AppleCare Protection Plan

AppleCare will give you 3 years from date of purchase so it extends it for an extra 2 years. Also it extends phone support from the 90 days (or something like that) to the full 3 years.

Hope this clarifies things for you -GDF

Keep in mind that once your 1st year is over, you can no longer extend your warranty with APP.

Purchase and register the extension before your 1st year is up.

Adam

Message was edited by: Adam White

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!

Adam is correct. You must purchase and enroll your AppleCare Protection Plan before your original one year warranty expires. The AppleCare Protection Plan extends your warranty to three years "from the original purchase date" no matter when you actually enroll it during that first year.

-Doug

Apple always says if you buy the applecare plan you will get 3 full years of warranty. but we all know when you buy a macbook it comes with one full year of warranty. so its actually 2 years warranty.

Apple is saying it correctly. Once you buy AppleCare, you get three full years of warranty. Note that they don't say you get three extra years. You get two extra years for a total of three years. The official statement is (emphasis mine):

"The AppleCare Protection Plan is a uniquely integrated service and support solution that extends the complimentary coverage on your Mac to three years from the computer’s purchase date."

An important distinction here is that the AppleCare Protection Plan is an extended service plan, not a warranty. There are important legal distinctions, especially the fact that a service plan be canceled by either party (with appropriate payment) whereas a warranty cannot.

"extends the complimentary | [sic] | coverage."

Grammar police stepping in for a citation. Apple coverage is neither compl Imentary nor free. Warranty/coverage adds on, but does not flatter: is compl Ementary. Furthermore, there's no free warranty/coverage. manufacturers include warranty/coverage costs into initial retail price as part of the profit calculations. AppleCare coverage extends the initial 1 year PAID retail coverage with an additional 2 years of add-on PAID coverage.

--
Word games aside, to answer the original question: I strongly suggest buying AppleCare for all laptops and no desktops.

My personal data supports this without anomaly. AppleCare has invariably reduced the first 3-year cost-of-ownership for my PowerBooks (4 of them), iBooks (2 of them), and my MacBook. AppleCare would have increased my first 3-year cost-of-ownership for each of my my desktop macs: 680x0 (12), PowerPC (9).

Note: my iPod experience does not follow this portable/desktop rule. I still use both my iPods, which continue to function smoothly into their fifth year and beyond.

Grammar police stepping in for a citation.

Take it up with Apple. It's their phrasing, not mine, As indicated by the quote marks, I copied the line directly from the AppleCare information page.

One thing I'd like to add...

Phone based support (800-APL-CARE) is not free after the first 90-days, even though you're within the one-year limited warranty.

So if you call in for support, you're subject to a $50/incident fee if the machine is older than 91-days. If you were purchase the AppleCare agreement, you'd be allowed unlimited phone support related incidents.

Sorry, you are out of luck.

Adam

Hi,

I have supported personal computers in settings that have had a few to hundreds of computers. My experience has been that service plans are usually not worthwhile if they exceed 10% per year of the acquisition cost of the equipment. This figure assumes the repair risk is spread over a least a few computers.

Of course, your personal use patterns may be such that you have an elevated need for the repair contract. For instance, if you have the propensity to call Apple for phone support more than three times a year, you would be money ahead to purchase Applecare.

Also, note that Applecare does not cover catastrophic damage such as dropping the MacBook and cracking the screen. However... your home owner's or renter's insurance policy may cover catastrophic damage. Talk to your insurance agent. You may be better off spending the money that you would have spent on Applecare to purchase a coverage rider for your home insurance policy.

-Bill