AppleCare protection plan starts when product purchased, not when received?

I believe that others have reported that when there has been a delay in receiving an order, that Apple has happily changed the start date for the warranty to the date received.

Dah•veed

There is a way to appeal...

If your coverage expiration date is incorrect

If the estimated expiration date of your Telephone Technical Support, Limited Warranty, or AppleCare agreement for your serial number is incorrect, please contact us. You will need to send your proof-of-purchase to Apple so that we can update your purchase date. A sales receipt with the receipt number, product description, original date of purchase, price, and reseller details constitutes a valid proof of purchase. Certain other forms of proof of purchase may be acceptable as well.

http://support.apple.com/kb/he44

This policy is also affected by country. Here in Japan, submitting a shipping confirmation to Apple Japan is sufficient to get the warranty date amended forward.

Your mileage may vary.

I wouldn't buy AppleCare with the product, I'd wait until the original cover was about to expire.

Star-

Whether or not you purchase AppleCare on the day you buy your mac, or on the expiration date of original cover, the effective length of AppleCare does not change. Its 3 years from Mac purchase date.

If you buy a Mac on Jan 25, 2010, your original cover expires on Jan 25, 2011.
If you buy AppleCare on the day you buy your mac, your cover expires on Jan 25, 2013,
If you buy AppleCare on Dec 25, 2010, your cover STILL expires on Jan 25, 2013.

There is no way around it. If you already decided to buy AppleCare, waiting almost a year before you buy it makes no difference, and has no significant advantage.

Folks have a tendency to intermix warranty and Apple Care. The OP at this point is actually speaking of the Apple warranty, which covers the Mac for the first year. Purchasing Apple Care then extends that warranty for an additional two years.

However telephone support for your new Mac is only available for the first three months of the one year warranty. After that Apple charges to assist you with issues regarding your Mac, unless it is specifically a hardware issue covered by the warranty. But if you buy Apple Care with your new Mac or soon after your Mac purchase, the Apple Care extends the telephone support for the full year of the manufacturer's warranty, plus the two additional years of the extended warranty.

Waiting to buy Apple Care at the last minute before the original warranty has expired has no advantage, and cuts you out of 9 months of free telephone support. Buying just before the warranty expires does not change the coverage date, that is determined by the start date of the original warranty.

Dah•veed