[laieboy]

Planning on picking up an iPod today so I was wondering if I should get the applecare for it also...

[HazelGirl]

i just got a nano as a gift...am wondering the same thing....would i really need applecare though for the flash based player? i thought that all the battery issues were only with the hd based players....someone correct me if i am wrong.

[jaydon34]

hey if its cheap why not.

[kmkkid]

I don't see the point in Apple Care for the iPod, it's cheap enough you'll likely being buying the newest rev after the year warranty for your first iPod is up. If it breaks before then, you just return it.

[HazelGirl]

this is off topic but then again kinda sorta relevent....I had itunes installed on my mac already before hooking up the ipod. But the cd that came with the ipod sai d"install me" before connecting......did i do anything wrong? I mean, it still synced up with my music folder and everything fine but i am just wondering if maybe the cd had extra "ipod" software on it or is it just itunes

[Pogomwg]

This is my opinion and is based on working in customer service at Circuit City for almost 2 years.

I work at Circuit City as a customer service rep. I personally recommend some kind of warranty. I got a 30gig video which im going to be purchasing apple care for. I have seen many iPods come back defective for various reasons.

The G4 iPods were really bad i noticed, but the nanos i have seen a few synching problems (probably customers fault) but i have also seen 5 nanos come back because they would not hold a charge or charge past the halfway mark. Also If you buy your iPod from Circuit City you can get an accidental plan on it and in a year and half smash it and then send it in a get a gift card for your full purchase price, plus a prorated amount for the warranty and then you can go in and buy a new one.

Also, apple gives discounts to students on all their products including apple care.

[ghporter]

Hazel, you did not hurt anything by installing the software first. It probably checked, found your installed version was more current than what's on the CD, and finished.

Pogomwq is quite correct about student discounts... Check it out if you're a student.

[volcano]

I always buy my mp3 players at stores like Circuit City and/or Best Buy instead of the Apple store. Why? Pogomwg nailed it right on the head - the major retailers "draw" you in by the accidental plan that you can purchase along with your device. I purchased my first iPod, an iPod mini (6GB silver) this past March and I accidently left it out in my car's glove box one hot (and I mean hot - I live in Texas, after all) summer afternoon. The contrast was buggy on my ride home, and when I connected it to my Mac - it wouldn't mount or even turn on. I sent it back to Circuit City after making a claim - and within a week, with no questions asked, I was sent a giftcard with the full amount I purchased the iPod for, including tax. The next day I went out and purchased a 20GB iPod w/ color display for $50 more.

Anyway, beyond my recommendation of purchasing your iPod at a retailer, I would definitely recommend purchasing AppleCare of some sort. Even if you think you might sell it within the next year when newer/better/faster/thinner/smarter iPods emerge, you'll get more for it (on eBay and Craigslist) and a wider range of potential buyers if he/she knows that it still has over a year warranty left on it. And maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'd follow the adage: it's only when you don't purchase a warranty that your [insert expensive non-warranted item here] breaks.

[laieboy]

Thanks for all the responses guys! I decided to go ahead and purchase applecare for it with the student discount.

[imitchellg5]

Yes get AppleCare. If anything goes wrong with you iPod they will give you a new one for free.

[HazelGirl]

if the ipod malfunctions and you need a new one, will they send you one wiht the same engraving on it? Mine was given to me by a friend and there is a little message on the back of it.

[brokenjago]

Yes, they will, if the laser engraving was engraved by apple.

[iLikebeer]

Do you guys buy Applecare right away or wait until the year warranty is up? If it fails in the first year, the warranty should cover it anyway and you wasted $50. If it lasts a year, it'll probably last a lot longer and the equivalent model will probably have more features, smaller size, and lighter weight for much less than you originally paid (depending on how long it does last.)

Do they usually repair it or send you a new one? I bought mine about 10 months ago, it's the last model with firewire I think. I don't have a USB 2.0 computer, so maybe that comes into play. I still can't see paying for applecare though, as it's never skipped a beat.

[laieboy]

Buy when/if you can afford it!

[typoon]

Originally Posted by laieboy

Buy when/if you can afford it!

Within the first year.