每当您购买新的Apple设备时，您都可以选择为称为“ AppleCare+ ”的服务支付额外费用。此优惠的要价并非微不足道，那么它真的值得吗？
让我们看看Apple通过AppleCare+到底在卖什么，以及你是否最好把钱花在其他地方。
AppleCare 与标准 AppleCare 保修有何不同？(How Is AppleCare Different From The Standard AppleCare Warranty?)
Apple设备通常提供标准的 1 年保修，简称为“ AppleCare ”。但什么是AppleCare？此保修涵盖制造缺陷，而不是任何类型的意外损坏。换句话说，如果Apple搞砸了并且您的设备出现问题，而不是由于您的滥用，那么他们将免费修复或更换设备。
某些特定组件的保修期超过一年，具体取决于您拥有的设备。例如，所有采用蝶式键盘开关设计的MacBook(MacBooks)的键盘保修期为自购买之日起四年。
同样，某些MacBook 型号(MacBook models)的抗反射屏幕涂层退化，也有资格在购买后长达四年的时间内更换显示器。
AppleCare+通常被描述为一种延长保修期。虽然它确实延长了标准保修期，但AppleCare+提供的不仅仅是更长的AppleCare期。
What Do You Get With AppleCare+?
如果您购买AppleCare+套餐，您的标准AppleCare服务将在 iPhone 和 iPad 上延长一年，在Mac上延长两年。
在延长的时间内，您将获得标准保修的全部内容。这意味着任何制造缺陷都将免费维修。但是，您还(also )可以获得两个意外事件报道，但这些并非完全免费。您将为某些维修支付固定金额，但仅此而已。例如，如果您损坏了 iPhone 屏幕，在撰写本文时，维修费用为 29.99 美元。
除了更长的标准保修期和大幅折扣的维修费用外，您还可以通过购买更昂贵的AppleCare+以及防盗(Theft)和丢失(Loss)套餐来为 iPhone 添加盗窃和丢失保障。这基本上是一个保险附加项，这意味着如果您需要为新手机索赔，您需要支付固定的免赔额。
除了所有这些硬件覆盖范围之外，AppleCare+客户还可以在整个计划期间获得优先技术支持。而您只能获得 90 天的Apple新产品免费保修期。
AppleCare 与保险(AppleCare vs Insurance)
由于AppleCare+提供意外损坏保险，这意味着您需要将其与其他保险选项进行比较。对于 iPhone 用户来说，这更加合适，因为您还可以支付标准AppleCare+中未包含的额外盗窃和丢失保险。
这里最大的区别是您为保护计划支付一次性费用。有了保险，您将每月支付保险费，您可以随时停止。因此，您必须将一次性费用与您的AppleCare+计划涵盖设备的年数内的总保险费用进行比较。一定要比较免赔额和涵盖的事故数量。
还值得记住的是，AppleCare+的价格还包括其他福利，例如延长保修期。因此，苹果对苹果的成本比较实际上是不可能的。
What Does AppleCare+ Cost?
这个问题没有固定的答案。Apple对其(Apple)AppleCare+覆盖范围收取不同的费用，具体取决于设备，有时甚至是特定型号。您通常可以预期价格在 200 美元左右，但您需要针对每个案例进行确认。
我必须立即购买吗？(Do I Have to Buy it Immediately?)
AppleCare+最大的问题之一是你已经在你的新Apple好东西上花了一大笔钱，而在无形的东西上花几百美元通常是一颗难以下咽的药丸。幸运的是，您从来没有必须立即购买它。
最初，iPhone 用户从最初购买到升级有 60 天的时间。Mac用户有一整年的时间来冒险，所以等到标准保修期即将用完后再购买AppleCare+是有意义的。2017 年， Apple也将同样的 1 年期限延长至 iPhone 用户。
资格因设备和国家/地区而异，因此请务必使用官方Apple 资格检查器(Apple Eligibility Checker)来确定您需要购买AppleCare+的时间。
Arguments FOR AppleCare+
那么，为AppleCare+有哪些强有力的理由呢？奇怪的是，标准AppleCare保修期的延长很可能是AppleCare+服务最有价值的方面。
为什么？好吧，保险将涵盖意外损坏、丢失或盗窃，但不涵盖超出保修范围的设备故障。苹果(Apple)将在保修期内免费修复的那种。这些可能非常昂贵。例如，如果您的 MacBook 的逻辑板出现故障并需要更换，则成本可能超过 1,000 美元！通常在这些情况下，人们只是选择购买一台全新的笔记本电脑，但如果您支付（相对）较小的AppleCare+费用，那么维修几乎不会花费您任何费用。
在 2-3 年的过程中，这种组件故障的可能性并非微不足道。尤其是MacBook(MacBooks)，它运行很热，并且多年来出现了很多问题。是的，如果一个问题很普遍，那么Apple通常会不管怎样都会覆盖它，但只有AppleCare+会覆盖你的坏运气，让柠檬下线。
另一个主要优点可能也让您感到惊讶，但它是包含的技术支持。与Apple直接联系是非常宝贵的，尤其是当您的设备对于工作而言必不可少时。
Arguments AGAINST AppleCare+
AppleCare+服务最薄弱的部分是意外维修范围。您需要与第三方保险公司进行一些认真的比较购物。
电话运营商通常还为按合同购买的 iPhone 提供内部保险。您的家庭保险可能会为您提供与AppleCare+的此组成部分类似的保险，因此请务必在触发Apple服务之前获得一些报价。
底线(The Bottom Line)
我们认为，仅基于延长保修期，AppleCare+是值得的。造成这种情况的主要原因是苹果(Apple)对其产品的售后维修行业控制得多么严密，以及保修期外维修的成本有多高。因此，获得 2-3 年的保修期非常值得要价。
在正常使用中，Apple设备很少会出现任何问题，但那里有足够多的恐怖故事，这种安心是值得的。
如果您乐于在 Apple 的硬件质量上掷骰子，但不要相信自己不会意外损坏或丢失设备，那么您更有可能从第三方保险公司获得更好的交易。尤其是您已经用于家庭保险的保险，这将为您带来更好的利率，而您不会补贴其他风险较高的客户的行为。
这也意味着如果手机在AppleCare+期结束前售出或升级，您无需为可能无法使用的多年保险预付费用。
最后，AppleCare+是一个有价值的产品，可以发挥重要作用，但您需要仔细考虑它的各种优势是否为您提供任何价值，在您的具体情况下。
S2M Explains : What Is AppleCare+ & Is It Worth It?
Whenever you buy a new Apple device, you will have the option to pay an additiоnal fee for something known as “AppleCare+” The asking price for this offer isn’t insignificant, so is it really worth it?
Let’s look at what exactly Apple is selling with AppleCare+ and whether you’d be better off spending your money elsewhere.
How Is AppleCare Different From The Standard AppleCare Warranty?
Apple devices generally come with a standard 1-year warranty which is simply referred to as “AppleCare”. But what is AppleCare?This warranty covers you against manufacturing defects and not against any sort of accidental damage. In other words, if Apple messed up and your device develops a problem, not due to your abuse, then they will fix or replace the device at no cost to you.
Some specific components are warrantied for longer than a year, depending on the device you have. For example, all MacBooks with the butterfly keyboard switch design have a keyboard warranty of four years from the date of purchase.
Similarly, certain MacBook models that suffer degradation of their anti-reflective screen coating are eligible for display replacements for up to four years from purchase as well.
AppleCare+ is often described as a sort of extended warranty. While it does extend the standard warranty, there’s quite a bit more to AppleCare+ than just a longer AppleCare period.
What Do You Get With AppleCare+?
If you buy the AppleCare+ package, you’ll get your standard AppleCare offer extended by one year for iPhones and iPads and another two years for a Mac.
During that extended time, you’ll get the full cover of the standard warranty. This means any manufacturing defect will be repaired for free. However, you also get two accidental event coverages, but these aren’t entirely free. You’ll pay a fixed amount for certain repairs, but nothing more than that. For example, if you break your iPhone screen the repair cost is $29.99 at the time of writing.
Apart from a longer standard warranty and heavily discounted repair bill, you can also add theft and loss coverage to iPhones by buying the more expensive AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss package. This is basically an insurance add-on that means you pay a fixed deductible amount if you need to claim for a new phone.
Apart from all this hardware coverage, AppleCare+ customers also get priority tech support for the full duration of the plan. Whereas you only get 90 days of complimentary coverage with a new Apple product.
AppleCare vs Insurance
Since AppleCare+ offers coverage for accidental damage, it means you need to compare it to other insurance options. For iPhone users, it’s even more appropriate since you can also pay for additional theft and loss coverage which is not included in standard AppleCare+.
The big difference here is that you pay a one-off fee for the protection plan. With insurance, you’ll pay a monthly coverage fee, which you can stop at any time. So you’ll have to compare the once-off cost against the total cost of insurance over the course of the number of years your AppleCare+ plan would cover the device. Be sure to also compare deductibles and the number of incidents covered.
It’s also worth remembering that the AppleCare+ price also includes other perks, such as warranty extension. So an apple-to-apples cost comparison isn’t really possible.
What Does AppleCare+ Cost?
There is no fixed answer to this question. Apple charges different amounts for its AppleCare+ coverage depending on the device and sometimes even the specific model. You can generally expect a price somewhere around the $200 mark, but you’ll need to confirm this for each individual case.
Do I Have to Buy it Immediately?
One of the biggest problems with AppleCare+ is that you are already spending a heap of money on your new Apple goodie and spending a few hundred bucks on something intangible is often a hard pill to swallow. Luckily, it has never been the case that you have to buy it right away.
Originally, iPhone users had 60 days from initial purchase to upgrade. Mac users had a full year to take the plunge, so it made sense to wait until the standard warranty is about to run out before buying AppleCare+. In 2017 Apple extended the same 1-year time period to iPhone users as well.
Eligibility varies by device and country, so be sure to use the official Apple Eligibility Checker to make sure how long you have to buy AppleCare+.
Arguments FOR AppleCare+
So what are some strong reasons to shell out for AppleCare+? Oddly enough, it turns out that the extension of the standard AppleCare warranty may very well be the most valuable aspect of the AppleCare+ offer after all.
Why? Well, insurance will cover accidental damage, loss, or theft, but it won’t cover device failures that are out of warranty. The sort that Apple will fix for free under warranty. These can be incredibly expensive. For example, if your MacBook’s logic board fails and needs to be replaced, it could cost more than $1,000! Often in these cases, people simply opt to buy a whole new laptop, but if you pay the (relatively) small AppleCare+ fee then that repair will cost you just about nothing.
The chances of that sort of component failure over the course of 2-3 years aren’t trivial. Especially with MacBooks, which run hot and have exhibited a whole host of issues over the years. Yes, if an issue is widespread then Apple will usually cover it regardless, but only AppleCare+ is going to cover your bad luck with getting a lemon off the assembly line.
The other major plus point may also surprise you, but it’s the included technical support. Having a direct line to Apple can be invaluable, especially if your device is essential for work purposes.
Arguments AGAINST AppleCare+
The weakest part of the AppleCare+ offering is the accidental repair coverage. You need to do some serious comparative shopping with third-party insurance companies.
Phone carriers often also offer in-house insurance for iPhones bought on contract. Your household insurance is likely to make you a better offer for similar coverage as this component of AppleCare+, so be sure to get some quotations before pulling the trigger on the Apple offering.
The Bottom Line
We think that, based on the extended warranty alone, AppleCare+ is worth it. The main reason for this is how tightly Apple controls the aftermarket repair industry of its products and how expensive out-of-warranty repairs can be. So getting 2-3 years of warranty coverage is well worth the asking price.
In normal use, Apple devices rarely give any trouble, but there are enough horror stories out there that this peace of mind is worth the price.
If you’re happy to roll the dice on Apple’s hardware quality, but don’t trust yourself not to accidentally damage or lose the unit, then it’s more likely you’ll get a better deal from a third-party insurer. Especially one you are already using for home insurance, which will net you better rates, where you aren’t subsidizing the behavior of other, riskier customers.
It also means you aren’t pre-paying for years of coverage you may not use if the phone gets sold or upgraded before the AppleCare+ period runs out.
In the end, AppleCare+ IS a valuable product with an important role to play, but you need to think carefully about whether its various advantages offer you any value, in your specific case.
