Advertisement When you buy an Apple product, you’ll likely see an offer to purchase AppleCare+ along with it. Apple’s official warranty can provide peace of mind, but is it worth the additional cost on an already expensive device? Let’s take a closer look. We’ll examine what AppleCare+ covers, how much it costs for your device, and whether AppleCare+ is worth it.

1. Applecare Protection Plan For Macbook Pro
2. Should I Buy Applecare Protection Plan For Macbook Pro
3. Applecare Protection Plan Scam

What Is AppleCare? AppleCare is Apple’s first-party warranty plan for its devices. Most Apple products come with a one-year warranty and three months of phone support if you need help—this is called AppleCare. Adding, Apple’s extended warranty, increases these periods so your devices are covered for longer. You can purchase it to protect your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, or iPod Touch. Normally, we advise against buying extended warranties for electronics.

They’re usually just a way for the seller to make more money, as most devices won’t need repairs during their lifetime. However, AppleCare is a special case due to Apple’s tight control on its products. Since the company designs the hardware, OS, and lots of apps for its devices, having a warranty from that company is an attractive idea. Notably, AppleCare+ also covers accidental damage, as we’ll discuss shortly. Apple lets you transfer AppleCare+ coverage.

Applecare Protection Plan For Macbook Pro

If you sell or give away your device, the rest of the warranty goes with it. This can make Don't risk your privacy and personal data by selling your Mac without erasing it first!

Easier as extra coverage sweetens the deal—check out Apple’s for information. How Do I Get AppleCare+?

When you buy an Apple product from the website or in an Apple Store, you’ll have the opportunity to add an AppleCare+ plan. If you decide you want to buy AppleCare+ later, you can do so within 60 days of your purchase. To do so, head to and enter your device’s serial number to start the process.

This requires you to run a remote diagnostic so Apple can confirm your device is in good shape. If you don’t want to purchase AppleCare+ online, you can do so in an Apple Store instead. A technician will inspect your device, plus you’ll need to provide proof of purchase. Not sure if you have AppleCare+ already? Sign into and you can check the status on all your devices. What Does AppleCare+ Cover? As mentioned, AppleCare+ essentially acts as an extension of your complimentary warranty.

However, what AppleCare+ covers depends on your device. And when you need service, you have a few options. If you have a MacBook, iPhone, or other portable device, you can mail your Mac to Apple using a prepaid shipping box. For desktop Macs, Apple will send a technician to you. Or if you prefer, you can bring your device into an Apple Store. Your purchase also includes 24/7 support via online chat or phone call.

AppleCare+ for Mac AppleCare+ for Mac extends your warranty coverage for two additional years (a total of three years). It also covers up to two accidental damage coverages. If you take your Mac in for accidental damage, Apple charges you $99 to fix the screen or $299 for anything else. Our experience is the opposite of the claims made by this article. We have had great support through Best Buy and the Geek Squad, both in-person and over the phone. And this is over the course of ten years with an upscale desktop and two mid-scale laptops.

We are currently in the hunt for our next laptop and due to the main use being music production, I was seriously considering switching to the MacBook from Windows. I have been researching online for about three months. To my frustration and surprise, I have read hundreds of negative reviews on Apple's customer service, extreme difficulty in getting an Apple Store to work on your broken product, AND being treated like less than a human in the fancy new Apple Stores. Yesterday, my wife and I visited our nearest new Apple Store to test the waters. While not the absolute worst experience of my life, the visit did nothing to impress us with Apple nor did it quell any of the concerns I had heard others express. I was very frustrated as I had made the change mentally to switch to Apple.

I've read too many reviews of Apple lovers now switching away from Apple, for multiple reasons. The most predominant reason is the way customers are treated poorly, including countless times when people need repairs and who get passed over despite having made appointments. If you enter their store, with the intention of giving them $3000 of your hard-earned money, but their interactions with you leave you feeling unwanted and as if you are somehow bothering them, how you could you not end up with a bad taste in your mouth towards Apple in general? And, this wasn't just one store. Sincerely wanting a MacBook Pro, I checked reviews on the nearest stores, in three different states. Almost the exact same reviews.

Two Apple Store members were very friendly. But, there was almost a tension in the air with all the others. Like they are being watched and will for some reason be given demerits if they treat you too nicely. There was a feeling of condescension from one of the three people we got help from and one was obviously watching the time on his watch. Upscale laptop for an upscale price. Due to its need/purpose, ok I'll bend some. Upscale laptop, upscale price, snobby service, questionable chances on getting help when needed.

Why would I want to even go there? This is from someone who was willing to switch platforms and hopeful in getting a good quality product for a very specific career need. Is Apple's new attitude of indifference and near-disgust towards customers a top-down policy? What happened to the bustling, yet positive feeling the older and smaller stores had?

You don't have to be a business major to know the eventual affect on Apple's bottom line if nothing changes. The question is. Apple support has gone WAY downhill - they might be following in the footsteps of the other dinosaurs like Microsoft.

We've taken a dysfunctional mac mini in twice. First we were told there was nothing wrong with it. Then we were told that it needed a new logic board - the computer came back and continued the exact same behavior. We asked that rather than continue working with what was obviously a lemon - we get a credit to put towards a new machine.

Suddenly, the store visits were undocumented and we needed to bring the machine in to be troubleshot. Epic fail by Apple. The Rep, Robert Cooper, all but called us liars. A) If you start off the exchange with anger, you will not receive the best service.

This is true of Apple, Microsoft, Best Buy, any company that employs humans. If you treat the technician as a human being, s/he will likely treat you as one too (especially if they've just been treated like sh.t by the previous customer). B) Whether or not the extended warranty is worth it depends on several factors, only two of which are price and who is offering the warranty. Other factors include: what kind of device and how complex is it? How do you tend to treat similar devices? Will this device stay in one spot the majority of its lifespan, or do you plan on taking it with you on a daily basis? If this device broke just before something important, do you have other devices you could still get by with?

You can use it to kill apps and games, clear out RAM, and a few other things. Top 5 alternatives to contract killer 2 for mac. That's fairly rare.

If this device does break, is it something you can or would be willing to fix on your own? How much of a pain would it be to get the device to where it needs to be fixed? Yes, buying an extended warranty is a gamble (so is buying car insurance, or fresh vegetables) but you can be smart about how you do it.

All that being said, APP probably isn't worth it for most devices nor more technically inclined people. However, I do highly recommend some sort of coverage on any MacBook Pro (specifically, any laptop). Not only are these relatively complex devices that people tend to use as their main computer (as in, they have no back up machine) but laptops tend to move. Even if the furthest distance a laptop moves in its lifespan is from the bedroom to the living room, it's still moving.

And even without accident protection, all of the moving parts inside your computer (like hinges, motherboards that can be twisted between books in backpacks, RAM sticks that have to be placed correctly into specific slots) can be wiggled around just by carefully walking your computer around and gently setting it down. Ultimately, whoever is buying and using the computer should make the decision, but it's not something that should just be tossed aside as another way to up sell customers. If you want to complain about up selling, why are you even buying new consumer electronics in the first place? Reuse it, or build it yourself; don't get sucker punched into wasteful capitalism. I purchased an iMac in 2009 with AppleCare. In November of 2011 something started to go wrong. They replaced two hard drives, the motherboard, and power source.

It was horrible! They treated me as if I was causing the problem. When I started requesting they send a tech out to do repairs (per AppleCare you don't have to take it into an Apple Store) they accused me of having outside vendors do the work.the outside vendors they sent out. When the third hard drive started to fail, and at this time I started using the word LEMON, I was informed that I had to wait until the 3rd hard drive failed. I contacted a national radio guy and he recommended a few things. After that I was given a replacement iMac. If I didn't have AppleCare, I would have just tossed it and gone back to pc's.

So, I'm glad I had AppleCare?? For appliances, everything from your toaster to your server, insurance is a poor buy.

With five computers, two servers, Cisco routers & switches, and and 15 general appliances in the house it would cost me about $1200 for insurance for them all at $50 each per year. Over the last 30 years since I bought my first computer that would have been $36,000.

If every appliance, computer, etc. Died tomorrow It would be cheaper to replace them all than to have purchased the insurance for the last 30 years. Don't forget, homeowner's or renter's insurance will cover some losses and damage. Just put that $100+ a month in the bank (your insurance account) and you will always have money to replace your 'appliances'. When I had to have a new screen on a 27' iMac, the local Apple reseller was brilliant. I walked in on a Thursday at 1645 with my ailing iMac, and picked it up the following Wednesday morning at 1100.

Cost of new screen - £580 + tax. Cost to me under Applecare - £10 (two round trips to the shop). They also cleaned up a slightly dodgy USB connection without being asked, cleaned the casing and spent about 25 minutes showing me how to achieve something that had been defeating me for weeks. No complaints at all - £135 well spent!

Apple's support might in theory be worthwhile, but only if you life someplace close to an Apple Store. In general I can say that I've never had a positive Apple support experience, even for comparatively simple matters like getting itunes purchases voided. I've actually had to argue with online support over my decision to ship a Macbook to a service depot rather than drive 90 minutes in to one of the busiest metropolitan areas of the US and paying $30 to park for the privilege of waiting two hours for an Apple store employee to do work I could've done myself in 20 minutes on any other laptop. I know Apple's support is highly regarded by other people, but I really do believe that the best choice is to simply not buy anything from Apple in the first place. Unfortunately, I live in an Apple environment where everyone I work with uses Apple products. The best solution I've found is as you said to live near an Apple store and then to follow their service procedures exactly. Everything they do has to conform exactly to a script written in Cupertino by very rigid people and if you get them off the script their default is to tell you 'no.'

It's frightening, but if you're polite, positive, and persistent you can usually get the thing fixed. It's always a test of how in touch I am with the Force. They use a lot of Jedi mind tricks for sure.

Image: James Martin/CNET For most people, buying a new computer or a mobile device is a big purchase. And, with big buys, there is often a question of just how you'll be able to insure it. This is especially true for first-time Apple users. Pop culture has made us all fairly familiar with the and the modern aesthetic of the Apple Store, but there's more to Apple support than the retail experience.

Apple's core hardware products — Mac and Apple Display, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV — are all covered by the same standard support plan. From the date of purchase, you'll receive a one year limited warranty and 90 days of tech support over the phone.

However, there are ways of extending your standard support and increasing its coverage through Apple's AppleCare program. The standard AppleCare protection plan extends the warranty plan and phone support for Mac, Apple Displays, ands Apple TV. AppleCare+ offers accidental damage protection on top of the extended warranty and support for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Here's what you need to know to make a decision on whether you should purchase AppleCare or AppleCare+. IPhone, iPad, and iPod - The unholy trinity of cracked screens When it comes to an Apple mobile device, it seems like everyone has a horror story. Maybe a seemingly short drop cracked your glass screen in a million places, or your phone went for an untimely swim. Whatever it was, it was painful to witness and it killed your device.

This is the main value add for AppleCare+. In addition to extending both your hardware warranty and phone support out to two years, this program gives you coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage, with each incident subject to a device-specific service fee.

As of this writing, the iPhone service fee is $79, the iPad service fee is $49, and the iPod service fee is $29, plus applicable service tax on all. AppleCare+ is available at the time you make the purchase, and that is typically the easiest way to purchase it since it can be added to the device without issue. However, you can purchase AppleCare+ within 60 days of purchase, but it will require some gymnastics on your part. If you decide to purchase it after you purchase your device, you can do so through an Apple retail store, or by calling 800-275-2273. If you purchase it through the AppleStore+, you'll need to bring proof or purchase of the device and an employee will need to inspect the device before it the coverage can be added. If you purchase coverage over the phone, you'll also need proof of purchase, and you'll be required to run a remote diagnostic to determine that your device is in good shape.

Should I Buy Applecare Protection Plan For Macbook Pro

The upfront cost of AppleCare+ for iPhones and iPads, at the time of this writing, is $99, and the upfront cost of the program for iPods is $59. For the Apple Watch, however, the AppleCare+ service. AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch Sport and the standard Apple Watch will extend both the hardware support and phone support to two years, while adding up to two instances of accidental damage coverage. For the Apple Watch Edition (i.e. The gold version that starts at $10,000) AppleCare+ extends hardware and phone support to three years with the additions of the up to two instances of accidental damage.

Pricing isn't yet confirmed for AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch. To obtain a repair, you can take your device to any local Apple store, provided you have an appointment with the, or you can mail in your device using a prepaid shipping box that will be provided by Apple.

Mac, Apple Display, and Apple TV Macs, Apple displays, and the Apple TV don't have any incidental damage coverage, but they all have the option of additional coverage through the standard AppleCare protection plan. This plan also extends your hardware warranty and phone support. For the Macs and Apple Display, your warranty and support will be extended to three years from the date of purchase. For the Apple TV, your support and warranty will only be extended to two years from the date of purchase. For the Apple TV, the initial cost of the plan is $29, which may not seem worth it being that the retail price of the device is now only $69. The plan is a better value for Mac customers, as it covers many of the expensive repairs associated with a computer for three full years.

Applecare Protection Plan Scam

For non-incidental damage issues like a failing Logic board, which can cost over $1000, it is certainly worth it. The standard AppleCare plan for Macs and Apple Display ranges from $99-$349, based on the cost of the item. Once again, it's easiest to purchase the plan when you purchase your machine or device, but AppleCare can be added at a later date. For Macs, Apple Display, or Apple TV, AppleCare can only be purchased and added to the device while it is still covered under the standard one-year limited warranty.

If you buy an additional Apple Display with your Mac, or your purchase one with a Mac Pro or Mac Mini, the display will be covered under the additional AppleCare you purchase for the Mac. AppleCare is available as a standalone option for just the Apple Display, but it will only cover the display. For more information on AppleCare and AppleCare+, visit the on the Apple website. Also see. Related Topics.