What you need to know
- AppleCare+ is now available as a yearly subscription for Mac owners.
- Bloomberg's Mark Gurman mentioned the change in his Power On newsletter.
AppleCare+ for the Mac recently got a small but noticeable update.
As reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, Apple has added an option for how customers can purchase AppleCare+ for their Mac. Previously, Mac owners had to purchase three years of service. Now, customers can pay on an annual basis for the protection plan.
"Apple has quietly started allowing Mac buyers to pay for AppleCare+ on an annual basis instead of for a full three years at the time of purchase. Apple started allowing Mac users to do this from their new machine itself about a month ago, but now they can do it from an Apple retail store, the online store and app, and by phone."
Gurman does note, however, that choosing this option will make the plan more expensive in the long term by a little more than ten percent.
"So, for example, AppleCare+ for the MacBook Pro can now be bought for $140 a year instead of $380 all at once. The downside: In that real example, Apple is charging you $40 more for not paying it all at once. That means more services revenue for Cupertino."
AppleCare+ for the Mac includes protection against two incidents of accidental damage, battery service coverage, and 24/7 access to specialized Apple Support.
Every Mac comes with one year of hardware repair coverage through its limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary technical support. AppleCare+ for Mac extends your coverage from your AppleCare+ purchase date and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other damage, plus applicable tax. In addition, you'll get 24/7 priority access to Apple experts by chat or phone.
You can learn more about the new option for the Mac on the AppleCare+ website.
