AppleCare and leap years don't mix

There's dog years and Internet years, but this is the first time we've heard of a special definition of 'a year' when it comes to warranty coverage.

TUAW reader Tom Moore bought his AppleCare agreement on May 3rd, 2006, and recently called Apple to activate the coverage on an older iPod. Like all iPod AppleCare coverage, it's a two year agreement (3 year coverage applies to computers and servers), and the telephone rep told him it runs through May 2008 -- at least it runs through the 1st of May, instead of the 3rd. Why not cover until the 3rd? It's because AppleCare defines a year as exactly 365 days -- whether it's a regular year or a leap year. Seems kind of stingy on Apple's part, but that's the way the coverage crumbles.

Update: Tom has asked that we mention he found the experience with AppleCare and the 'lost day' to be amusing rather than upsetting. So noted for the record!

Thanks Tom!