AppleCare Protection Plan
… is a must for all Mac owners because, quite frankly, Macs are not built the way they used to be. Back in the days, Macs would have zero problems for years. Now, it’s a different story. So, today I just had to get it for my iMac.
I’ve had 2 Macs break on me in the last 5 years after owning them for just a little over a year – when the standard one year warranty ran out (reminds you of Sony goods, huh?). And yes, I didn’t get AppleCare for neither of them because with 4 Macs I owned prior, they performed without problems for years therefore I took it for granted that Macs are rather reliable.
Basically, what I want to say is, it can cost a good few limbs to get a Mac repaired, even for the smallest of things. Because of this and the fact that a Mac is no longer built like they used to be, I would seriously urge every Mac owner to get AppleCare.
AppleCare would cover your Mac hardware for an additional 2 years – bringing it to 3yrs in total. It will also extend the telephone support from the standard 90 days to 3 years in total too. AppleCare is actually quite pricey (especially for the MacBook Pro – approx. ¥45,000) but believe me, it would cost the same price or more for just ‘one repair’ should your Mac break on you after the standard one year warranty period.
The good news for those who didn’t get AppleCare on the same day you got your Mac: you have ‘one year’ from the day you purchased the Mac to get it. My advice is to get AppleCare by the latest, the 11th month, from when you got the Mac (if you decide to keep it beyond a year) because you will need to fill out the AppleCare form and send it back to Apple. Just make sure you allow enough time for this. Also, make sure you keep the ‘Mac warranty card’ or the ‘receipt of purchase’ safe because you will need to photocopy it and submit it along with the AppleCare form. It’s just to prove you bought AppleCare within the first year of buying the Mac.
Anyway, good luck with your Mac hardware!
4 comments
My iMac passed the 1 year mark around 5 months ago, after reading your post I’m getting a bit more worried about this machine. So I’m just wondering if any of your friends have one of the newer macs that lasted for more than 3 years?
@ John
Yes, I have a few friends with Macs that are running into the 2nd year with no problems.
Also have friends with MacBooks that died within the year. Worse news for you: another friend had his aluminium iMac’s HD break on him twice (I think within 1.5 years).
Apple Care is the way to go if you intend to keep a Mac for over a year (just to be safe).
Good luck, man. But hey, you have a MacBook Pro to fall back on (you rich kid!).
I’ve owned 11 Macs in the past 20 years or so. This includes two MacBook Pros and two Mac minis in the past 4 years. I have never had any problem with any of them that I couldn’t fix myself. I bought AppleCare for exactly one Mac and never used it, so I will never buy it again.
I don’t doubt that some people have problems with their hardware, but there are just as many people (like me) who never have a problem. So, as with any electronics purchase, your mileage may vary.
@ Brad
Yeah, absolutely.
It’s one of those thing with me… I buy AppleCare, my Mac will never break. I don’t buy AppleCare, my Mac will break. Sigh.
But still, with Apple focusing more on design these days (compared with over a decade ago), there are higher chances of things going wrong (ie. enclosures causing problems to screens, hinges breaking, enclosures so thin that the internals can’t dispense heat properly, etc., etc., etc.).