[X4U] mac mini (2009) and applecare

[Zane H. Healy]

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009, alexandre wrote:

> i bought the entry-level mac mini (2009) a few weeks ago and decided to 
> upgrade the ram (to 4gigs, up from 1) and the hard drive (to 500gigs, up from 
> 120) myself. all went well (apart from opening the case, it's all pretty 
> straight forward)
>
> my questions:
> does this void the possibility of getting applecare at a later date?
> is applecare worth it on a mini, since it costs roughly a third of the price 
> of the computer (chf 229.- /  chf 799.-)

When something like Applecare costs 1/3 the price you really have to
question its value.  If you buy enough such items, the odds are you'll save
money by not buying extended warrenties, and simply paying out the money
when something dies.  I also look at the kind of wear and tear the system
will suffer.  I wouldn't buy a Laptop without it (I wish I had on my
PowerBook 520c back in '95 as just after the warrenty expired the backlight
on the LCD died).

My Dual 2Ghz G5 was the first system I've actually bought it on.  Just
before the three years were up the video card went out.  That paid for the
cost of Applecare.  I've gotten another 2 1/2 years out of the system since
then.  The ethernet port died a year or so ago, but I had a GigE card that
works with Mac OS X 10.4, so I have been using that to it on the network
since (I suspect 10.5 won't work with it based on my utility HD).

My wife got an iPod touch a few months ago, and I didn't think Applecare was
worth it, but based on how it sucks down the battery, we'll probably put it
on while we still can.  Batteries that aren't user replaceable are evil!

On any other Mac besides the Mini I'd view Applecare as a no-brainer, as it
is an insurance policy that ensures your computer lasts 3 years, after which
time you run it till it dies, or you have to upgrade.  With the mini, I
personally would probably skip it.

Zane