Buy the AppleCare

[cmwade77]

Yes, you can wait until your computer dies completely to get a new one, but how much is your time worth to you?

If you follow my sechedule, on average the new computer will be 2-3 times as fast as the old one and transferring your data from your old machine will take on average 30 minutes. If you wait until your old machine dies completely, you run the risk of data loss and if you are lucky enough to avoid that, it will take around 3 hours to transfer the data over.

Let's assume that your personal time is worth $50 an hour (base this off of how much you get paid at work and multiply by 2.5, to me this is the minimum that my personal time is worth)

So the data transfer alone is $125. Now let's say you spend 40 hours a week on the computer and the new system cutis that down to 30 hours (it's not always half, because you might end up spend time doing more than you do before). That's 520 hours a year saved, you can do the math from there and multiply over the course of 2-3 years. This doesn't even factor in the energy savings that a new machine brings.

 

[DawnM]

Dh might have been able to figure those things out, but I couldn't, or don't' think I could.

The problem is, even if I could have figured out how to fix it, I don't think I could have diagnosed it.

The things it was doing were not an indication of the hard drive going out (TO ME!)

Dawn

I think it depends on how technical you are. Technically you could have replaced those parts on your own.

In the end if you don't like to get your fingers dirty then yes buy the extended warranty. Personally I'll figure things out as I go but I also am not afraid to open my system up and fix something or part it out if need be.

 

[DawnM]

We have had PCs for 15 years and Apples for 2. I will stick with Apple. I love them.

I do think what happened to me is not the norm. We have friends with 8 year old Macs who have never had an ounce of trouble with them.

Dawn

Yeah...but the reason you're glad you bought the AppleCare is because two major things have already died. If Apple over PC is worth that much to you, then far be it from me to dissuade you...but there are many, many brands of PCs, and some are much more reliable than others.

 

[furb & dez]

No, they are speaking from the IT professional perspective and not really looking at the less intensive needs of the general public. My husband is in IT and is guilty of this, too. For people who work in computers, or people who really need the full processing power of their machines (heavy gamers, graphic artists, etc.), the schedule cmwade77 recommends is absolutely correct. The average user, however, does NOT need that much power and can go much longer between upgrades. If your main computer use is the internet, word processing, and maybe basic photo uploading, you can wait until your computer completely dies on you before getting another.

This, a thousand times this. The average user uses their computer to perform tasks that are absolutely trivial for a modern computer. This is my main gripe about places like Best Buy, Office Max, Staples, etc., that sell computers. They massively upsell people and get them to buy computers which far outstrip their actual needs (picture a 90-year old grandmother being strong-armed into buying a Maserati that she only uses to go to the grocery store and church...).

If you're a "normal" computer user, as long as you regularly back up your files (photos/music, whatever) onto removable media, you are basically safe to run your computer into the ground.

Also, even if you are a "power user," you don't necessarily have to buy a new computer like clockwork. Small, relatively inexpensive hardware or software upgrades can extend the life of a workhorse computer. I can safely put myself in the power user category, and I've had my computer for 7 years now. Over the years I've upgraded memory, my OS (to take advantage of 64-bit processing), and I've swapped in new video cards for increased performance. Though my current computer is fine for what I currently use it for, I am planning to upgrade to a new computer this year to take advantage of specific hardware and software changes that are now available and will add value to my workflow.