When I bought my first GPS a while back I also purchased an extended warranty with it. I usually don’t buy extended warranties, but my reasoning at the time time was that I did not have experience with a GPS, it would often be kept in a hot car in the summertime and a cold car in the winter, and I did not know what kind of lifespan to expect from it. Plus, decent GPS units were a lot more expensive just a few years ago. Well, I bought my GPS (and extended warranty) at Circuit City, and we know what happened to them!

Fact is, most extended warranties are a waste of money. They're tacked on by salesmen to make an extra profit. Many electronic devices become obsolete (or at least superseded by a superior model) so quickly that you will often want a new one before your current one wears out anyway. Also, most electronic products are engineered so that, if it lasts past the included warranty period, it will also last beyond the span of most extended warranties.

Why AppleCare ?

But, of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and one of the most notable is AppleCare. This is the coverage provided by Apple for Apple displays, iPods, iPhones and iPads, although I am mainly dealing the service as it applies to Macintoshes here.

Every Mac comes with a one-year warranty and 90 days of telephone support from the date of purchase. If problems crop up after that, you must pay on a per-incident bases. AppleCare, however, extends the service coverage to three years from your Mac's purchase date.

The cost of AppleCare varies according to the Mac model for which it is purchased. For the iMac, the cost is $169, while AppleCare for the MacBook, MacBook Air or 13" MacBook Pro, because of the greater wear and tear suffered by portable computers, will set you back $249. Coverage for the Mac Pro (the professional desktop model Mac) is also $249, while coverage for the MacBook Pro, Apple's professional level laptop, costs $349. Protection for the Mac Mini is $149. Apple displays are covered for $99.

What makes AppleCare a worthwhile investment? Keep in mind that a computer is more complex than most electronic devices. Although it won’t likely be subjected to extreme temperatures, it is used more than your average GPS. Many people have their Macs in use sixteen hours a day or more. In addition, a computer runs a large range of software that may or may not always get along with the operating system.

You can buy Applecare at any time during your Mac’s original warranty period. AppleCare will extend the warranty period to three years no matter when you purchase it, as long as you do so while the original warranty is still active.