AppleCare Protection Plan
If you’re reading this, I will hope that you’re fairly familiar with Apple as a company, and AppleCare as a service. Having spent a couple hundred hours in an Apple store, I can tell you that I’ve had lengthy discussions on the matter, and I’d like to clear the air. I hope that my words can now come as an impartial as I have been both an employee and customer of Apple in the past. I can also let you know that I currently hold no shares of Apple’s stock (AAPL), so there is no hidden agenda… I promise!
The Facts
AppleCare is more commonly known Apple’s extended warranty, or “extended coverage plan” for their hardware. In case you’re curious, the reason they call it an “extended coverage plan”, and not an extended warranty, is for liability purposes. Let’s say you buy a Mac today, and with that Mac you purchase AppleCare, and Apple goes bankrupt tomorrow and decides to close up shop, they don’t hold any legal liability – it’s not an extended warranty, it’s a service plan as long as Apple is in business; sneaky eh? To be honest, Apple is such a powerhouse that you’ll never have to worry about it, but it’s still interesting to know.
iPods, iPhones, Computers can all be covered by AppleCare. This service extends the 1 year limited manufacturer warranty of the hardware, and 3 month complimentary phone support that you receive when you purchase an Apple product. For iPods and iPhones, AppleCare gives you 2 years total of hardware coverage, and 2 years total of phone support. For all Macs, you get 3 years total of hardware coverage, and 3 years total of phone support. It should also be known that for iPods and iPhones, the phone support is a single incident, you get charged if you have to call about two different issues.
The prices vary, with AppleCare for iPods and iPhones pricing from $49 to 79$ (different devices and models), and AppleCare for computers pricing between $179 and $399.
note: AppleCare for computers comes with an education discount if you qualify, making the range $119 to $279.
They also have AppleCare that provides training and software support. Meaning you can get AppleCare Professional Video Support which will essentially give you access to your own trainer over the phone, whenever you’re having an issue – however, not something that’s typically for the every day user like you and me, so we won’t talk about it today.
You can buy AppleCare at point of sale, or up to a year after your purchase. Once your limited warranty expires, you can’t get AppleCare anymore for your device. Exceptions have been made; but they have to be made by headquarters; you have to call 1-800-MY-APPLE and plead your case. If you’ve spent a lot of money with Apple, if you’ve just missed the 1 year mark by a week, you can tell them that you’re a loyal customer who doesn’t even have anything wrong with your device, and just want to be pro-active and be protected. I’ve done it, and I’ve had it done for friends – it’s totally possible.
If your computer is stolen, or broken beyond AppleCare’s scope (water damage, physical/accidental damage) you can get the remaining amount refunded, which is a perk. Call AppleCare in your region to do so.
Does my computer need it?
You should know that labour alone on any repair that your Apple computer will need, costs more than AppleCare itself – a simple hard-drive replacement breaks the $500.00 mark. There’s no sense buying a computer for $1500.00 and then needing to put another $500 (and that’s one of the cheaper repairs) to keep it running. If your computer needs a new logic board, it breaks the $1000.00 mark – would you repair your computer? No, you’d probably buy a new one – prematurely.
Now… I’ve made it clear that it’s necessary for your computer, but the initial cost of your computer should also be considered. If you buy a MacBook for $1,049.00, you might think that spending $299.00 (a third of the price) to cover the computer for an extra 2 years might not make much sense. You might be right (I did the same thing, I have a MacBook, and because I didn’t have the money at the time, I didn’t buy AppleCare right away. I also let the 1 year pass without purchasing it. If you’d rather gamble and have the computer potentially break down, and put that money towards a new machine, you can do that. It’s risk taking, however, remember that. My MacBook is going to be 2 years old in May, but the hard-drive gives me trouble sometimes. I’m able to manage it because I have the know-how, but someone else might be more troubled.
On the other hand, if you buy a 15″ MacBook Pro and spend more than $2000.00, it makes sense to buy AppleCare. You spend $399.00 (or $279.00 if you qualify for the education discount) and you triple your computers lifetime. You get more value out of your money if you spend the little extra on AppleCare. Divide the cost of your computer by the amount of days it’s guaranteed, and you can see how your money is working for you. Would you rather spend $2399.00 for a guarantee of 1068 days, or $2000.00 for 356 days?
Does my iPod or iPhone need it?
note: Keep in mind that AppleCare for iPods and iPhones only lasts a total of 2 years – and that no iPod or iPhone has gone a year without being updated/re-invented.
- The iPod Shuffle costs $69 (2GB), $89 (4GB) and $109 (4GB Special Edition), Shuffle AppleCare costs $49, it’s not worth it – under any circumstance – you’re throwing money away.
- The iPod Nano costs $169 (8GB) and $199 (16GB), and Nano AppleCare also costs $49. This also covers battery replacement, which can be handy. If you plan on keeping your Nano for 2 years and want it to function after 2 years, it’s a good idea to have it. If you’re ready to buy a new iPod after a year IF this one breaks, then put the 49$ towards that. Remember, it’s not necessarily going to die after a year – I’ve known iPods to last for five or six, it’s a gamble and it’s about how you treat the device. Still, if you ask me, not worth it.
- The iPod Classic costs $279 (160GB) and AppleCare costs $69 – this one I think is a little worth it. If you’re using your ipod every day, chances are your battery is going to die within 2 years. The AppleCare covers the replacement (which would otherwise be more than $100) and in the meantime any other failures are also taken care of. Worth it if you ask me.
- The iPod Touch costs $219 (8GB), $329 (16GB) and $429 (32GB), and again AppleCare costs $69. This one is a tossup – if you’re buying one of the lower end models, I’d say no, if you spend $429 + taxes, you may want to consider it. Just ask yourself: A year from now, will the $69 be better spent towards a new iPod, or extending it’s guaranteed lifetime?
- The iPhone… $599, $699, $799, at least without a contract. If you purchase it at it’s subsidized price with a 3 year contract, and your phone breaks after a year and a half, you have 18 more months of an expensive monthly contract, without a phone to take advantage of it. Now you have to spend money on another phone before you’re eligible for an upgrade – that’s costly, much more than $79. For gods sake, if you have an iPhone, go purchase AppleCare… now.
Customer Objections
Customers would always come into the store and throw an array of objections my way when they didn’t want to pay for AppleCare, I’ve got an answer for them all. The only time I agree with someone who doesn’t want to buy AppleCare, is when they have a cheap computer (MacBook), and have enough money to ‘gamble’ if the computer fails and needs to be replaced.
“Apple is a superior brand, nothing should go wrong.”
First of all, whether it’s Apple or Dell – it’s still electronics. Spontaneous failure isn’t common, but it’s not unheard of either. The stuff is designed in California, but it’s assembled in China. You think that Mercedes or BMW never have issues? Stuff happens, you can’t blame defects or problems in the future on Apple; it’s life, shit happens. It’s less likely to happen when you buy Apple, but that’s why it’s so expensive to repair them, and that’s why it’s a good idea to have AppleCare when it does.
“Something is either going to wrong right away, or never at all”
This is a common misconception – it’s true that some machines will go a lifetime without any problems, BUT, don’t be fooled; people would come into the store with a year and a half old machine or two year old machines – failing hard drives, logic boards, dead pixels on the LCD, usb or ethernet ports not functioning. Lots of AppleCare, and lots of not. The people who didn’t have it would be leaving upset, and the people who had it would be receiving our congratulations because they avoided a land-mine. It can happen after 2 weeks, after 2 months, and after 2 years. It’s improbable… but again, not impossible.
My brother’s uncle’s mother’s husband’s son’s brother runs a computer store. He can handle my repairs.
You do NOT want someone other than an Apple Store or an Apple authorized service centre handling your repairs. Replacing a hard-drive, or upgrading ram is easy, and simple but anything else requires the insider training that can only come from California. Having an amateur handle your equipment can only lead to further damage.
All other objections about price, worth, value have all been previously explained, so I won’t repeat myself.
When Should I Buy AppleCare?
Since you get 1 year hardware coverage with all your products, there’s no point rushing to this purchase. The only thing you miss out on, is the 9 months of phone support between the beginning of month 4, and the end of month 12. In all honestly, AppleCare phone support is amazing, but it’s very rare that you need to use it if you have an Apple Store nearby, or if you have an internet connection with which you can just Google an answer.
The benefits of buying AppleCare at point of sale are as follows:
- Auto enrollment: If you buy AppleCare when you buy your device, it gets automatically added. No need to call in and ‘register’ it or have it activated. It’s done for you, saves you the extra work.
- Additional Coverage: If you buy a Mac and decide to also purchase an Airport Extreme Router, or an Apple Cinema Display, they also are covered by your computer’s coverage – an added bonus. If you buy AppleCare after the fact, it only covers your singular machine.
- Save Time: You don’t have to worry about coming back to the store and purchasing AppleCare on it’s own. Some people resent the feeling of having to spend money on something without actually physically getting anything. You walk in and out having spent X amount of dollars, but don’t go home with anything… apart from ‘peace of mind’… pfffft, scam I tell ya!
- Extra Phone Support: If this is something you value, then all the more reason to jump in.
That’s all for now… contact me if you have anymore questions!
