Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Let's be clear: a warranty is a guarantee against failure due to faults in the device. A so-called "extended warranty" is an insurance policy that will pay out if YOU break the device.
Whether or not it makes sense to buy depends on the cost of the device and the ease of replacement. I bought Dell's "next business day on site servicing" because, as you say, my laptop is a device I can't afford to be without. I don't have an extended warranty on my iPad because, should it break, I can buy a replacement, restore the Cloud backup, and I'll be back up and running in a couple of hours.
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The three biggest things that I consider when thinking about the extended warranty is 1) do I think they will honor the warranty with minimal hassle, 2) how much does it cost to replace the device and 3) how likely am I to break the device.
I bought Apple care for my niece and nephew simply because the likelihood of careless teens breaking an iPhone is high. I didn't buy an extended warranty for my iMac because the likelihood of me breaking my iMac is very low. I don't buy the "insurance" from the mobile carrier because it's unlikely that they will actual honor it in a meaningful way.
I don't have Apple Care for either of my iPads because it's pretty unlikely I'll need it. I always use cases for my iPads (and iPhones) and when I carry my iPads around, most of the time, they are safely tucked away in a padded compartment in my backpack.
There are a lot of people in this world who can't afford to drop a grand down at a moments notice to replace an iPad that got dropped. If someone is in that category, then it makes a lot of sense to go ahead and buy Apple Care.