AppleCare for iPhone now available

We're aware that not everybody feels the need to jump on the AppleCare bandwagon, but if you worry that the one year warranty isn't going to cut it for you, for $69 bucks, you can have two -- unless you live in Alabama, Connecticut, Nevada, and Wyoming, of course. We knew most of the details on this guy at launch time, but were pleasantly surprised to see that this'll cover your Apple Bluetooth headset as well as the handset. So if you've been itching to get at this added bit of security, take a deep breath, then hit the read link to wander over to the Apple Store.

[Via TUAW]

[Mark @ Jul 25th 2007 10:47AM]

Why is CT excluded?

[MrFuNKy @ Jul 25th 2007 10:53AM]

yes...Y?

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 25th 2007 10:56AM]

How do they fit so much care in such a small box?

[Mr Smarty Pants @ Jul 25th 2007 11:11AM]

"Some states, provinces and jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or exclusions or limitations on the duration of implied warranties or conditions, so these limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. The express limited warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary by state, province or jurisdiction. FOR CONSUMERS WHO ARE COVERED BY CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS OR REGULATIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE, THE BENEFITS CONFERRED BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE IN ADDITION TO ALL RIGHTS AND REMEDIES CONVEYED BY SUCH CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS AND REGULATIONS."

http://www.apple.com/legal/terms/repair/naonlinerepair.html

[o rly @ Jul 25th 2007 11:48AM]

If I paid that much, I'd like to have a product where I don't have to worry about needing an extended warranty.

[ssuk @ Jul 25th 2007 12:20PM]

I think this is more towards accidental cover more than if the thing breaks down.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Jul 25th 2007 12:32PM]

@ ssuk: AppleCare does not cover accidental damage. At least for the iPhone it doesn't. I checked the fine print.

[pyro @ Jul 25th 2007 12:11PM]

It amazes me that people will buy an iphone and ipod knowing that the battery will crap out on them right after the warranty is up and buy the extended one without any thought.

[Jamie @ Jul 25th 2007 12:26PM]

@ o rly: That's your choice of course, but does that mean you wouldn't buy an extended warranty for a $3000 plasma TV, which also has a possibility of breaking even though it never leaves your living room?

@ pyro: I don't understand what your point is. If I were concerned that my battery would crap out right after the warranty ends, I'd definitely pay a bit more to extend the warranty, which in this case costs less than Apple's $80 battery replacement and covers more, and longer.

IMHO, the concept of the extended warranty is only useful when the potential replacement value of the object is of significant cost to the buyer -- and that is a subjective decision. If I had money out the wazoo, I wouldn't worry about replacing a broken phone for a measly $600. But I don't, so I'd be the exact demographic to make sure that I get at LEAST an extra year of coverage for unforeseen hardware issues. On the other hand, I'd reject the offer of extended coverage for a $25 memory card....for that much, I don't care if it breaks.

[pyro @ Jul 25th 2007 3:54PM]

My point is people are buying a product that they know will die in a year and are fine with it. You seem to be one of those people.

[Jamie @ Jul 25th 2007 5:22PM]

@pyro: No one "knows" this product will die in a year, two years, or five years. You BELIEVE that this product has a fatal flaw, but neither you nor anyone else has hard factual evidence to that point, as the iPhone is less than 1 month old as far as consumers are concerned. You can compare the iPhone as a product to the iPod and reference the iPod's historical hardware issues, but the iPhone is a new product. You're effectively condemning the child for the sins of the father.

My decision to buy or not hasn't yet been made, as I simply don't have the cash. If I do buy one, I would definitely get the extended warranty to protect my $600 investment.

And finally, everything breaks over time. There's this thing called entropy.

[leo2178 @ Jul 25th 2007 1:05PM]

If you have a problem with the phone after the first year and it's not the battery, 9 times out of 10 it will be because of usage or accidental damage. Neither of those is covered under Apple Care. Thats why pretty much all consumer groups tell everyone not to buy these extended warranties. They are like 90% profit for the company(selling air), but hey some people seem to like to just hand Apple money lately.

On the other hand if you are in one of the states that makes Apple cover accidental damage than it is worth it big time.

[michael @ Jul 25th 2007 1:29PM]

Ugh. I hope it's better than the one for Macs. I had a problem with the built-in webcam, and some programs crashing, and they did good on the first time. The 2nd time, same thing happens again, and they said my coverage didn't work on that thing. Although they did give me a 5% discount for a new Mac.

It took me days, but I finally found a Mac fixer who did it right. I wonder if AppleCare for the iPhone will be as bad.

[Constable Odo @ Jul 25th 2007 1:52PM]

I keep hearing this, "I paid so much for a product and it didn't live up to expectations or why should I get an extended warranty or whatever." Why is it always equated that the more money you pay the less trouble you're going to have or it's going to be troublefree so much longer than something less expensive.

The top iPhone is only a measly $600. My HD Sony cost 3 times that much and I still took out an extended warranty. It's just playing it safe. It's not a top tier Porsche, Ferrari or Mercedes. You don't think they should need extended warranties either? Because you pay over $100,000 for a vehicle, nothing should go wrong with it. Maybe in an ideal world, but this isn't an ideal world. Things break even if it's caused by a one-dollar part.

I'm sure by the time the iPhone battery fails, some third party company will do it for less. I'd be more aggravated about not having my phone for a couple of days than the $80 bucks to replace the battery. If they could replace the battery in an hour, I'd pay $90, no questions asked.

All the major appliances in my house at one time or another had extended warranties on them. My fridge lasted 17 years and I paid more money in warranties than I paid for the fridge. I think I had to call in for repair twice for some minor sensor replacements. I eventually dropped coverage a few years ago. It's still working.

[carlos @ Jul 25th 2007 2:30PM]

I have AppleCare on a MacBookPro and Apple covered accidental damage. They have covered accidental damage on an iPod when I dropped a weight on it at the gym and cracked the case. I've had great service with AppleCare so I always buy it.

[David @ Jul 25th 2007 2:40PM]

Applecare for my iPod Mini was great. I had battery issues twice and they just sent me another iPod back, free of the scratches I had put on my other one. I have yet to need it for my iMac but it's nice not having to worry about something going wrong for the next three years.

[roybotnik @ Jul 25th 2007 2:49PM]

I paid slightly more than that for a 2 year extended warranty on my $2000 TV, and I've been pleased with the service. $69 warranty for a phone seems stupid.

[Sack Scratcherton @ Jul 25th 2007 3:36PM]

A good rule of thumb on warranties is don't pay more than 20% of the price of the product to cover the period of service you have to plan for it. I bought the 4gb iPhone that I will likely replace after two years. The warranty to cover me for two years comes in at 13.8% of the product price. No-brainer -- I'm buying AppleCare.

[o rly @ Jul 25th 2007 4:13PM]

No-brainer, indeed.

[Jesse S @ Jul 25th 2007 3:39PM]

How is BASIC PHONE INSURANCE (which is offered for any other phone on other carriers) news?

Seriously. How? I don't understand.

[eduboys @ Jul 25th 2007 6:01PM]

Can't you just pay with your AmEx and get the 2 year warranty for free?