Is AppleCare worth the price? Is AppleCare good value? These are questions I get asked a lot this time of year… I’ve never bought AppleCare on a device, and I’ve never regretted it.
Over the years, I’ve owned many Apple devices. It started with the 2004 PowerBook G4, then 2008 MacBook, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone X, multiple other Mac laptops, and numerous iPads. Personally, I’m not one to carry a lot of extra insurance. I have health insurance, car insurance, and term life insurance. I view insurance as something I need when a catastrophe happens.
Here’s why I don’t buy AppleCare: Statistically, you won’t need it. Apple only sells AppleCare because people will buy it, and it’s virtually free money for them… AppleCare is insurance. You’re betting you’ll need it, and Apple is betting you won’t.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ve had every Day One flagship iPhone since iPhone arrived in 2007. We’ve never had AppleCare for any of them. We had to replace one iPhone 7 Plus for a display issue that wasn’t covered. The money spent on that device pales in comparison to what we saved by not buying AppleCard insurance.
For our portable Macs, which we keep for considerably longer (years), we do purchase AppleCare.
Only you can decide if AppleCare is worth the price for you. It depends on how you expect to treat your devices, your past history of accidents, etc. Before you buy AppleCare, though, it pays, as always, to do the math.