Do Mac Professionals Really Need AppleCare?

Do you really need AppleCare? Although Macs are well-made machines, they are exactly that after all: machines and extremely complex, although most of that complexity is hidden from the user. While Macs have many advantages over Windows PCs, nothing is perfect. On my last day of work, I supervised the purchase of a new Mac. Although I recommended the purchase of AppleCare, my advice was not listened to. One day at startup, not long after the end of the one-year warranty period, the Mac did not display the cute Apple logo, but a black screen full of UNIX characters. None of the standard troubleshooting methods worked: restarting the Mac, shutting it down and letting it rest for a while, running DiskWarrior, or even trying to reinstall the operating system. For all intents and purposes it looked like a hardware failure, so it had to be sent to the nearest Apple Authorized Repair Center. Once she got there, she was reported to have started well. Kudos to the repair center for not making up the charges, but the shipping, expense, and hassle of putting the machine off for a couple of weeks was something we could have done without. AppleCare has been helpful for my current machine, an iMac. Shortly after the one-year warranty period expired, the Mac's hard drive failed. Fortunately, he had purchased AppleCare. After an hour's drive with my iMac to the most conveniently located Apple Store in a neighboring Illinois mall, the problem was diagnosed and I was able to pick up the Mac the next day. The amount he would have paid without AppleCare was $ 364.69. Thats not all. Less than a year after repair, the replacement unit also failed! Another trip to the Apple store and the failed 500GB hard drive was replaced with a 750GB drive (because the smaller drives were out of stock). I did not complain. Again, the total cost of the repairs would have been $ 364.69 without AppleCare. One feature of AppleCare that is often overlooked is that you also get free phone support for the entire extended warranty period. This covers not only Mac OS, but also all included iLife programs such as iPhoto, iTunes, GarageBand, iMovie, iWeb, etc. AppleCare's phone support coverage even handles iWork questions. I have called Apple many times to troubleshoot various issues under my AppleCare coverage, and generally received advice that resolved the issues. Because Apple makes the operating system, many of the software programs you use, and the machine they run on, you don't have to fear being bounced from one company to another when you call for assistance. The hardware manufacturer cannot claim that your problem is a software problem and vice versa. Macs are embedded systems, and Apple takes responsibility for the entire package. So is AppleCare worth the cost? In a word, yes, especially if you use a Mac for business, but really for everyone. Even if you think you're handy with a screwdriver, could you actually replace an iMac screen yourself, and if you could, could you do it for less than the AppleCare purchase price? Also, could you repair the hinges or latch on a Macbook? I do not think so. Apple products are superbly designed, but part of that means they are not always the easiest devices to repair. Plus, for those who use their Macs in business, time is money. Hours wasted trying to iMac Repair Cardiff your machine can end up costing you far more than the cost of AppleCare itself.