Hey all,
First time coming in back into the land of macs since 2013.
If you own a mac do you get applecare with it? Consumer law says 2 years but i expect Apple to do the bare minimum and charge through the nose for any problems.
Did you get applecare with your mac? Why or why not?
Thanks
It's for me on a macbook sitting on my desk. So sounds like it's for screen breaks etc which is unlikely to happen.
Have had apple care on every iMac i have purchased
imho its worth it for one reason and one reason only…..
Applecare makes iMac warranty ON SITE meaning they come to your home
without it… you are lugging your iMac into a store
had a recall on a HDD a few years back, thanks to Applecare they came to my home, swapped it out, reinstalled the OS etc and were on their way.
The other upsides are
3 years of phone support (for issues etc) (90 days otherwise)
extended warranty on parts that can easily fail (HDD, Keyboard etc)
and of course accidental damage
So for MacBook not so much as you can take it instore
Yeah Macbook is always in store warranty (i think Pro's used to be onsite but they got rid of it)
The big thing is if something goes wrong in say year 2 and you call them up
you will get help for sure, but with applecare its a much more streamlined process vs you calling after you 90 days phone support has ended.
when you do not have apple care they go through a lot of stuff to make sure its a fault vs a user issue
with apple care they see you have it, skip to the problem solving
I only get it for iPhones since I carry them around and they’re super expensive to fix
Applecare can be good for the support, if you need it. But if you tend to look things up yourself then you probably will get less value out of it.
Sounds like I should spend the money on extra memory rather than AppleCare
Title : "Is Applecare Necessary?"
Correction: Is Apple Necessary?
For full disclosure, I have never bought a Mac with AppleCare, but have taken a Mac to an Apple Store for repairs, plus I have family member who had a Mac with AppleCare repaired a few months ago, so here’s my two cents…
Australian Consumer Law (ACL) coverage gets a bit murky with Macs. From what I have gathered from a number of Genius Bar employees, your Mac will be covered for a minimum of three years for major failures (e.g. logic board craps out, keyboard stops working) and a minimum of two years for minor failures, but you may find that an Apple Store will repairs outside of these timeframes at no charge. Apple is also nice enough to provide ACL coverage on repairs too (e.g. if you have a MacBook display replaced due to the anti-reflective coating failing, the new display will be covered for two years for minor failures and three years for major failures).
ACL may not help you if you have a battery issue. I was told mid-last year that MacBook batteries are considered a consumable part, so they don’t have the same sort of coverage under ACL as a logic board, keyboard, etc. On the other hand, AppleCare for Mac covers your Mac for three years from the original purchase date, including for battery issues. A family member took their Mac with AppleCare to an Apple Store at the very end of their AppleCare coverage for a battery that was struggling to hold a charge and had the battery replaced at no cost (saving $299!).
ACL coverage will not help if you request repairs for a Mac at an Apple Store or Authorised Service Provider outside of Australia. That is admittedly a very unlikely scenario at the moment, but is something to keep in mind if you foresee travelling/moving overseas with your Mac in the next year or two. On the other hand, AppleCare means Apple (or an Authorised Service Provider) will service your Mac worldwide for three years.
ACL coverage won’t help you if Apple determines your Mac has suffered from “accidental damage” (e.g. cracked display due to the Mac being dropped, liquid damage, etc). AppleCare will reduce the cost of replacement parts, so it could get you out of a bind. The fact that Apple only charges $149 for a screen replacement under AppleCare is nuts, considering that screen replacements through Apple usually cost upwards of $750.
Keep in mind that Apple also runs service programs for a handful of issues affecting Macs that Apple has actually got around to acknowledging (e.g. butterfly keyboard replacement program, anti-reflective coating screen replacement), and these are provided in addition to AppleCare and ACL.
AppleCare also covers the charger that came with your Mac for three years. I don’t think ACL would be as generous for an accessory.
Personally, I would seriously consider getting AppleCare for a new Mac when I get around to replacing my non-retina MacBook Pro, but it depends on whether I want to pay for the extra piece of mind that ACL will not cover me for.
This is all wrong.
I'll address some of it.
ACL covers everything including chargers.
You got screwed by Apple with respect to the battery.
The battery, like everything else must last a reasonable time.
This part is the worst offender:
Australian Consumer Law (ACL) coverage gets a bit murky with Macs. From what I have gathered from a number of Genius Bar employees, your Mac will be covered for a minimum of three years for major failures (e.g. logic board craps out, keyboard stops working) and a minimum of two years for minor failures
This is incorrect. It is an offence to lie or mislead consumers about their rights. If you were told this, report it to the ACCC.
There is no time limit defined in ACL. The no difference in time limit for failure types. Goods must be safe and lasting as reasonable. Australia has a concept of reasonableness. Look it up. One might take Apples environmental forecasting of products over 4 years to reasonably mean a product to last at least 4 years if Apple it self is saying this. But Apple does not get to limit or specify timeframes.
,. Apple is also nice enough to provide ACL coverage on repairs too
No, this is the minimum required by Apple under the law. This includes replacement products.
I've had iPads and Macs replaced due under ACL at the 3 year mark.
Your comment about "service programs" is also wrong. Apple is required by law to guarantee their products are fit for purpose and safe, they are fulfilling their obligation under this. Service program is corpspeak for recall.
AppleCare+ (read the PDS) may cover accidental damage so if you want it for that it might be worth it.
Extended Warranties are for suckers.
I've had Apple fix issues outside of their warranty period without any issues or need to quote ACL
Applecare I use more for accidental damage - what's the risk of spilling water/coffee onto your macbook or knocking it only to the floor and shattering the screen? Mac mini - probably won't happen. Macbook - maybe Applecare for the gf
AppleCare+ is actually a different product and covers you for accidental damage twice a year, so a good idea for certain devices/people.
I can't speak on desktops, but for laptops and iphones, I wouldn't say its necessary, but given applecare is transferable, it generally helps in resale value so you recoup most of what you pay if its still valid come sell/upgrade time.
I wouldn't say I am an apple fan boy, but I can salary sacrifice a laptop and phone every year with work, so selling the old one, buying a new one and salary sacrificing it generally works out very well cost wise as apple products hold value better than most other devices. In the 5 or so iphones i have sold over the years which were a year old, I usually recoup about 75% of the cost of apple care above an identical model that didn't have it. Plus the benefit of a new screen for $45 if I do happen to drop it.
Depends on who is using it and how. If you are referring to an iMac or Mac mini I cannot see it being worth it. In my opinion where it comes in handy is if there is accidental damage. That’s more likely with a portable device.
If it was something the kids were going to use then definitely worth it.