Apple Care? Seriously?
by Cosmo
May 8, 02:29 PM
My primary computer is a 1st-gen MacBook, with a 13” screen, 60GB hard drive, and 2GB of ram. This would be unremarkable, save that May 18th marks exactly one year from its purchase date – the time when the one year of complimentary hardware coverage expires.
I should say right now, I have an atrocious record with laptops. My first was a cast-away 15” G3 iMac from the Williams College Office of Information Technology. The logic board and power manager croaked after less than a year. I think it’s still in my parents’ TV room.
I broke the display of my next laptop, a 12” G4 iBook, within a month of purchase, replaced it myself for cheap (Apple wanted $700), then had the logic board die, warrantied it, then had the logic board die again (10 days out of warranty), with no “known issue” to score me a new one. I sold it for parts.
I had planned, given my past destructiveness, to sell this MacBook as soon as Mac OS 10.5 came out, and buy a new, slightly improved model. Market price would get me around $800 for my used machine, where a new one would cost only $1100.
Factor in that a new computer would have come with the new OS ($150) and a free year of parts/service (the old would require a three-year, $250 extension), it seemed like a no-brainer. But along came iPhone, along with no major improvements in the MacBook line, and my brilliant plan was ruined.
Now, for the first time ever, it looks like I’ll be buying – ugh, I can barely bring myself to say it – the AppleCare extended coverage package. I know it’s not as lame as a .Mac account, but still, this sort of thing is for 5-year-olds and grandmas. I can fix 90% of the stuff that might break on my laptop by myself, and I certainly don’t intend to own this machine for another three years.
To date, though, I have warrantied one hard drive, one plastic cover, one trackpad button, one power manager, one battery, and one power adapter on my current machine. The cost of these items separately (at retail) approaches the cost of the computer. A new display alone would meet the cost of coverage – provided it failed outside of physical damage.
So what choice do I have? Apple doesn’t appear to be planning any massive changes in hardware anytime soon, and North got his old G4 PowerMac replaced (for free) with a new MacBook Pro last spring, so this is probably my best bet. But I just feel so lame plunking down a quarter of my purchase price to support a machine I could service myself, for longer than I intend to own it.
May 10, 01:18 AM
Cosmo, I’m a firm believer that the AppleCare extended coverage package is ideal for people like you (and me). I had a G4 PowerBook for four years and managed to get two logic boards, one screen, two disc drives, the entire outer case, two power adapters, and the internal “frame” replaced. While you’re right that we’d feel better replacing all of that ourselves, parts would cost more than the $250. It’s the five-year-olds and grandmas (and my mother-in-law) who are subsidizing our above average wear and tear.
May 10, 10:38 AM
I’m going to voice my support for AppleCare as well, Cosmo. I’ve never had any serious issues with any of my Macs, but if you have the track record you just described, I’d say $250 is worth it just for the peace of mind. You might save money doing the repairs yourself, but (for me) the time and effort involved in tracking down a cheap replacement part, reading about how to do the repair, and then actually doing it has a high cost in time and stress.
May 10, 12:51 PM
While I’m a huge fan of applecare for ipod support (but only because mine broke 5 times in 2 years and i ended up with a new fancier version and a store credit), you might want to consider a rider on your renter’s insurance policy. I have a policy through USAA that covers anything I do to my laptop – leave it in the rain, throw it down a well, etc. They’ll repair or replace with a new model. It’s not that much money each year (I think no more than $30)... but it doesn’t cover computer malfunctions, just stupid human error/water spills. Which it sounds like you might have a good deal of.
May 27, 07:18 AM
Cosmo:
I’m not a believer in AppleCare or any extended warranty. If you’re accident prone, by insurance.
Since 1985, I have bought two Mac 512Kes, two Mac Classics, a Mac IIvx, a PowerBook 160, a PB180c, a Duo2300 with DuoDock II, PowerMac 6100, LaserWriter LS, a PowerMac G3, two G3 PowerBooks (Wallstreet & Lombard), PowerMac G4, two 12” PowerBook G4s and an iMac G5. Also I have a 20G iPod and a 30G video iPod. The (circa 1985) 512Ke in my office still works fine.
Online, you can download a good service manuals (PDF) for $10. The hardest thing I have done was disassemble the 12” Powerbook on which I am now typing. Mark all the screws and be careful with the cable connectors. Do not do this work when you are tired or have had more than one scotch (or whatever).
As the Director of Marketing at an areospace and defense company, I travelled extensively in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. The worst problem I encountered was “chimes of death” in Canberra. Partition your hard drive, install minimal sized OS as a backup and install a boot OS on your iPod.
Obviously, some things have failed, but always under warranty. Once, I bought AppleCare and nothing broke. Take the $250 and put it in a envelope in your desk.