[wordup] Laptop Insurance

[Adam Shand]

I haven't had any problems with my Apple laptops but I've been  
hearing more and more bad stories from friends.  I've avoided the  
Apple Care stuff to date but have been wondering if it's something I  
should dabble in.  Matt's mentioning of laptop insurance which covers  
more for less is timely.  I suppose I should also find out exactly  
what my home and contents covers ...

Adam.

From: http://seattlewireless.net/~mattw/2005/05/04#20050505

After messing with Backlights on zipits and finally getting in my  
sheet of red EL, my new iBook has just left the building in a DHL box  
due to a dead backlight. While I was adjusting my lid-angle (damn  
these nice days), my backlight just blinked out of existence. I  
called Apple, and after the standard hold-this-key-down *cough*  
troubleshooting, we agreed that a month old computer should probably  
not just up and break. This is my second new laptop from Apple that  
has required a return within the first 2 months. Both times I've had  
to call them, they've tried to upsell me with AppleCare. The benefits  
of the $250 AppleCare plan they say, is up to 3 years of Hardware and  
Software support.
According to the plan's Terms and Conditions,

> e. Limitations.The Plan does not cover:
>
> (ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse,  
> neglect, misuse (including faulty installation, repair, or  
> maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized  
> Service Provider), unauthorized modification, extreme environment  
> (including extreme temperature or humidity), extreme physical or  
> electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or surges of  
> electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God  
> or other external causes;

Sorry, I think I'll pass on the Extended Warranty here. It seems like  
a lousy bet that anything that breaks after the standard one-year is  
going to be a factory defect, and it looks like they can pretty much  
deny you for any reason (static?!?). Laptop Insurance on the other  
hand, looks pretty promising.

A quick quote at safeware.com (not an endorsement, just googling)  
shows a laptop plan that is not only cheaper than AppleCare, but  
provides comprehensive coverage, including:

  * Accidental Damage
  * Theft
  * Power surge and lightning regardless of source
  * Vandalism
  * Water damage
  * Natural disasters
  * Complete repair or replacement of computer system with no  
deduction for depreciation
  * Optional deductibles
  * Coverage at home, in the office or in transit
  * Replaces preinstalled software

I am not really interested in either, but as I've told this story to  
other Mac people out there, almost every one has asked me if I had  
AppleCare. I think Apple's upsell at the store (and on every phone  
call) must be driving all these people into believing that it's a  
good deal, but it certainly doesn't seem that way to me. It's only a  
good deal if Apple makes such lousy computers that they constantly  
break (through no fault of your own) several times over a span of  
years or you rely on phone support rather than the Internet.

If you are worried about your Laptop, get insurance. It's a much  
better bet that you're going to drop it, step on it, or it will be  
stolen. Insurance even covers Apple's lack of Quality Control. For less.