AppleCare Protection Plan MA515LL/A for MacBook Pro (w/ or w/o display)

AppleCare Protection Plan MA515LL/A for MacBook Pro (w/ or w/o display)
From Apple Computer

List Price:	$349.00
Price:	$299.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

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Average customer review:

Every Mac comes with 90 days of telephone support and one year of service coverage at an Apple-authorized repair center. The AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro (MA515LL/A) extends the complimentary coverage on your MacBook Pro to three years of world-class support. The plan includes expert telephone assistance, global repair coverage, web-based resources, and TechTool Deluxe from Micromat--all for one economical price.

This comprehensive AppleCare Protection Plan covers your MacBook Pro, as well as an AirPort Extreme Card, an AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme Base Station, and Apple RAM purchased for your MacBook Pro. You can also register one Apple display for coverage, provided the Mac and display are purchased together.

Extend your coverage to three years of service and expert telephone technical support.

You've got a new MacBook Pro. Let's face it, it wasn't cheap. The standard 90 day telephone support / one year warranty seems pretty long. Buying a protection plan seems like unnecessary expense. These things work incredibly well and are incredibly reliable.

So what do you need Applecare for?

Well first of all your MacBook Pro is going to last a lot longer than one year. I have had my 17" MBP for over two years and it runs like it is just out of the box (try saying that about any Windows notebook). But it is a computer. It has moving parts. It is in other words a mechanical device. Any mechanical device can fail.

Now someone posted a review that said Applecare isn't insurance. That reviewer is right. But it is a very generous warranty. I have sent my MBP in three times (twice to my local Apple Store which can do repairs locally many times) and once to the service center. Only one problem was critical-a dead display. The others were for issues I had taken to the Genius Bar only to learn that I needed replacement parts. One was a HD issue (even though the HD was working) and the other was a keyboard problem. Total cost? Zero dollars.

My stepson has the same model MBP as I do, and got his at the same time. He did not buy Applecare and so far has been very lucky. But he did have a dead display which was initially slated to go to the Service Center for repair at a cost around the same as Applecare. Fortunately the store opened the case before shipping it out and found a loose connection. The cost for cracking the case and pushing a wire into a slot? $80 (still a lot cheaper than a trip to the Service Center).

So bite the bullet and get Applecare. It may not be insurance but it certainly is peace of mind.