Apple Mac HQ

If you’re a Mac loving pessimist who likes to save money, I’ve got good news for you. The piece of mind that is AppleCare, can be purchased for less than retail price. While this may not be news to some, it was to me.

For those that don’t know, AppleCare is basically an extended warranty with telephone technical support, web-based support resources, and some free diagnostic software. The complimentary coverage that you get when you purchase a Mac is 90 days of phone support and one year of service coverage (hardware repair). AppleCare extends both phone support and service coverage to three years. When you purchase AppleCare it does not extend your warranty three years, it extends your warranty to three years from your date of purchase.

I won’t go into the debate if AppleCare is worth the money or not. Any Mac user that’s had to use AppleCare though will likely tell you that it is worth the money. I’ve never bought an extended warranty for a computer but I’m going to purchase AppleCare for my Macbook Pro. My MBP travels a good deal, and with all that movement comes the chance that one day something might happen to it.

You can purchase AppleCare up to one year from the date of your Mac purchase. Once that one year mark passes, you can no longer purchase AppleCare. Amazon is currently (maybe always?) selling AppleCare for less than the Apple price. The Macbook Pro plan will set you back $300 ($50 less than retail). The Macbook plan costs $200 ($50 less than retail). The iMac and Mac Pro plans will set you back $150 ($20 less than retail) and $250 respectively. Oddly, the Mac Pro plan is the only Mac AppleCare plan that is not less than retail price. I guess if you can afford a Mac Pro you can afford AppleCare at retail price?

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