Is Applecare worth it?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
This is the situation.



I will be a mac user after switching from wintel pcs. I will buy a 12" powerbook and will take it to university. I don't know anything about the software. I don't even know how to create a new folder! I know loads of things about wintel pcs though.



If I buy applecare will I use it. What are you experiences with Applecare.



I will be buying a lpatop, and the applecare doesn't even cover acidental damage, like if I drop it or something else happens like the screen cracks.



It is very expensive compared to the ibook applecare.







Please help.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    Try ordering from MacMall. They have a 3 year warranty on the 12PB for $175. Much more reasonable then AppleCare. I'm not sure how the coverage and all that works compared to AppleCare though.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    cwedlcwedl Posts: 11member
    Thanks CubeDude



    Just to let you know that I live in england so I will have to get it over here! Thanks anyway
  • Reply 3 of 13
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    I got a three year full guarantee on my iBook for free. Look for a reseller that will offer you the same.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    on a laptop it's always worth extended coverage, although it doesn't have to be applecare.



    that said, my applecare experiences have been wonderful.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    Mine have too, it's just that $300(or whatever AppleCare is) is very high for a warranty, and MacMall offers pretty much the same stuff for a much lower price. Other than that, AppleCare is great.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    giaguaragiaguara Posts: 2,724member
    UK is part of European Union, and the Union laws enable you to 2 years warranty for ANY computer or mobile phone - thus apple can NOT make a difference in that.



    Powerbooks are quite well protected, so are iBooks. If you find no good extended offers at your reseller, you can always get the applecare after, just do it in the first 12 months after the purchase.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    gargoylegargoyle Posts: 660member
    cwedl, George Henry Lee.. Oops - John Lewis, is good with their computer warranty, and normally the guys on the sales floor are clued up on that part of the sale - they might not be tech heads, but they seem to know the warranty. Ask them the difference between the store warranty and applecare.



    Failing getting decent info from the sales team, goto the returns counter and ask what IF? Get them to explain all about the procedure and what is and is not covered. Being a student you can prolly pick a fairly quiet time and the staff should be more than happy to help you out at the prospect of a £1500 ish sale.



    Garg.
  • Reply 8 of 13
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Depends, to me, in the case of PB's, it's just far too expensive, Apple really tries to fleece PB customers when it comes to the warrantee, there's no reason for it to cost more than that of an iBook, but it does. In Europe, you're covered for 2 years, and you're also covered for 2 years if you use a major credit card. For example, mine covers up to 60K worth of warrantee and doubles the manufacturer warantee up to a maximum of one additional year. So, I have 2 years worth of coverage without buying AppleCare, which just isn't worth it for 1 extra year of coverage. Then there are homeowners insurance options, and safeware, or very good plans from some of the major retailers, plans that include screen protection for less than what Apple charges.



    Untill they get there act together on warrantee prices, you shouldn't reward them. Get your PB from Apple, get the warrantee from someone else!
  • Reply 9 of 13
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    a couple of weeks ago i was at the Apple store in soho buying a new mouse and keyboard (and, off-topic, i saw john mcenroe; apparently he, or his kid, is an Apple-user. i'm pretty sure his kid got the same wireless kensington mouse that i did). while on line, i overheard a salesman trying fervently to convince a woman to get Applecare for her fresh new pbook. "it's like driving a car without insurance," he tells her. she's very hestitant on the price, so he comps MS Office (which she was also going to buy) to sweeten the deal. it seemed like he was almost willing to comp everything she had intended to buy (not sure what else, but it seemed like a number items). so, my advice is to go into some brick and mortar Apple store and try to haggle with a saleperson; if you can't find a better deal on-line. unfortunately, you may have to wait a while for Apple to internationalize their retail division to your area, so going another route is probably a good idea.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    All I know is that AppleCare has gotten me a new DVD-ROM, a new mouse and (well, technically the new drive was within the first year, but still it could have happened any time) and a fair amount of tech support. I've beat my 15" PB up pretty good. And I actually damaged the DVD drive by dropping the comp. (knocked it out of alignment or something). Point is, what I would have paid in repair costs is greater than the cost of Apple Care so I win . The moral of the story is, make sure you have a comprehensive warranty for a laptop, whoever you get it from. It's just so easy to hurt them.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by thuh Freak

    (and, off-topic, i saw john mcenroe; apparently he, or his kid, is an Apple-user.



    you know he is from my neighborhood... we went to the same elementary school too... while im sure while he went there they didn't have many computers, but they had Apple IIs (1st grade), Mac LC IIs, (3rd-5th), Performa something er others (5th-8th). They have a bunch of iMacs now... It is the reason I use them... His kids go to school in the city tho, their school was actually a rival of my High School...



    never met him tho, just read his book...



    with that said, based on the amount of problems I have had and the problem I am dealing with now... I will be buying Apple Care... It has already paid for itself... But I will try to get them to comp some software like that lady... what time were you at SoHo? Maybe I should go there...
  • Reply 12 of 13
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Paul

    But I will try to get them to comp some software like that lady... what time were you at SoHo? Maybe I should go there...



    it was sometime between 12-5 on a saturday. i'm inclined to think it was closer to 3-4, but i'm not certain about that (nor am i certain about anything really).
  • Reply 13 of 13
    pyr3pyr3 Posts: 946member
    I plan on adding AppleCare to my TiBook before the warranty runs out in a month or two. So far I have replaced the following under warranty :



    - A top case that had the 'chip/bubble' issue. (I worked in the Dell repairs at my Uni so I knew the Mac repair people.)



    - An LCD that had some major 'bend' issues. (I accidentally tripped on the power cable once and the TiBook flipped off the table and onto the floor and closed itself. I was amazed that the LCD didn't break clean off, and just broke the corner of the LCD case due to stress of the flip.)



    - Power adapter



    - Keyboard
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