Got this little notice saying the AppleCare on my phone was expiring and that I could renew it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, that\u2019s neat,\u201d I thought.<\/p>\n
Then I checked out the plans. I can cover my phone for another $99 a year, billed yearly. There\u2019s a monthly option as well.<\/p>\n
Or I can cover 3 devices for $239 a year, billed yearly or $19 bucks a month.<\/p>\n
These AppleCare plans are automatically renewing until cancelled.<\/p>\n
But what if you have more than 3 devices? You can add them for an additional fee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thing is, I don\u2019t believe I\u2019ve used AppleCare more than 2 or 3 times for an actual repair in decades. Mostly I keep AppleCare on one or more devices which covers my one call every two years (on average) to apple technical support.<\/p>\n
AppleCare has always been expensive. But this seems really pricy. The AppleCare includes theft and loss coverage too, so it\u2019s even more like insurance. But my homeowners policy also includes theft and loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure that this is a value, at least not for me. I tend to keep pretty tight reign on my stuff. I suppose if I was always in a high crime urban area where the likelihood of getting mugged was higher, it might be useful.<\/p>\n
With the newer generation of Apple Watches and their gesture controls, there\u2019s really no reason to have your phone out (exposed) while you\u2019re walking in a public space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Apparently you can answer a phone call with a gesture. If you\u2019re wearing newer AirPods you can set it up to answer or reject a phone call with a nod or shake of your head. Again your high ticket phone stays in your pocket.<\/p>\n
The newer watches have phone capabilities directly built into them. So, for me the price seems a bit high since I\u2019m not one of those people that walks around with my face glued to a screen. I tend to be looking around and keeping an eye on anyone approaching me. Even when wearing AirPods in a potentially crowded environment I turn off noise cancelling. I want to be able to potentially hear someone coming up behind me.<\/p>\n
Even on my dog walks, I\u2019ll wear AirPods if I\u2019m not going through wooded areas. In wooded areas, typically I put the AirPods away, I don\u2019t need music or podcasts playing that might distract me from the sound of a predators approach.<\/p>\n
I suppose these days, most people call that paranoia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I call it proactively defending myself.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll have to chat with my insurance agent to see exactly what the homeowners policy covers. I\u2019m not sure the ROI on the AppleCare plans is high enough to justify the cost in my particular situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Got this little notice saying the AppleCare on my phone was expiring and that I could renew it.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, that\u2019s neat,\u201d I thought. Then I checked out the plans. I can cover my phone for another $99 a year, billed yearly. There\u2019s a monthly option as well. Or I can cover 3 devices for $239 … <\/p>\n