AppleCare Protection Plan MA519LL/A for MacBook Air / MacBook

This is great for peace of mind, but so far I never had to actually use it.

Apple has been nothing but unfriendly and unresponsive to my request. This insurance will give you no peace of mind, do not buy!

have not have to use any claims but this seems like a good package to have.

I'm very annoyed because the product cannot be activated as it was purchased after the initial protection expired.I was not told this at the time of purchase and I have not been offered an alternative Plan. However, you have ofered to refund the purchase price. What a waste of time and effort.

Not much to write about a service plan that I haven't needed but I wanted to address something I read before I purchased it. There seemed to be some concern about activating the product buying it from Amazon or another re-seller. Once I received my confirmation I realized that this wasn't a problem.

Once I received my confirmation.

The problem I had was minor, however it was quite annoying. I logged in to register the Service Plan and as I reached the last screen I received the message that it could not be processed and that I should try again later. I tried again (several times) and kept being told that the product number was already in the system as having been registered, but then there was also the message that my registration was in progress and I couldn't check the status until the registration was completed. This left me in limbo as I didn't know if someone else had registered with my number or it was my attempted registration that it was recognizing.

I decided to wait and two days later I received my confirmation e-mail. And that's it. It seemed to have bombed out, then to have been a bad number and in the end, it was fine.

Now let's hope I never have to test my coverage!

Hope this helps!

Had absolutely no problem with the install and never had to contact Apple directly. Would recommend buying from Amazon and saving the money!

I used to work in an Apple Store. We were pressured to push AppleCare. I only took the job with the understanding I would NEVER pressure a customer to buy something they didn't need. They forced me to push .Mac just the same, but I made it clear to customers my heart wasn't in that disappointing product.

But my heart was in AppleCare. For two simple reasons: Apple gave excellent care, and frankly, you needed it. Look at Consumer Reports listings of product breakdowns, and you discover Apples break as much as PCs. As others will tell you, AppleCare is NOTHING compared to paying for repairs out of pocket.

But one day I got a customer who said something mind-boggling to me. He said, "I never buy AppleCare, ever." I'm like, why not? He said, "I unload my Macs on eBay one month before the year warranty runs out. This way, you're always running a new, zippy Mac, with the latest operating system installed instead of purchased." I thought that was a little kooky, but the more I thought about it, it was genius. For iMacs and Mac-Minis, no. because the AppleCare is relatively inexpensive But for laptops?

Brilliant.

Think about it. Like it or not, laptop batteries seem to go lame or dead by year two. Laptop prices also drop a bit each year. With a recession slamming against us, and Apple plainly stating prices will fall (a rarity indeed), put the pieces together.

Suppose you buy an $1100 Macbook on Amazon, right now. Word has it the line is going to be updated in September. So you buy it, and sure enough, new MacBooks pop into existence. Maybe an entry level one at 1050. So you sell your newish MacBook on eBay for $950. That means it will cost you $250 to upgrade to that new MacBook you didn't know you wanted. But $250 is the cost of AppleCare, and now you have a brand new Mac, new battery, and 1 year warranty.

Know what a new battery costs from Apple? Over a hundred. Know what the next operating system will cost, if you bought the box? Over a hundred.

Yes, there are a lot of ifs and buts in this process, and so if you can't sell your MacBook on eBay for a good price, or the price on the new MacBook doesn't drop: buy AppleCare. You have a year to buy it.

I've only had to use the support twice - once for a harddrive failure and another time for a question. both times my expectations were WILDLY exceeded. My hard drive was replaced SAME DAY (5 hours) in store and because of time machine, I was back to where I was the very next morning. And my phone support call was not only answered, but he made sure I was FULLY taken care of in spite of a long queue of callers waiting - most support organizations would have been "OK, gotta run... " after minimally answering my question.

... and I'm in the technical support business... I have high expectations in this area...

This is a very good deal as my experience with Apple Warranty has always been positive. The technicians at the Genius Bar at the Stockton Store in SF are competent and friendly.

I love my macbook, therefore I have to shell out over $200 to keep it healthy. Chances are I won't even need to use the extended warranty, but why chance it?

It's worth noting that the Applecare warranty doesn't just cover the Mac. It covers many Apple devices that are connected to it. For instance, a Time Capsule is covered. Here's a comprehensive list (from Apple's site)

>Apple hardware products4
- An Apple computer
- An Apple mouse and keyboard when included with a covered computer (or purchased with Mac mini)
- An Apple display when purchased and registered with a covered Mac mini, Mac Pro, or MacBook Pro computer
- An AirPort Extreme Card, AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme Base Station, Time Capsule, MacBook Air SuperDrive, and Apple RAM when used with a Mac covered by the AppleCare Protection Plan
>The Mac OS4
>Many Apple-branded consumer applications, including iLife and iWork

I don't normally buy extended warranties since the money I've saved is enough to replace anything I buy (i.e. I've saved $1,500 on warranties by NOT buying them). OTOH, I have a Time Capsule that runs so hot, I'm willing to bet an Applecare plan it dies within 3 years ;)

The plan is one of the better EWarranties out there if you buy it. If you don't use it, you've obviously lost. On the other hand, it covers so much in addition to just the Mac, that if you've got a lot of Apple equipment, there's a better-than-average chance you'll wind up finding a use for it.

Bottom line: If you religiously avoid EWarranties, you've correctly seen through what amounts to a scam. Wisest "non-investment" you'll probably ever make. But if you're going to give in just once, you could do a lot worse than an Applecare plan.

They do not advertise this but if you are a student call Apple and they will give you a student discount. I only had to pay $183. Cheaper than Amazon!

I'm not going to debate on the benefits/negatives of purchasing an extended warranty because I figure people can make up their own minds on whether or not they need it. Personally, I purchase the ext. warranty on anything I don't want to repair or replace that is somewhat costly. For instance, we have an ext. warranty on our 42" Plasma, Xbox 360, and our new Saturn. I had an ext. warranty on an Ford ZX2 I bought several years ago and it paid for itself almost 3x over because of brake and transmission problems I kept having. However, there are some products that are built so well that they almost negate the cost of an extended warranty, so you will have to decide for yourself based on your experience.

For the new Mac owner or first-time computer buyer, I think that AppleCare is a safe bet because it gives you 3 years of covered repairs. All Mac portables comes with a standard 1 year warranty but only 90 days of technical support. Apple will only charge you for support if the problem is not related to hardware. For instance, if you call and tell them your hard drive is dead, they will send you a box and repair your notebook for free. However, if you call because you can't print, they will probably charge you to troubleshoot over the telephone. I don't agree w/ Apple's philosophy of 90 days of standard technical support, but Macs are by nature easy to use and require little to any hand-holding.

For the experienced computer buyer/owner or Mac veteran, the choice can go either way; you may know a place to send it, or can fix it yourself after the warranty has expired. You probably already know how to fix 99% of the computer software issues out there, and require no help in the process. If you are this person, you probably either already own AppleCare or plan to never purchase an ext. warranty.

I fall in the middle. I prefer to cover the expensive stuff because I think it's well worth having covered repairs for 3 years (2 years + 1 year std.) and having customer service if/when you need it. I rarely if ever call AppleCare for anything, but that's not to say it hasn't happened.

I think the biggest selling point is Apple's customer service is located in N. America (US and Canada), so the language/accent barrier of some outsourced technical support departments is non-existent. If you call and say, "My battery isn't charging" or "I can't print", they will tell you in common-sense language instead of assuming you speak tech lingo.

We own AppleCare on two of the three Macs in our house. It's always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

I have to disagree with the previous reviewer who said you have to fax in your receipt. I didn't have to do it and it's easy to register online. Here's what happens: You just go to www.apple.com/support/register. Then you put in the date you bought the computer, the serial number (easy to find by going under the Apple menu of your computer to About This Mac, then More Info) and then you input the registration code that comes on a piece of paper in the Protection Plan box. That's it. No faxing required.

The box also contains a disk with a diagnostic program that you can install on your computer. Or just remember where the disk is because if you have a problem, the Apple Support folks might ask you to run it. (The program can do some minor first-aid work, too.)

Apple Support is excellent; of course, it better be because you're paying good money for it. With my last Mac laptop, they solved every problem, even some email connection stuff that they could've pawned off on my internet provider. And when my computer started acting up, they had me send in the computer (paid for by them) and they replaced the motherboard and returned it, all in less than a week.

I think it would be of most use to people who aren't really computer savvy because they'll help you through things like setting up email accounts, connecting printers and connecting wirelessly. That said, the Tiger operating system is such a leap forward that most people won't need tech support -- the computer itself is just amazing at solving connection problems for you.

So here's my bottom line advice, which I wish I'd taken myself: You're covered for the first 90 days for software and hardware help so I'd wait till about then and see how much you need it and only then, if I'm having problems, would I purchase it. It's simply too expensive and there's too big a chance you won't need it for you to consider this an essential purchase.

Apple phone experts are the best. We don't have any other source for information and problem solving in our small town but I feel confident that they will be helpful and responsive. That's why I just bought my second laptop.

But for a laptop I thought I would and given that Amazon discounts it $50 from what Apple charges made it a little easier to swallow. It is clearly something you hope you don't need to use but it is a bit of peace of mind.

My laptop won't turn on after 10 months of usage. I brought it to the store and they shipped it for repairs. After this, I felt uneasy and bought AppleCare protection. I had to phone applecare and fax my Amazon receipt to get the plan bought from Amazon linked with my laptop.

Just after my 1 year warranty ran out, my hard drive died. Since I have AppleCare protection plan, I was covered, and I simply sent the laptop back to repairs. A couple of days later, I got a phone call that they would like to study my old laptop for reasons of failure and sent me a new, most recent model macbook. It comes with Leopard too! They also transfered the AppleCare protection plan to the new laptop for me.

So buying AppleCare was a very wise choice for me. I expect my laptop to last 3 years. After that, it is time for a new laptop anyway. I think I will buy AppleCare again when I buy a new laptop. It gives me peace of mind.

If you are accident prone, buying this might not be a good idea. If they see signs that the laptop has been dropped, spilled water on and so on, it is not covered by AppleCare. I don't think the accidents are covered by the initial 1 year warranty either. So if you are accident prone, and within a year or so, you are bound to have an accident, then buying AppleCare would not extend the lifetime to 3 years, and therefore is a pretty bad idea.

I suggest that you always get AppleCare for Apple laptops. I had it for my Apple iBook and used it several times without any issues. Apple fixed my problems ASAP. The longest I went without my laptop was 2-3 days, but repairs were usually done the same day in about an hour.

My 1-year warranty was expiring and so I ordered Applecare from Amazon instead of eBay or one of the many other on-line mac vendors. I joined Amazon prime and had it shipped overnight for $3.99. It arrived at the office and I registered my Macbook during my lunch at home in no more than 5 minutes. I had registered my Macbook when I purchased it new from Amazon, so the receipt was right there on-line.

I found no problem with the registration at all. The computer serial number can be found from the "about this mac, more info" screen and the serial number for Applecare comes with the product. There is no mumbo jumbo to worry about!

So simple, even a cave man can do it!

I plan to use Amazon Prime frequently!

This is the best computer in the world, without a doubt, I will never in my life buy a PC again. Very quick performance, excellent graphics, greatest operating system. It has no viruses or spyware, etc, I dont event run a Antivirus Software. I really recommend this computer. I also recommend for quickest performance to buy an extra gigabyte of Ram, so that it has a total of 2 Gigabytes. I also recommend the Apple Protection plan, it is normal, that every computer in 3 years or less may have a problem, so to be safe, I would recommend buying the protection plan which is a warranty on parts for 3 years.

Apple Care is THE warranty. Comparing to Best Buy or HP, Apple Care is the service that all computer users deserve. All repairs are done on site and much faster than from Best Buy or HP etc. I had my battery acting weird, I got it replaced for free after 14-months of having MacBook. I also had horrible buzzing sound when my CD Drive was spinning. Apple Care replaced the whole Drive. I love it. All other computer companies should take Apple as a great example. Definitely recommend getting it.

I have both iMac and MacBook.

Called twice. Prompt connection to knowledgable, English speaking person. Minimum phone menu selections or wait. Four weeks experience.

1. Don't expect they will EVER call you back or solve your issue. I've had an issue yet to be resolved since March of '07. Following up with them is also useless, as the engineer you're assigned to doesn't respond (I've gone through three cases and three engineers with the same issue...no luck).

Apple must be laughing at everyone who buys AppleCare!

Both of my children have MacBooks for school and have been told that AppleCare is void once there are any dents or other indications that the MacBook may have been dropped. My daughter brought her MacBook in for a drive problem and was told she would have to leave it there for several days so she decided to wait. Then, when she brought it back for the repair she was told it was not covered because it "looked like" the computer had been dropped. The service is fine for software problems, but the chance that a college student's laptop will be in pristine condition after a year is pretty low, so next time I'll save my money.

I love Mac and i don't think so that Mac care me.
Applecare help me protect my macbook for along time.

You pay a hefty amount of $349 for applecare.. but if you accidently spill something on it and your macbook doesn't work anymore..applecare won't do anything for you. You are a busy person and have to carry around your laptop everywhere you go. But if you drop your sleek and slippery macbook by mistake and the screen is damaged, applecare won't care !!! In short any human mistake is unpardonable. You won't be given a second chance.
I know that there are some other big stores whose extended warrenty covers these types of damages (spills / hardware damage) though.

Review Updated:

It seems that my old review was wrong. Apple care can in fact be purchased at any time within the one year period as I had stated BUT it starts from the point of HARDWARE purchase not from the purchase of the warranty as I had previously thought. From Apple's FAQ:

"Can I purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan anytime?

You can purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan anytime within the one-year limited warranty period. Your eligibility for coverage under the AppleCare Protection Plan starts from your hardware purchase date. Apple strongly recommends that you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan when you purchase your Apple product to maximize the additional benefits provided under the plan."

If you buy AppleCare from Amazon (or anyone other than Apple itself), you cannot register it fully online. The online form won't take the serial number, and tells you that you have to call Apple. When you do, they tell you that they will not process your registration until you fax them a copy of your receipt. They explicitly said to me "if you bought it from Apple, we would not require this".

I bought a 12 in PB G4 about 18 months ago. About two months ago I lost trackpad sensitivity. When I called AppleCare about it, they informed me that I should have bought the extended warranty since "even Mercedes can have problems with them..." So, you spend about $1,200 on a computer and then shell out another $200 to keep it running for two more years??? I have decided to take care of the issue by using a bluetooth mouse but I do notice that the computer gets hot and the trackpad stops working; I shut it down and let it cool off and things are fine again. Seems to be a common problem on the apple forums so I am clearly not the only one. The overheating is also affecting RAM (could not save a document one time and had to save it on to Google documents and re-start); and start-up (computer refused to start up several times one day) -- so it makes me think this is some sort of a heat issue -- faulty temperature sensor? faulty fan?? I do not know but I am not sure I will buy a second Mac to find out either.

Apple is constantly trying to drum into us the mantra that Apple is better out of the box than Microsoft and other products. I got an Apple MacBook as a gift. It cost about $ 1200. So the idea now is, just to keep it running, I need to go to my local Apple store and buy a "protection" package for $ 400 (which is about 30 % of the product !!). Can you imagine if we had to do that when we buy a car ? And Apple is trying to convince us that it is cutting edge, user-friendly, and much better than Microsoft. I don't buy it. Apple is good at design and marketing. The hardware and software is iffy at best. I left my Macbook today with about 60 % battery. I returned and it had 0 % battery left. Where did that power go ??? The battery issue continues to plague Apple. I will never, ever buy an Apple product. I continue to get them as gifts. I got the MacBook. I don't want to buy the bogus $ 400 "protection package".

It is time to say it: the Emperor has no clothes.

This product may worth the money, IF your system suddenly stop working. Lower prices may beneficial for the consumer. Current applecare price is not appropriate with the laptop's depreciation value.

AppleCare has been part of every new mac we have owned and has earned its price back manytimes over. Its the keystone to any probem we have had over many years, - always helpful techs and quick and short way to solve problems. Wouldn't be without it.

I had to use the regular warranty that came with the product more times than I wished I had, since it helped every time and the price for the replacement they changed were actually close to the Plan's itself. So I figured, given the circumstances, buying the extension is probably a good idea. In short, I'm judging by the support given under the regular warranty period, which I expect to be as good as the extension's. I'm not giving 5 stars because it's somewhat confusing when they say "protection plan 3 yrs". They are actually giving you just two more years (they shouldn't be counting the year given under the original purchase).

If you plan to use your portable as it is, to travel, to move it all around buy it, and since tech stuff update so fast is a good reason to give your portable an extra value in case you want to update it as fast or before the 3 year expires, that will keep some valueable $ on your account ;-)

It was great to now that I could get such comprehensive protection for my new Macbook. The great thing I was able to get it 50 bucks cheaper on Amazon. However, I do feel that calling it a 3 year protection plan is very misleading in that it counts the 1st year of ownership in the 3 years. Therefore, it is actually a two year extended warrenty, go figure?. I still don't get it, but its still worth it to get the coverage due to the fact that anything and everything does happen to these delicate electronics.

Reliable, I've used with my old Mac and it worked as expected from any Apple product.

This is a perfect addition, and I might ad, only addition you will need for a Mac. Pertect something you love. The cost is cheaper from Amazon also

If you purchase this at time of buying the laptop it is good for three years. and yes it does count the three years after time of purchase. The customer below may not understand correctly if you have software problems your 1 year warrenty will not be covered and you will pay for software work. so what you get with this package is 2y 9m phone 2 years extended to your 1 year as well as a 3 years software. I'll admit that 250$ spendy but it's seriously worth if my lap top dies in the next two years I'll save enough for not paying for parts and labor. =) good deal in my book

I purchased this warranty almost a year ago thinking I had purchased an actual 3 year extended warranty that would start at the point when Apple's one year warranty would expire. That's how it was described to me at more than one Apple retail store, so be sure you read the agreement and understand that: 1) you are actually paying for only 2 year service warranty added onto your standard one year manufacturer warranty. By including your standard one year warranty that every buyer receives into the AppleCare agreement, they can call it a "3 year" extended warranty!
2) AppleCare extends phone support for "up to 3 years" after the standard 90 day support ends. Again, what this actually means is the extended warranty you pay for amounts to 2 years, 9 month of additional phone support. Now that $300 price seems even more out of line, given the fact that the time you get an extended warranty for service (the expensive stuff) is much less than for phone support. Yes, its all in the agreement, but if you're being pressured at the store to buy it you might not understand the terms. It's a slick way of packaging a warranty to make it sound like you're getting more for your money than you really are. My low rating is for this issue, I don't like it when companies play these marketing games with consumers. Call the product what it really is-a 2 year extended warranty!

Mac's are wonderful computers. But, not everyone is flawless, and
it's possible you'll come across a situation you can't deal with.
I've been using Mac's since 1993 and I've had to get help from
tech help over the years. Less in recent years as I learn more and
more about the OS and the machine, but their help is always invaluable,
The quality of the tech help is great, very patient.