Apple Archive

Sometimes an Extended Warranty Can Be a Real Lifesaver

- 2006.06.02

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94 -- Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

OWC: NewerTech miniStack FireWire/USB 2.0 HD & Hub Up to 1.0TB of Performance Storage + FW/USB2 Powered Hubs - convenient & sleek 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" Featured: 500GB $169.99; 750GB $209.99; 1.0TB $339.99

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

MacPro Memory 667Mhz With Apple Spec Heat Sink 2GB $ 82 / 4GB $128 / 8GB $256 - Click to Maximize your Macs...

Sometimes hardware just has "issues". Take the slightly Sony video camera that I was using this week to film a project. It was one of the models with onscreen buttons (a touchscreen).

While that seemed like a great idea, it actually served to make things a lot more difficult to control. Just to fade in or out of a scene involved going through at least three, if not four, different levels of onscreen menus.

It took so long for me to complete the project not because of the complexity of using the video camera, but because the "great idea" of having a touchscreen was ultimately a failure. Two out of three times the "buttons" just didn't work, and you never knew which was the time it wouldn't let you stop recording, stop playback, rewind, or select a fadeout.

So what to do with a year-and-a-half-old Sony video camera that's not working properly?

Generally, the warranty would be done, and we would be forced to pay for a repair. Depending on whether I took it to a dealer or back to the store, we could be looking at paying the same price to have this older one repaired as buying a new video camera - especially since similar models can now be had for under $400.

Thankfully, though, the owners of this camera had decided to purchase the extended 4-year "performance service plan" from Best Buy.

I've found that these extended warranties can be expensive for certain things, and the items that you cover under them tend to rarely break down. In this case, though, it obviously made sense, as it saved us the repair costs.

I took the video camera into Best Buy, and they didn't even check the information (address, phone, etc.), simply asking me if the information on the warranty plan was still correct. It was, and they took the camera in without even scrutinizing it. For all they knew, it could have been dropped or exposed to moisture, but reading up on the plan, it even covers accidental damage. Pretty impressive.

Perhaps it's worth the extra money. Or perhaps not. I guess we'll see exactly whether the camera is repaired/replaced in the 14 days that was quoted to me.

But what about buying a plan for a computer? Macs come with a one-year warranty, which provides what most people need - something to cover their machine for the first year in case any faults are glaringly obvious in their new purchase. Quirks are expected to develop later on during ownership.

AppleCare can be purchased for an additional amount of money (depending on the computer model). It covers the machine for an additional two years (three years of total coverage) and gives you telephone support for those additional years.

When is it worth purchasing the extended warranty?

While your circumstances may vary, I've found that a desktop Mac sitting at home is significantly less likely to fail than a notebook computer that you bring with you everywhere you go. For instance, if you purchase a MacBook Pro, it might be advisable to look into a longer warranty if you plan on traveling with the machine.

Some stores, such as CompUSA, offer their own repair/replacement guarantees, and I've heard stories of people bringing their older PowerBooks in and actually having them replaced by newer machines under the extended warranty.

In hindsight, buying the warranty for this video camera was an excellent idea. Sure, it might not have failed and the money would have been wasted. But since it did fail, the peace of mind that it would not cost anything additional for the repair was worth the cost of the warranty. Plus, it's still covered for another two-and-a-half years after we get it back from being serviced.

My general rule: Expensive portable devices that are complicated (including notebook computers, video iPods, and digital cameras) are generally worth getting a warranty. Things that sit at home, such as a TV set, are worth thinking twice about spending the extra money.

Ask yourself, did your last one fail? If not, this one probably won't either. LEM

Recent Apple Archive articles

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Apple Archive articles copyright ©2000-07 by Adam Robert Guha. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.