Success of Apple Care

[ponyo]

Anybody know what percentage of Apple product buyers purchase Apple Care? It has to be extremely high percentage of sales. I'm confused why so many people buy it as it's not cheap for the coverage. People who don't normally buy warranties seem to buy Apple Care. Most Apple products come with one yr factory warranty and most credit cards will double that to two for free. So why do so many people spend hundreds of dollars on Apple Care?

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Because americans want to be broke after buying something very expensive.

 

[shortylickens]

 

[rivan]

Because the average Apple buyer (huge stereotype here, that's become much less accurate over the last few years) is pretty technically illiterate.

 

[Kaido]

Anybody know what percentage of Apple product buyers purchase Apple Care? It has to be extremely high percentage of sales. I'm confused why so many people buy it as it's not cheap for the coverage. People who don't normally buy warranties seem to buy Apple Care. Most Apple products come with one yr factory warranty and most credit cards will double that to two for free. So why do so many people spend hundreds of dollars on Apple Care?

Because (1) Apple computers are expensive and (2) it's worth it. Applecare is one of the few warranties I buy, and it's 100% worth the investment. Plus it helps resale value when you upgrade, if you still have a year or two left on the warranty. They've fixed everything I've brought into them under warranty. Far better service than Staples or Best Buy. Also, my credit card doesn't do double warranty

 

[Kaido]

Because the average Apple buyer (huge stereotype here, that's become much less accurate over the last few years) is pretty technically illiterate.

I kinda wish that were true. Most Apple users I know are actually highly technical. Most computer illiterate people that I know don't see the point of "paying more for Apple" and get a cheap Windows PC and get crappy results thanks to baked-in trialware and getting viruses/spyware. I've lost count of the number of times I've recommend an Apple to someone and then they go out and buy a $299 Dell and then show up 2 weeks later because Norton has made their computer slow and they have viruses anyway

 

[satyajitmenon]

3 days before my iphones warranty expired, it crapped out and had to be replaced. That spooked me enough to purchase the apple care extended warranty the next day.

The last thing I need is my phone crapping out while I'm still tied into the stupid AT&T plan.

 

[Kaido]

FYI, A+: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/fall-snacking-recipe-peanut-butter-popcorn-014558

 

[Kaido]

3 days before my iphones warranty expired, it crapped out and had to be replaced. That spooked me enough to purchase the apple care extended warranty the next day.

The last thing I need is my phone crapping out while I'm still tied into the stupid AT&T plan.

They were kind of funny about mine. I activated it and the SIM card fried somehow. Took it in, they took it back and handed me a new one, just like that (back when they were first selling hot and the SIMs/phones were hard to get). Can't argue with that :thumbsup:

 

[corwin]

Because (1) Apple computers are expensive and (2) it's worth it. Applecare is one of the few warranties I buy, and it's 100% worth the investment. Plus it helps resale value when you upgrade, if you still have a year or two left on the warranty. They've fixed everything I've brought into them under warranty. Far better service than Staples or Best Buy. Also, my credit card doesn't do double warranty

So they break often enough to be worth it?

 

[ponyo]

Apple products were expensive in the past. It's now more affordable than ever. Plus we have credit cards with free double warranty.

So we have people like Kaido who don't normally buy warranty for other products yet buy it for Apple. Why is Apple special exception?

 

[Kaido]

So they break often enough to be worth it?

They're like any other computer. A little more durable (not quite Thinkpads but better than your average Acer) but still subject to problems just like any other piece of hardware. They use a lot of the same hardware as regular laptops as well. I've had hard drives die, DVD drives die, etc.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Apple products were expensive in the past. It's now more affordable than ever. Plus we have credit cards with free double warranty.

So we have people like Kaido who don't normally buy warranty for other products yet buy it for Apple. Why is Apple special exception?

Investment.

 

[Kaido]

Apple products were expensive in the past. It's now more affordable than ever. Plus we have credit cards with free double warranty.

So we have people like Kaido who don't normally buy warranty for other products yet buy it for Apple. Why is Apple special exception?

1. Apples are expensive (cheapest Mac computer is $699, no monitor included), so I wanted coverage to protect it

2. Resale value (transferrable warranty = higher resale value down the road)

3. My credit card doesn't have double warranty

 

[alfa147x]

FYI, A+: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/fall-snacking-recipe-peanut-butter-popcorn-014558

There goes my calorie count for the day...

 

[Kaido]

There goes my calorie count for the day...

I used to make this stuff for breakfast for my graphic design class. A bunch of us cooked or worked at restaurants and we'd have awesome breakfast parties in class. This was always a winner SUPER easy to make too!

 

[ponyo]

Investment.

So do you buy warranties for your TV, fridge, cell phone, gaming consoles, car, etc?

 

[Redfraggle]

I had Applecare and ended up getting a brand new, newer model laptop because of it. Laptops are expensive to fix, a lot more than the AppleCare costs. I went through 3 logic boards on that laptop before I got fed up and insisted they just replace it. Iphones are updated often enough that it's impossible to know the longevity/durability of a phone if you stay even close to current. Again, worth it.

I didn't get AC for my iMac and am not worried about it. It doesn't move around and get exposed to various environments like laptops and phones do.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

So do you buy warranties for your TV, fridge, cell phone, gaming consoles, car, etc?

TV - yes
Cell Phone - yes

 

[Ninjahedge]

If you are a betting (man) then no warranty is ever worth it unless your particular usage pattern puts you at higher risk.

The nature of AppleCare, like any other extended warranty or insurance policy, is to make money. So chances are, the money spent on it is always more than what they provide (either because the cost to repair and replace is actually MUCH smaller than the cost for a person to but the parts themselves, or because they simply have more money coming in than is needed for the repairs regardless of actual cost.....)

So it all depends. This is not a car, there is no liability that you need to be afraid of if your computer "crashes", and your machine pretty much loses 50% of its value each year.

GENERALLY speaking, so long as you know what you are doing, there is no need for the insurance policy.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Paid $35 for Apple Care on my iPhone 3GS. After 1 1/2 years, the microphone started to become intermittent. I walked into an Apple Store and walked out with a new iPhone in 15 minutes with everything transferred over.

Money well spent.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Apple products were expensive in the past. It's now more affordable than ever. Plus we have credit cards with free double warranty.

So we have people like Kaido who don't normally buy warranty for other products yet buy it for Apple. Why is Apple special exception?

Have you ever tried to utilize the double warranty on your credit card? I don't believe it's the easiest thing to exercise.

 

[Ka0t1x]

One Apple Care repair is worth the price, alone. Logic boards are $500+, just for some thought.

 

[Kmax82]

GENERALLY speaking, so long as you know what you are doing, there is no need for the insurance policy.

There is if you somehow get a lemon. Because you can usually find Applecare for a pretty small sum on Amazon, I typically get it.

Last Macbook Pro I owned had the nVidia chipset (which was having all those display issues). Not only did that die twice, but I kept getting lines in the LCD. They replaced the whole computer with a brand new one. I'd say the $200 I spent on Applecare was worth it.

iPhone. For $60, if you have any issues you have a new phone in 10-15 minutes of your appointment at the store.

In general, I find (because I try and keep my stuff for a longer period of time) it's worth it. Televisions usually will last forever once they make it past the 90 day mark. Cars are fairly affordable to repair as long as it's not the engine/transmission.

 

[modestninja]

Have you ever tried to utilize the double warranty on your credit card? I don't believe it's the easiest thing to exercise.

I have with my AMEX on a subwoofer where the amp died after the company had gone out of business and within 4 days of sending the information they needed, they had refunded my full purchase price because they couldn't find any repair shop and shipping a 100+ lbs sub wasn't worth it.

I also had an intermittent issue with my TV where the picture would go out and within a couple of days it was fixed at a local repair center.

YMMV vary with other CC companies, but American Express has been quick and easy for me.