Happily enough, the calculation has already been made for you. That's true, and that's why we're considering the extended warranty purchase, but to truly make the purchase decision, shouldn't we consider what the odds of getting those unforeseen issues are, and how much $ it would cost to fix such issues? We can quickly see that the calculation could become quite complex. Where to find that information? Redgreenblue says "there could be unforeseen issues".
Now admittedly I just pulled those numbers out of a hat, and I don't know the odds of a new Mac needing a repair at a specific price.
So when purchasing AppleCare, you're not purchasing piece of mind, you're purchasing a $170 financial product that represents a $50 value. You have to compare the real cost of your Mac wether you take AppleCare or not: The Mac costs $2,000 and AppleCare costs $170. Let's assume that your Mac has a 1/10 chance of needing a $500 repair while under AppleCare. And where it gets a little complicated is that you'll have to use statistics.
So you have to think of the real cost of your computer.
IMO, the typical arguments heard in such discussions such as "buy it for peace of mind" or "it's a professional purchase" don't apply. What fascinates me most is that to me, the decision to purchase insurance or extended warranties like AppleCare is not an emotional one. Just a retiree looking to get the best value I can for my dollar.This thread is fascinating. Even if you never use it, it makes life much less stressful knowing if something does happen to it, you can get it repaired!īy the way, I am not an Apple employee or an insurance agent. If you think THIS is too expensive, just wait for you first out of warranty repair bill! This is NOT the area to look for cost savings. To me, it is simply one of the REQUIRED costs associated with buying a new computer. That implies I could spend the money on other things. I don’t consider it as an “optional” expense.
When I am putting out, in my case, $4,500 for a new laptop, I am not going to quibble over another $379 to protect that investment. Personally, my only problem with the plan is that they don’t offer LONGER terms! I wish I could cover my computer for 4 or 5 years instead of only 3! But it’s better than not having it at all! The point is.LIFE HAPPENS and sometimes unexpected accidents can damage a much more susceptible laptop!ĪppleCare + costs $379 for 36 months of coverage and includes accidental damage protection! If you do some quick arithmetic, that comes out to a little over $10/mo! A lot of people spend more than that at their favorite coffee shop in a week! If you need it for even ONE single claim it will more than pay for itself! (Think that never happens? We had EXACTLY that situation posted in this very sub only last night!) Or, one night, after a long day, you set your laptop on top of your car while getting in only to later realize you drove off and forgot it up there. Or someone’s child knocks it off the table. But one day you are working on your computer in a coffee shop and your coffee spills on it. You get a PERFECTLY built computer that never has a single problem. And don’t forget a few questionable design decisions - specifically the newer keyboards - that have been causing issues. They get very warm inside and heat can lead to components failing over time.Īlso, recent quality control has not been what it once was for Macs and we have seen problems cropping up due to manufacturing problems. First of all, while build quality is certainly very good, they have a lot of different components and moving parts that are subject to technical malfunction. HOWEVER, a laptop computer - YES, even a MBP - is an entirely different story. However, it still gave me peace of mind and that alone is worth something! Yet these devices are so reliable that I could reasonably understand someone not purchasing it if they wanted to save a few bucks. I have had a number of iOS devices over the years, and even though I still purchased Apple Care for them, they have all performed flawlessly and I’ve never really need it. AppleCare + is a no-brainer purchase - especially for a MBP!