I am getting a dual 2.0 (rev b) and am wondering if i should go for a 5 year warranty for £211 (about $400). If I sell the computer in 2 or 3 years will this add much to the resale value?
I have seen others say that it is probably not necessary for the Power Mac, but I got it with mine. I think it gives one a little piece of mine. You never know when something is going to happen to a piece of hardware. Considering what I paid for it, I don't think the extra money was wasted.
The extended warranty is a bit better of a deal if you're buying a system and a cinema display together. The applecare will also cover the display for at no extra cost as long as both items are on the same sales receipt.
On my Beige G3 tower and my G4 Quicksilver I never bothered with the warranty.
I felt secure in the products and wasn't concerned about defects or malfunction.
I never ended up having any real problem with either of them aside from having to replace the Superdrive in the Quicksilver after four years, which was inexpensive and easy to install. So all in all it was a good decision.
I just ordered a new Dual 2.7 and this time I did get the Apple Care on it.
Why?
For me the liquid cooling unit is too new and too untested for me to be totally at ease with it. In addition this is the most expensive tower I've ever owned so the price to insure it seemed nominal given everything else I was spending on it.
So I guess it comes down to how comfortable you are with everything and whether the price on the Mac is worth the price of the warranty.
That's a great point ravenpen. The economics of applecare are completely skewed by the fixed price for the applecare kit.
The Applecare price for a dual 2.7GHz powermac and 30" display is the exact same as the price paid by someone buying a single proc 1.8GHz box with no display.
Any sane person would tell you that you should weigh the cost of applecare against the value of the machine you're buying. Any Macintosh nutcase, on the other hand, would tell you that if you're going to buy applecare then the only rational approach is to buy the most expensive mac and display they make so as to best maximize the value you're getting.
On my dual processor Quicksilver desktop one of the processors went so I was very glad I had AppleCare. I purchased AppleCare for my G5 just a week before it was a year old for peace of mind. AppleCare is like any other insurance, if you never need it you think why did you get it but if you wind up needing it you're glad you have it.
my main thought is, would say a 3 year old machine with 2 years of warranty left have a higher resale value?
Something you would need to find out is whether the warranty is tied to the computer, the owner, or both.
It's possible that Apple Care warranties may be non-transferable in which case the warranty would only be valid for you.
It'd be interesting to find out how that works. Since I don't tend to sell my old Macs, I either put them to other uses or donate them to friends in need, I've never thought about it, but it would definitely be worth knowing.
The original poster mentioned a 5-year warranty, so he's definitely not talking about AppleCare unless he misunderstood the length of coverage. To me this sounds like some kind of store warranty or insurance policy. If so he should get a copy of the warranty and read it closely to see what actually is covered, any limitations and how one gets warranty service.
AppleCare provides an additional two-years' warranty beyond the original manufacturer's one-year one. I think it's machine specific and transferable.
I've had Mac desktops dating back to the Mac SE and have never purchased AppleCare prior to buying my G5. Nor have I ever had a problem, other than changing a battery in a Mac 7300/200. Of course, your mileage may vary. Because of the unproven design of the 2.5 I did purchase AppleCare for it, though.
yes, it is a store warranty, from John Lewis in the UK. They provide an extra year on top of the Apple warranty, and then give you the option of an additional 3 years. Just found out that it's not transferable, however.
i dont have a powermac, but im a big believer in having it just incase. i have a newly imac (the model right before the new on was released on may3rd, 05) and i got the extended warrenty, and found that i did need to get mine serviced after the 90day warrenty...
To insure or not to insure. Always a question. It is hard to deal with risk up front. Reminds me of the Will Rogers quote on investing. The idea is to buy low and sell high. If it doesn't go high then don't buy it.
yes, it is a store warranty, from John Lewis in the UK. They provide an extra year on top of the Apple warranty, and then give you the option of an additional 3 years. Just found out that it's not transferable, however.
If you are buying in the UK, a warranty from Dixons etc (and therefore I would presume PC world) is transferrable if this helps. It will also cover you for accidental damage etc.
Avoid warranty and other insurance when the risk is in the realm of acceptable. For computers and the like, you shouldn't even be buying a thing whose breakage is too big a risk.
The grounds for this: if someone offers you a warranty, they are expecting to make a profit. If the risk is not totally unacceptable, you might as well keep that "profit" bit to yourself.
Avoid warranty and other insurance when the risk is in the realm of acceptable. For computers and the like, you shouldn't even be buying a thing whose breakage is too big a risk.
The grounds for this: if someone offers you a warranty, they are expecting to make a profit. If the risk is not totally unacceptable, you might as well keep that "profit" bit to yourself.
thats good advice.. but the question remains.. when we know we're buying good products, theres always something in the field that could make something go.
my brother and i have the exact same computers brought off the exact same lot. he hasnt had a problem with it, since he's had it.. mine however, the power supply went b/c we had a really bad surge one day, and the surge protector didnt help any, and he power on my imac went... my brothers computer still good shape w/out problems, and ive had one... the warrenty helped me.. so when buying a good machine, i still buy the warrenty b/c one doesnt know what can and perhaps will happen in the field...
thats good advice.. but the question remains.. when we know we're buying good products, theres always something in the field that could make something go.
true, its not the end of the world... but when i got my imac fixed.. when i first broguht it in.. they showed me how much it would have been if i didnt have the warrenty.. and the first one was $1,095.94, and i have the second bill somewhere that was about $89 if i remember correctly that comes to $1,184.95 i could have bought a new apple computer for that much; but with the warrenty, i saved all that money which is good b/c i had that much at the time i was getting it fixed.. so warrenties do help, i believe. i also believe, that some things arent worth warrenties; but i always get them w/ a new computer
Comments
On my Beige G3 tower and my G4 Quicksilver I never bothered with the warranty.
I felt secure in the products and wasn't concerned about defects or malfunction.
I never ended up having any real problem with either of them aside from having to replace the Superdrive in the Quicksilver after four years, which was inexpensive and easy to install. So all in all it was a good decision.
I just ordered a new Dual 2.7 and this time I did get the Apple Care on it.
Why?
For me the liquid cooling unit is too new and too untested for me to be totally at ease with it. In addition this is the most expensive tower I've ever owned so the price to insure it seemed nominal given everything else I was spending on it.
So I guess it comes down to how comfortable you are with everything and whether the price on the Mac is worth the price of the warranty.
The Applecare price for a dual 2.7GHz powermac and 30" display is the exact same as the price paid by someone buying a single proc 1.8GHz box with no display.
Any sane person would tell you that you should weigh the cost of applecare against the value of the machine you're buying. Any Macintosh nutcase, on the other hand, would tell you that if you're going to buy applecare then the only rational approach is to buy the most expensive mac and display they make so as to best maximize the value you're getting.
Originally posted by gajones
my main thought is, would say a 3 year old machine with 2 years of warranty left have a higher resale value?
Something you would need to find out is whether the warranty is tied to the computer, the owner, or both.
It's possible that Apple Care warranties may be non-transferable in which case the warranty would only be valid for you.
It'd be interesting to find out how that works. Since I don't tend to sell my old Macs, I either put them to other uses or donate them to friends in need, I've never thought about it, but it would definitely be worth knowing.
AppleCare provides an additional two-years' warranty beyond the original manufacturer's one-year one. I think it's machine specific and transferable.
I've had Mac desktops dating back to the Mac SE and have never purchased AppleCare prior to buying my G5. Nor have I ever had a problem, other than changing a battery in a Mac 7300/200. Of course, your mileage may vary. Because of the unproven design of the 2.5 I did purchase AppleCare for it, though.
Originally posted by gajones
yes, it is a store warranty, from John Lewis in the UK. They provide an extra year on top of the Apple warranty, and then give you the option of an additional 3 years. Just found out that it's not transferable, however.
If you are buying in the UK, a warranty from Dixons etc (and therefore I would presume PC world) is transferrable if this helps. It will also cover you for accidental damage etc.
The grounds for this: if someone offers you a warranty, they are expecting to make a profit. If the risk is not totally unacceptable, you might as well keep that "profit" bit to yourself.
Originally posted by Gon
Avoid warranty and other insurance when the risk is in the realm of acceptable. For computers and the like, you shouldn't even be buying a thing whose breakage is too big a risk.
The grounds for this: if someone offers you a warranty, they are expecting to make a profit. If the risk is not totally unacceptable, you might as well keep that "profit" bit to yourself.
thats good advice.. but the question remains.. when we know we're buying good products, theres always something in the field that could make something go.
my brother and i have the exact same computers brought off the exact same lot. he hasnt had a problem with it, since he's had it.. mine however, the power supply went b/c we had a really bad surge one day, and the surge protector didnt help any, and he power on my imac went... my brothers computer still good shape w/out problems, and ive had one... the warrenty helped me.. so when buying a good machine, i still buy the warrenty b/c one doesnt know what can and perhaps will happen in the field...
with that said, time for a fresh cigar
Originally posted by ragingloogie
thats good advice.. but the question remains.. when we know we're buying good products, theres always something in the field that could make something go.
And then? Pay for repairs or get a new product.
Not the end of the world.