Hi Wolfgang,
I bought my 800Mhz iMac 17" LCD a year ago, along with an 800Mhz iBook
for my wife. Normally I do not add any sort of extended warranty/care
option to >anything< I buy. However, I was totally new to the ppc
platform, so I anticipated I might need help with various aspects of the
system beyond the standard period--so I sprung for the (hefty)
additional expense. I have not had any hardware failures--Apple makes
good hardware, you can say that for them--but have used the call-in
support a number of times since the standard support period would have
expired. It was invaluable for issues that were new to me such as
printer config, sharing a wireless Net connection, file sharing between
our 2 machines, power management glitches, etc. OTOH, I ended up taking
the iMac to a local shop for what I concluded was a hardware problem,
based on the diagnosis I was getting from call-in support--cost too many
bucks! Turned out the problem could have been resolved by an available
tool I could have run myself if the prob had been diagnosed properly to
begin with. It's my impression with call-in tech support that, as long
as you're inquiring at the level of "How do I play a DVD?" "How do I
load images from my WhizBang digital camera?" etc. etc., then tech
support is great. Once you start getting in deeper at basic system level
issues--issues that Linux users find themselves dealing with
routinely--then tech support tends either to make a wrong diagnosis or
pass the problem to a "specialist" higher up & the problem becomes very
time consuming.
For myself, I quickly grew irritated with OSX & software like Appleworks
& Quicken Apple offers; and I went back to Linux, this time in the ppc
flavors. Now I stay out of OSX as much as I can (though I still have to
be "system administrator" for my wife on the iBook!). By the same token,
of course, the AppleCare tech team is not going to be able to help me
anymore with any but the most general of questions.
To summarize: I can't answer your question. I think it depends on how
much you plan to do in the MacOS's rather than Linux & the question of
just sheer luck whether you'll have a hardware problem (not related to
accident) or not. As said, it's good hardware.
HTH. Good luck --Harvey
Wolfgang Pfeiffer wrote:
Hi all,
Sorry if you feel the following is Off-Topic for this list:
I'm considering to buy "Apple Care Protection Plan" for a Titanium IV,
which extends global repair coverage up to 3 years.
But I'm in doubt: According to Apple, and if I understand correctly,
accidents with the machine are not covered by this "Protection Plan" ...
So I simply don't know whether it makes sense to buy this "Plan" at all.
Did someone out there buy this "Apple Care Protection Plan", and what
experiences did you have with Apple once something broke on the machine:
Did it help to have the " Protection Plan", or is it more or less a
waste of money to buy it?
Thanks in anticipation.
Best Regards,
Wolfgang
