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saosin · Oct 27, 2006, 05:09 AM

Hello...

well good news...just sold my pc laptop on ebay got a nice 1400 off of it...just waiting for the funds to clear...

so this means...my first mac! its gonna be the new mbp

but now i'm faced with a new decision...

the applecare is a bit out of my budget at the moment (starving college student)

but...i was wondering...say at the end of my 90 days warranty would i be able to purchase applecare?

if anyone could help with this question, that'd be great, thanks!!

zerroeffect · Oct 27, 2006, 08:06 AM

It's actually a one year limited warranty (that's still paying off for my refurbished MBP). You have plenty of time to get the Applecare, just not at the discount of purchasing it with the MBP.

Sherman Homan · Oct 27, 2006, 08:21 AM

It is worth it. You have a year to do it. Given the realities of laptops something will break in three years!

jamil5454 · Oct 27, 2006, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by zerroeffect

It's actually a one year limited warranty (that's still paying off for my refurbished MBP). You have plenty of time to get the Applecare, just not at the discount of purchasing it with the MBP.

There's no discount when you purchase AppleCare with any Apple product. Also, you don't lose anything by waiting to purchase it, just make sure you actually do before the year is up.

The 90 days corresponds to free AppleCare phone support. After 90 days (if you don't have AppleCare), Apple will charge you a hefty sum for phone support calls.

But yeah, the warranty originally lasts a year from purchase date, and if you get AppleCare it (along with the free phone support) is extended 2 more years to a total of 3 years.

hldan · Oct 27, 2006, 12:00 PM

Hello Saosin and welcome to the Mac community and the discussions boards. Many people will be more than happy to help you and even go the extra mile but before I give you some great help on your AppleCare question first things first.
When you start a topic like this and mention that you just purchased a MacBook Pro and you want to know about AppleCare but are concerned about the price then don't include things like you being a "Starving College Student". That self pity title gets tiresome here.
A starving student does not necessarily need the most expensive laptop Apple makes. You're not starving that much because Apple offers much cheaper machines that you can choose from.
Now enough of me flaming your posting. Here's my help about Applecare. You need it and Apple will bend over backwards to service you when they see you have it.
You can wait up until a year after your purchase to get it. The only thing you will miss after 90 days is the free phone support which is included with AppleCare.

Where can you buy it? You can buy it from anywhere that it's sold. You can buy your Mac direcly from Apple and buy your AppleCare plan from Amazon. So here's my suggestion about where to get it at the cheapest price.

You can go to PriceGrabber.com - Comparison Shopping Beyond Compare and type in "AppleCare", type in your zip code and you will get results for where you can get the cheapest price online. The results always show the total price with shipping and tax. Apple sells it for $349.00 U.S. but I found it with pricegrabber for $270.00 U.S. The AppleCare for PowerBooks and the MacBook Pro is in the same box.
Good luck with your new machine.

ghporter · Oct 27, 2006, 12:21 PM

And you ARE going through the Education Store to get the student price for everything aren't you? It's a decent discount, particularly on things like AppleCare. MBPs (the NEW ones) are $200 less through the Education Store, and AppleCare for the MBP costs $239 through the Education Store, instead of $349 for everyone else. You practically get AppleCare FREE by buying both the computer and AppleCare through the Education Store.

But you also have one full year of hardware service coverage when you buy the computer, so that gives you a while to save up the cash for AppleCare if you need to. I'd buy it all at the same time, but if you're that strapped for money, this is a viable alternative.

zerroeffect · Oct 27, 2006, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by jamil5454

There's no discount when you purchase AppleCare with any Apple product. Also, you don't lose anything by waiting to purchase it, just make sure you actually do before the year is up.

The 90 days corresponds to free AppleCare phone support. After 90 days (if you don't have AppleCare), Apple will charge you a hefty sum for phone support calls.

But yeah, the warranty originally lasts a year from purchase date, and if you get AppleCare it (along with the free phone support) is extended 2 more years to a total of 3 years.

I guess I was wrong about the discount (not sure why I was thinking that - maybe it's because I saw it on the Student Store, where Final Cut Studio is 600 dollars cheaper, too!). Amazon does have it for cheaper than normal as well, though.

Sorry about the misinformation.

Semstudent · Oct 28, 2006, 09:56 PM

As mentioned, education store pricing is a DEAL! I bought my MBP C2D, got the AppleCare AND took advantage of the free printer (after rebate) all for about the same price as buying the MBP alone on the regular store page. It's easy to use the education site, find your school, agree to terms, and shop.

Cottonsworth · Oct 28, 2006, 11:48 PM

Get Applecare! Outside of iPods, I have had to use it for every iPod product I have owned thus far. Plus the phone support is really great for computer industry standards.

hldan · Oct 29, 2006, 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by Semstudent

As mentioned, education store pricing is a DEAL! I bought my MBP C2D, got the AppleCare AND took advantage of the free printer (after rebate) all for about the same price as buying the MBP alone on the regular store page. It's easy to use the education site, find your school, agree to terms, and shop.

Am I correct in assuming that you are recommending this to only people who qualify for the educational discount?

Semstudent · Oct 29, 2006, 07:46 AM

Yes, a part of going through the education store program and agreeing to the terms is the fact that you confirm that you are a student in an eligable institution. If your school, whether you are a student, faculty, or administrator, is included in the program, you may purchase through the education store.

TimothyJay · Oct 29, 2006, 11:15 AM

Actually, you can still get Applecare at a student rate of $239 later, as long as you are still a student, at least that's what an Apple rep told me when I bought my MBP this summer.