[maxx9photo]

Hello,

Since I have two more months remaining onmy warranty, do you think applecare a must have? thanks for any opinions!.

Ike

[Ω]

Yes. Nuff said.

[bighead]

Yes, buy it.

I don't get it for the technical support. I get it because parts are more expensive than the warranty itself.

[Lancer409]

yes .. easy to fix a tower, hard for a small powerbook

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by maxx9photo:
Hello,

Since I have two more months remaining onmy warranty, do you think applecare a must have? thanks for any opinions!.

Ike

I am not sure.
I started a thread that asked pb 12 inch users for the problems they had with their machines.

309 views up to now and only 2 reported serious problems that would exceed apple care in price (both significantly: display, motherboard, superdrive).

If you feel easier with ac, then do it.
On the other hand, I did not have a single machine where it would have paid something back to me (blueberry iBook, Pismo 500, Ti 500, 12 inch/1GHz now).

But I know how to open and repair a notebook. For me only parts count.

[Coach]

With the educational discount, Apple knocks off about $100. If you qualify, this may help to justify the expense. It did for me.

[SEkker]

Between the hinge problems on the titaniums and the multiple visits of my PB17 to Apple, I consider Apple Care a must for one main reason -- they get the machine fixed and back to you in no time. When you are paying, they seem to be slower.

[SierraDragon]

I have had at least six Apple portables over the years, starting with a Duo. All had *very* hard use in the field. IMO Applecare is in general a waste of money because:

[1] Most anomalies occur under the original no-extra-charge warranty. E.g. I just sent a PB17 back that had a bad mouse click right out of the box. Apple allowed me a full return.

[2] Computers and their components get cheaper every month. When one PB hard drive started hiccuping after two years I replaced it with an IBM Travelstar drive five times as big for less money than I would have spent for Applecare.

[3] CPUs, OSs, applications, connectivity modes, etc. all evolve. Applecare repairs just put the old tech parts more than a year out of date back into the PB. By the time your warranty expires you are usually lusting after a newer faster model anyway. Take that large chunk of money you would spend on Applecare and put it in savings to buy a new PB that much sooner.

[snowrider04]

two words, hell yes! i was running a 15" TiBook for two years and had the screen replaced...twice, and the top casing replaced. when i got my computer back after the 2nd time it came back in worse shape than what i gave it to them in. after an hour of conversation with Apple Care they ended up replacing my TiBook with the current top of the line 15".

i would have to say Apple Care saved my life by hooking me up with a new system. i'm thankful that it worked out this way and am glad that after hearing nightmare stories about apple care, they ended up being quite pleasant to me.

[amazing]

You don't mention which PB you have, but it's got to be a fairly recent AlPB. Still, some models are known to have more problems than others, such as the first generation 12" and 15" models.

It comes down to whether you like to gamble or not: That's what insurance is all about. If the PB never breaks down, you're safe. If it does break down, needs a logic board or hinge or latch, you'll wish you had AppleCare, cause the cost of the parts will devastate your finances.

You can find discounted AppleCare at expercom.com and smalldog.com.

[DevNine]

Does the Applecare protection plan cover damage from drops ?

[amazing]

Originally posted by DevNine:
Does the Applecare protection plan cover damage from drops ?

No, just as you'd expect. There is no manufacturer's warranty in the world that covers accidents and stuff like that. Theft, accidents, etc, have to be covered either by something like homeowners insurance (maybe a rider) or something like Safeware.com

[maxx9photo]

I think new Dell has new extended warranty that cover damage from drop or accident.

[riotge@r]

Originally posted by maxx9photo:
Hello,

Since I have two more months remaining onmy warranty, do you think applecare a must have? thanks for any opinions!.

Ike

AppleCare is good if you plan on keeping the computer for longer than a year. I often sell my PowerBooks before a year is up so AppleCare is worthless to me. If I was in your shoes I would either get a new unit or buy Apple Care.

[ashishn]

Apple's website doesn't say much about what is covered under Applecare.

Can someone shed some light?

[maxx9photo]

labor and some parts, also telephone service which I thought usefull, otherwise I have to go to applestore which is not far anyway.

[iPoder]

It is like insurance policy, depending on how risk tolerant you are.

I had an iBook without AppleCare, and I never had the problem before I sold it. Now, I have a PowerBook with AppleCare because this is a US $3,000 investment, and I feel more comfortable with it.

When you have a BMW, you are more likely to buy a comprehensive insurance policy than if you have a Kia. Correct?