Should I buy Apple Care?

[cmd]

I bought an iMac G5 last week. I never buy extended warranties and am having no problems with my new computer, but start to worry every time Apple asks if I want to add it.

[politicat]

1. Yes.

All electronics are liable to failure; while most are going to fail in the first 3 months if they're going to fail from a manufacturing defect, sometimes it takes longer and the fact is that Apple care makes it easier to get service taken care of.

Example: We own 4 apple laptops - two iBooks and 2 TiBooks. My husband's powerbook started acting flakey shortly after he got it, and it took about 11 months (and 6 trips for service) to get it totally ironed out - turned out there was a short in the logic board. He ended up with a replacement upgraded PB out of it... but if we hadn't had apple care, he would have been SOL because the 1 year warranty ran out before the problem was resolved. It was a manufacturing defect that we would have been stuck with without apple care.

My story is less urgent, but my Airport card died on me when I'd had my PB for about 2 years. I got the replacement within a few days and sent the old one back, no problem.

Our ibooks have been fine, but had we needed service....

You have a desktop, so the situation might be less urgent for you, but for us, with laptops only, it's been a life-saver.

[reprobate]

2. Yes, unless you live in Florida, where the legislature, in it's infinite..

...wisdom has decreed that Apple, of all the electronic retailers in the state is the only one that is not allowed to sell extended warrantees. IMHO, MicroShaft has paid someone to help curtail the competition. But then I'm paranoid. I even called my state representative and asked why, but never even got a call back. It's all political, I think.

Pardon the mini-rant.

[politicat]

3. Incorporate/get a business license.

Then you can buy Applecare. You can get it if you're a business. (And I think you're right - M$ has the fix in.)

A business license is usually cheap.

[MalachiConstant]

4. i've made use of mine

i had to have my hard drive replaced on my powerbook. it would have cost me $350+ had i not purchased applecare.

[emulatorloo]

5. I would buy it for a laptop, but not a desktop

laptops get thrown around, etc etc.

I have mac desktops around dating back to 1987 that are still going strong.

[Ezlivin]

7. Agreed

My laptops always need more care.

The desktops have been bulletproof for me going back to 1985. I believe I only had one hardware problem in a new computer, a faulty hard drive, in an SE/30.

[bikebloke]

6. I have it.

When I bought my eMac two years ago, they said with Apple Care, the techies would make house calls. Since I don't drive, it would be a real hassle transporting it to a shop. With my PC, I was able to strap the tower on the back of my bike.

So far, no problems what so ever. One year left to go. Then I guess my Mac will explode.:nuke:

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. It's great

They actually answer the phone when I call. And they have been a valuable resource.

[myomy]

9. Just read a day or so ago that it's now available in Florida

.

[reprobate]

10. MYOMY, thank you for posting that. I've been waiting almost a year for it

I just called Apple and verified that it's TRUE! My iMac G5 was within a month of it's year limit. Now the iMac, iBook, and Mac Mini will be safe for another two to three years.

Massive quantities of relief

[kma3346]

11. YES!

I'd highly recommend it. My iMac's SuperDrive went out and the up/down mechanism for the monitor was slipping. I had only one month left on my AppleCare warranty and took it in and saved myself $750.00! So, it was definitely worth it for me.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. I wish I'd bought it for my iBook

which needed a hard drive and power cord replaced. :-(