Apple Care Needed or Not?

[Miles]

I think one of the most often asked Mac switcher questions I hear is:

Do I need Apple Care?

I think coming from a PC/*nic world this is a fair question...I mean many PC/*nix people want nothing to do with support other than RMA access. I know I was like that.

I've never ever once dealt with the Apple support people but some of my friends have told me it is really very worth it, with hassle free replacements. I didn't bother buying extended care with my MBP but I think I should probabely do it soon. What do you guys think?

[Dan Booring]

I am a *huge* fan of APP. I have owned 13 Macs and bought the AppleCare Protection Plan on all of them. I have had to use it on three and the repairs I didn't have to pay for have more than covered the cost of the plans I bought and did not use.

Just build it in to the cost of the machine; it's a no-brainer.

I might understand passing on buying APP on a desktop machine, because they are generally used less and subjected to less stress. But, hardware does spontaneously break... and APP will cover that.

[wpholmes]

I agree with Dan, you should be ok without it on a desktop, but I wouldn't feel right without it for my MacBook.

[Ed Eubanks]

I agree with all of the above. I have used AppleCare a good bit, particularly with clients whose Macs are acting strangely. I always advise clients to buy AppleCare with any new purchase, including desktop machines (though personally I am willing to skip it on my desktop purchases, unless it is a refurbished machine).

I've also heard some surprising stories of the quality of AppleCare service, such as a friend who found that his PowerBook power supply wasn't charging his 'Book, and woke to find one on his doorstep the next day with return shipping included for the faulty one. Apple is simply head and shoulders above the rest in terms of service, even if they have slipped ever-so-slightly in the last couple of years.

My advice is the same as above: consider it part of the cost of the computer, and use it whenever you need it! I set up a school office on Macs after years of using PCs, and the administrative assistant called AppleCare about twice a week for the first six months for guidance on how to set up this or work around that. She was amazed-- and sold.

[v00]

Apple support is terrible. If you've ever had to go to the 'Genius Bar' it feels more like a cattle stampede then a bar filled with intelligent life. One of the great things I love about Applecare is the fact that (in most metro areas) you qualify for free on-site service. It was their machine that crashed, why should you have to lug it into a store to fix their defect? We have around 100 Mac's that we manage and around half of them have Applecare. Most of the new ones we buy we now buy with Applecare.

For new users, that's what MacApper is for, right?

It also greatly increases your warranty by 2 extra years, a lot can happen in that time period. I consider it insurance on my employers investment. Just one trip to the Genius Bar for out of warranty support can cost you close to $100 just to have it looked at.

[Miles]

Well I just extended my Apple Care on my MBP. Thanks for the opinions guys :)

[Mactropolis]

That's probably a safe bet. Better safe than sorry :)

I have had a few major problems occur with older models and I was glad I had the APP.