Apple Looks to Boost AppleCare+ Membership With New 60-Day Purchase Window

It's no surprise Apple is opening up the enrollment window. Extended warranties like Apple Care are highly profitable. A lot of buyers can't stomach spending another $99 immediately after spending $200-900 on their iDevice, but give them a little more time to digest the bill + a scary last minute "are you covered" email and I bet Apple herds in a few more sheep. Free money for Apple.

But statistically, unless the buyer is a complete klutz or abuses his or her items it always a better bet to "self insure" against accidents and rely on a CC's free extended warranty for actual product failures. (Yes, yes, I know you all have your personal tales of how an extended warranty here or there paid for itself in spades. But the odds are against you and for the house in the long term just like at a Vegas craps table.

I'm glad to see they are making updates. AppleCare+ seems like a good deal. I recently got it for my parents iPhone 5cs since they are new to the iPhone family. I wanted them to have coverage because they don't treat their phones very nicely. In-fact my dad somehow managed to pop out a clip in his display with in like 3 days... I was able to snap it back in place nothing broke just popped out i popped it back in. But that's when I knew I better "invest" in Applecare + I kinda wish I would of got it for my iPhone 5 because it had battery issues but it would not have paid for its self. Since the battery was only $79.00 or so. But when the new iPhone comes out I am for sure getting AppleCare+ this go around I have gotten it for my iMac it paid for it's self 3x over because I had to get a new LCD. I also got it for my rMBP as well but I have yet to make a claim hopefully I don't.

Are you thinking that AppleCare covers owner abuse? It doesn't. The TAC for AppleCare gives Apple broad authority to either reject a claim that might be the result of reckless use of the product, or to subject the claim to a service fee. The vague yet complex terms of these extended warranty policies put all of the authority to determine what is covered into the hands of the company. People who buy these policies should know that, and also know that they are huge profit centers for the sellers.

Does it rub anybody else wrong that you have to pay to enroll and the have to pay for incident replacement? And that they limit it to 2? And doesn't and out of warranty iPhone replacement cost $199 (16 GB)? It used to. This just doesn't seem like a great deal to me.

I sure does, but then all consumer products warranties are a rip.

Cool. I’ll still probably never get it, but it’s a reasonable improvement to the service.

Just buy it.

Does it rub anybody else wrong that you have to pay to enroll and the have to pay for incident replacement? And that they limit it to 2? And doesn't and out of warranty iPhone replacement cost $199 (16 GB)? It used to. This just doesn't seem like a great deal to me.

I don't know why people are paying the carrier insurance. Usually, you pay a monthly fee and still have to pay $50 to replace the phone.

The one thing some carrier insurance covers is loss or theft, which AppleCare+ does not cover.

With Macs, it's a year. With iOS devices, it was 30 days. Now it's 60.

Incorrect. With iOS devices it was also a year, for standard AppleCare by calling AppleCare directly. It was 30 days for AppleCare+.

AppleCare was cheaper and for people who aren't clumsy, it was a better deal. This is yet another Tim Cook era money grab.

Alright listen

I'm going to lay this right out so y'all stop posting silly "I read it on the internet!" type stuff.

First of all: This particular article is talking about iOS device ONLY. Computers have always had a year to purchase Applecare to extend coverage to THREE years TOTAL. So, again: computers are different than mobile devices. Cool? Cool.

Now, let's clear this ***** up:
LIMITED WARRANTY: Every thing made by Apple (computer, iPod, lightning cable, Apple TV, etc) has a 1-year limited warranty. What this means for most is that you are covered for any NON-ACCIDENTAL thing. Keep in mind though, that if you go into an Apple store saying that your button isn't working and you have a completely shattered screen or something, you put yourself out of the limited warranty phase because duh. The limited warranty also gives you 90 days of free phone support. This is free and you don't need to do anything to get it.
APPLECARE: This extends the limited warranty to 2 years. It also extends phone support to 2 years. This does NOT include accidental damage. This would have costed $79, and you would have needed to purchase that within the first 30 days of buying your thing.
APPLECARE+: This extends the limited warranty to 2 years. It also extends phone support to 2 years. This also covers a HUGE amount if you were to destroy your phone by dropping it in water, cracking it, etc. This costs $99, and you would have needed to purchase within the first 30 days of buying your thing.


What this article is saying is that they are getting rid of Applecare for iOS Devices (which is totally not worth it anyway), and extending the availability to purchase Applecare+ to be able to purchase it within the first 60 days of your purchase instead of 30 days.


As far as prices go, I've had my 5 replaced for $49 and my friend's 5s replaced for $79. $79 was also for my iPad Air. They probably just bumped the price up for the newer models because, you know, sapphire and stuff.

What grinds my gears is that people don't realize that when they purchase a phone for $199 it's a once-every-two-years subsidized price that is controlled by their carrier (in exchange for you paying the difference over the next 2 years through your phone bill.. but that's a different story). iPhone 5S is $649 for a 16GB phone, $749 for 32GB, and $849 for 64GB.

Sorry, but I'd rather pay $179 in total for a brand new phone instead of $849. Or, hell yeah, I'd definitely pay $99 instead of $849 if I'm right before my contract gets renewed and my phone busts. And if your dumb ass thinks you deserve a free $700 phone because YOU dropped it on concrete... well, you'll need a lot more help than Applecare+ anyway.

And 30 days going by in the blink of an eye so awesome for extending that.

Just buy your device with an AMEX and they cover your for pretty much everything in regards to your purchase up to the price you paid for your device. That's for an additional year out side of the manufacturer's warranty. But if you break it and Apple replaces/fixes your phone and charge your for it. You just file a claim and get back that money and you have up to the total cost to recover from them if needed.

Screw these paid insurance policies from stores and manufacturers. All rip offs.