Applecare- Worth It or Ripoff?

[w_]

So, I just got a new Powerbook. This is my third in the last 4 years (don't even ask). After my last one had the screen die a month after the one year warranty expired (which costs about as much as a new laptop to repair, rendering it worthless) I started to think about Applecare.
I know someone who works for Apple who has told me Applecare is what Apple makes the most profit on it (margin wise)...which made me a bit leery of it.
I just picked up Applecare for the new laptop, but am questioning whether it was a good idea. I kind of lookd at it as a necesary evil. What do you guys think?

[jerrymac]

I had it on my laptop, and I thought it was worthwhile. I bought the last clamshell one, and the applecare is expired now. I still use the same laptop to run my business side of things and to use an mbox for stereo recordings in the field.

While I had the applecare they fixed a bad logic board where my USB quit, and replaced the keyboard and the yo-yo looking power supply. I think it's a good idea on laptops as laptops seem get more abuse.

jerry

[trashy]

I would say jerry is right. On a laptop, you'll probably use it. Profit for apple or not, it'll probably be worth it to you.

On an apple desktop, those things are built so well (and you don't pack them around all over the place) I can't imagine you'd need it. I mean it's like playing the lottery, and the numbers just aren't there for one to be able to make a good bet that they'll use applecare. Just check out the number of repairs per thousand sold; Apple has -by far- the lowest in the industry, and chances are you're not gonna need it.

My 2 cents.

[spiral]

Laptop = essential. Especially with the current crop of LCD problems that the laptops are having. You would think the normal Apple warranty covers the LCD but IT DOES NOT So protect your $2k+ investment with $350.

[SlabOLab]

Yeah, necessary evil. Its an expensive gamble either way, but (as you've sadly experienced) way more expensive if anything DOES go wrong.

I'd say its even worth it for a desktop machine - especially if you have an lcd display. I've had a processor go south and one of the backlights on the display go out (apparently not an uncommon problem) and each repair would have been way more than the cost of applecare.

Nice profit center there, apple.

[Girl Toes]

More than worth it!!! Totally get it!!!

I got an iBook in the fall of 2001. From the get go, it kept breaking and I had to send it in like ten times. Finely, about a month ago, over 2 and a half years later, they just decided to replace it. And now they gave me a brand new G4 iBook!!! And all I did was get apple care, never had to pay for repairs once.

With laptops, breaking is inevitable. I've been very happy with Apple's care program.

[lsn110]

Yeah...I just bit and bought it for my iBook. Including the one it came with, I'm on the 4th logic board and it's less than 1 year old. I use it a lot, but sheesh. I figure an extra 2 years of free repairs is an insurance policy that's worth having. Even if it scares my iBook into behaving for the next 2 years, it will have been well worth it. Although, if it has to go in again, I'll press for a new one ala Lance.

[dstroud]

Yep, it's worth it, I do this for a living and get to explain that the computer in question is out of warranty and will cost x amount to repair, not fun. Just understand that it's not insurance, but gives phone support and repairs manufacturer's defects. Plus you get onsite service for desktop units, it's transferable to the new owner if the unit is sold, etc... And the LCD IS covered under both the 1 year warranty and APP. Pixel anomalies, however, are not when within specifications.

-Dan

[whosmatt]

worth it, every penny....

i have a g4 powermac and one of the firewire ports fried, and a tech came to the studio, picked up the mac and brought it back the next day, good as new. also, if you have a cinema display purchased at the same time you can have them both covered under the same plan...

i would imagine it the coverage is even more essential on a laptop.

[pscottm]

man, feel good about it. it's worth it. i've had 2 powerbooks, an ibook and a g4 tower which have ALL had major failures at one point. all were picked up, fixed, returned to my door within 3 days of calling in the problem. it's always happened after the normal warranty would have been expired too.

the most recent, and most dramatic incident occurred last fall, less than a week before the most important gig i've ever done using a powerbook (collaborating w christian fennesz!). my machine just... died. the motherboard burned up where the FW drive hooks in, burned up the HD, and overcooked the processor. apple replaced the motherboard, processor, and HD for free. great, but now it was a blank computer! so really, the biggest ass-saver was that i had just made a bootable sytem clone a couple weeks prior using Carbon Copy Cloner (as important as applecare in my opinion) so when i got my machine back the same morning i had to go jump on a plane, i was able to 'clone it back' to the way it was before the meltdown and it only took 1/2 hour. no re-installs or anything. just had to re-auth' some disk-specific software which was not a problem since it runs normal for 30 days on the new drive anyway. major ass-saver.

anyway, kick back and have some iced tea or something.. and sleep well. you're covered!

[tiger vomitt]

another vote here for getting applecare, regardless of the model in question.

my last mac cost $2000, $250 for good insurance is not much money in comparison.

[JES]

Ditto. Bought my wife a new imac last winter and applecare was a no-brainer. Now she's worry-free for three years.

Best,
--JES

[boboroshi]

I have applecare on my tower and my laptop. Well, one's almost past the 3 years, and the other is expired. But on the laptop, th etrackpad had gone out and the ethernet prot as well. And it was fixed for free. Which would have cost more than the cost of applecare to begin with. The tower was less problematic, but the phone support has been abused to kingdom come. I say it's worth it.

[NewAndImprov]

So, I just got a new Powerbook. This is my third in the last 4 years (don't even ask). After my last one had the screen die a month after the one year warranty expired (which costs about as much as a new laptop to repair, rendering it worthless) I started to think about Applecare.
I know someone who works for Apple who has told me Applecare is what Apple makes the most profit on it (margin wise)...which made me a bit leery of it.
I just picked up Applecare for the new laptop, but am questioning whether it was a good idea. I kind of lookd at it as a necesary evil. What do you guys think?

I think Applecare is worth it, but be aware, if you use 3rd party (ie, less expensive than Apple's) RAM, Apple will probably blame any problems on the RAM first, since it isn't covered by Applecare. I got Applecare for my G5 desktop when I got it, and added a gig of non-apple RAM from Other World Computing. About 6 months after getting the computer, I started getting a ton of random crashes. Took it into my repair shop, as soon as I told them it wasn't Apple RAM, they said it must be a RAM problem. Paid like $400 to have the RAM replaced, got the computer back, and it still had the same problem. TOok it back a few more times, eventually they replaced the motherboard, this time covered by Applecare. I keep meaning to re-install my old RAM because it seems to me that there's nothing wrong with it.

[Girl Toes]

I think Applecare is worth it, but be aware, if you use 3rd party (ie, less expensive than Apple's) RAM, Apple will probably blame any problems on the RAM first, since it isn't covered by Applecare. I got Applecare for my G5 desktop when I got it, and added a gig of non-apple RAM from Other World Computing. About 6 months after getting the computer, I started getting a ton of random crashes. Took it into my repair shop, as soon as I told them it wasn't Apple RAM, they said it must be a RAM problem. Paid like $400 to have the RAM replaced, got the computer back, and it still had the same problem. TOok it back a few more times, eventually they replaced the motherboard, this time covered by Applecare. I keep meaning to re-install my old RAM because it seems to me that there's nothing wrong with it.

They did this to me once, and it fixed the problem. Some how, the problem actually was the RAM. I'm sure its a common enough problem. What REALLY bugs me is their computers simply don't come with enough built in ram.