... but I have had repairs to and used the applecare for my TiBook. Get it ... you'll be glad you did.
Brian
19 years of macs...
p.s. applecare doesn't cover accidental damage.
Originally posted by slick
again, another thing i didnt know.
i thought the a$$ was trying to get me to buy the worthless compusa warranty, thats why he was lowering the price.
i might do that, haggle some accessories out of it, a small bag for my new 12" ibook/possible powerbook
With all due respect, you might want to reconsider your position on the CompUSA warranty. IMO, it is AC that is the rip off. AC does not protect you against the disasters that happen to laptops. They protect against manufacturer defects. That is pretty much it. If major components naturally fail through the course of normal use, Apple will fix it. If the damage is due to dropping your notebook, forget about it. This is why upgrades void the warranty. If something goes wrong, they assume it is your fault, not theirs.
On the other hand, CompUSA covers everything including accidental damage. My dog once chewed up my power cord to my iBook. I told CompUSA exactly what happened and they ordered me a new cord under warranty. Apple would have charged me $80. Break your screen, CompUSA replaces it free of charge. Apple charges you through the roof. No amount of AC protects against user damage. Let's face it. With notebooks, most damage is user damage. CompUSA has one of the best, no questions asked policies I have ever used. Applecare is not insurance against damage. CompUSA's plan is.
i dont know if thats true or not, seems a little high.
applecare can be found for a decent price on ebay, i might just live with the fact that if i drop it or accidentally damage it, its on me to fix it.
i am very good with my stuff. i dont let my "hazardous" friends touch anything expensive that i own. i dont have a pet or small kids in the house to ruin anything. i think i might just play on the fact that i am a careful adult and i have never had such problems in the past.
thanks for the info however, when the employees at compusa dont explain properly the differences between applecare and there own warranty, its hard to know how each compare.
I bought the AC for my powerbook and never once used it. You may have a different experience, but I suspect that a one year warranty is sufficient for Apple hardware.
My experience with the iBook was: I had to get the graphic card replaced once, then back again for another graphic card, and finally the whole motherboard when Apple finally admitted a manufacturing defect some 18 months after I bought it. Now, in this case there was an admitted defect, which was corrected by Apple free of charge for all owners. But what wasn't brought up is the collateral damage that could've been caused by the defect. The defect caused the iBook to seize up and create a ton of heat when it was supposed to be "sleeping". Heat damages components, and now my HD is starting to make some funny sounds, So, I'm glad I still have a few more months of coverage on Apple care. This time, I gambled and unfortunately won.
I have already used my warranty for my pb, my 23" screen, and my g5 tower. Sure these were all minor things, but they were all covered. All together they would have cost more than the warranty.
Maybe it is just me, but knowing that my investment of around 8k+ has a warranty, gives me a certain "sleep easier" factor that I really like having.