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Matthew Attoe · Apr 14, 2005, 06:07 AM

Hi,

I've had my G5 2.5 for about 6 weeks now, and yesterday I had an email from Apple asking if I'd like to take out AppleCare on it at a cost of �200 (about $370) for a period of three years.

Now I've never really been a big fan of paying for extended cover - I normally negotiate it as a form of discount when buying a costly item.

Then, today I've read about the G5 2.5 cooling system may well develop faults over time, circa 2 - 2.5 years, and it seems like it might be worth taking the cover out.

What is your opinion of AppleCare in general. Is it worth the money? Has anyone had to claim, especially in the UK - is it a hassle-free procedure?

Any advice or insight you could offer would be gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Matthew

jamil5454 · Apr 14, 2005, 06:38 AM

First of all, I'd like to say the new forum design is easier on my eyes. Secondly, you can still wait up to a year after purchase to purchase Applecare. Thirdly, if the cooling system leaks after 2-2.5 years, wouldn't Apple do a recall (or replace for free) to avoid lawsuits?

Ron Goodman · 07:27 AM

I had the video card fail on my first gen G5, but it was only a couple of months old and covered by warrenty. I never buy extended warrenties on anything--they're moneymakers for the retailers, which means that in the long run, I'll never get my money back from them.

osxisfun · Apr 14, 2005, 06:06 PM

YES!

Just do it. You have up to a year BUT JUST DO IT!

It pays for itself with the first problem.

PS new motherboards are a thousand bucks with labor.

Matthew Attoe · Apr 15, 2005, 04:51 AM

Thanks for the advice so far.

I've just checked on the US Apple Store and you get it for only $249. That about a $120 difference.

Still in two minds as what to do.

Cheers

Matthew

nath · Apr 15, 2005, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by Matthew Attoe

Thanks for the advice so far.

I've just checked on the US Apple Store and you get it for only $249. That about a $120 difference.

Still in two minds as what to do.

Cheers

Matthew

As someone who had a nightmare with another 1st gen G5 product (the original dual 1.8), I say go for it. Mine went in for repairs 5 times before Apple would replace it, and had 3 video cards, a new logic board and a new processor. That's more than the cost of the machine in repairs, but with Applecare not only was it all paid for, but I got much better telephone support and the machine was collected from and returned to my doorstep by Apple's agents, on each occasion (I don't have a car).

If you want to save money, I think you can buy Applecare for Power Macs from the refurb store (open on the Applestore online every Wednesday at 10am)

Renderdog · Apr 16, 2005, 07:37 AM

It's expensive insurance. The profit on these type warranties is very high, one of the reasons they sell them so hard at some stores. You're always better off, statistically, to self-insure.

But if it's worth the peace of mind or you can not afford a major repair (even though they're rare for a computer), it might be worth it to you for those reasons.

Eriamjh · Apr 16, 2005, 08:08 AM

I'd wait 11 months and 29 days and decide.

Big Mac · Apr 16, 2005, 09:33 AM

If you have had hardware issues within the first year of ownership, get AppleCare. But if your Mac has been trouble free, it's likely that you will not have a problem after the first year. I have purchased extended warranties for two of my Macs, and neither of them were needed. I do buy Safeware insurance, however.

OreoCookie · Apr 16, 2005, 10:12 AM

Yes, do it. Apple is in my experience even more accommodating.

redoid · Apr 16, 2005, 08:01 PM

I got it for free when i bought my 2.5 DP and 30 incher combo.

I sleep better at nights

badtz · Apr 17, 2005, 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by redoid

I got it for free when i bought my 2.5 DP and 30 incher combo.

I sleep better at nights

how was that possible? [the free applecare]

redoid · Apr 17, 2005, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by badtz

how was that possible? [the free applecare]

Well basically, i bought their top of the line setup and i negociated with them the free apple care and a free wireless KB and mouse. Apple store in Tokyo. They accepted straight away.

powertrippin · Apr 17, 2005, 02:25 AM

You're right Matthew. I'm usually not much of a guy to pay for extended warranties, because I normally try to talk my way into a discount o fsome kind when buying said G5 powermac. However, just the other day I read about a potential cooling system malfunction that could fail within around 2.5 years!

I think you'd need to consider this before jumping to conclusions, don't you matthew? I mean, really! Is it worth the money? Yes. Has anyone had to claim a failure? True. Is it hassle free? Definitely a possibility.

Things are not always so straightforward as your original statement, Matt.

ideasculptor · Apr 17, 2005, 02:59 AM

Look at it this way. Apple and their insurance company pay professional actuaries to price their extended warranties so that they are PROFITABLE. This means that they've done fairly rigourous studies of performance data and predicted how much they need to charge in order to make money on applecare. In fact, extended warranties are often the most lucrative product a company sells (I don't know about apple, but maybe that info is in their financials?).

If you know or suspect that your use patterns are different from the 'average' in a manner which may reduce the reliability of your computer, then by all means buy the warranty, but the average computer user is unlikely to require service that costs more than they paid for applecare, by definition. Most parts on a desktop computer can be replaced relatively cheaply, and there aren't many parts that are cost prohibitive to replace or repair, so I don't think extended warranties on desktop products are worth it, unless you are frequently carrying it to LAN parties, doing high performance computing for many hours of the day, lots of disk intensive apps, etc. Laptops are maybe worth it (they are for me, as I use mine as my primary computer, travelling tens of thousands of miles with it annually), especially if you think you travel or treat your laptop worse than the average, it is probably worth powerbook and ibook applecare. If, on the other hand, your laptop only sits on a desk, then almost certainly, the extra warranty won't prove useful to you. Remember, apple has paid people with access to far more info than you have to make sure that they make money off you. Desktop applecare is not too expensive, so some folks might consider it worth the small expense for piece of mind, but the odds are VERY good that it is money wasted. That's the nature of the extended warranty business.

--sam