Apple’s growth in the enterprise for the past few years caught many IT experts off guard. Windows had been the dominant platform for decades while Apple products were usually only for people using design software. As the iPhone and iPad became popular, the Mac benefited from a halo effect. A common question I am asked by other IT professionals is if AppleCare is a worthy investment for bulk enterprise purchases.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been managing an enterprise IT network since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 100s of Macs, and 100s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
Opinions on AppleCare for personal use can be all across the board. Some people believe that it’s a great investment for products that cost a lot upfront, while others believe that statistically, it’s a waste of money. On the personal side, I can sum up my opinion on AppleCare with the belief if that you can afford to replace your MacBook Air, iPhone, or iPad if you break it, then avoid buying AppleCare. If you buy an iPhone every couple of years, constantly buying AppleCare will statistically be a bad investment by the time you could have purchased another iPhone with the amount you’ve spent.
Is AppleCare needed in the enterprise?
On the enterprise side, it can be a different discussion, though. When bulk purchases are involved, the amount spent on AppleCare begins to really become something to consider. IT professionals likely don’t see the phone support offered as part of AppleCare, so it really becomes simply about hardware repairs.
When looking at a bulk purchase of a hundred base model MacBook Airs (which are sold in packs of five), the total comes to nearly $98,000 depending on the discount Apple offers your organization. I am basing my numbers on the company’s education pricing. AppleCare for these computers would run over $20,000. Instead of buying AppleCare, an organization could actually purchase another 25 MacBook Airs to keep as spares in case of repairs that were not covered by the initial one-year warranty. Statically, most organizations will not see a 25% breakage rate after year one. Even if an organization didn’t want to buy extra laptops, they could easily have a repair budget to use in case machines were damaged.
In my opinion, the only caveat is here as the price of the Apple computer goes up; Apple doesn’t drastically raise the price of AppleCare. AppleCare doesn’t make sense on a sub-$1,000 MacBook Air. It does make sense on a $10,000 Mac Pro as AppleCare’s price costs less than the AppleCare price for a 16″ MacBook Pro.
Wrap up
For base model purchases, AppleCare doesn’t make sense for most organizations. Financially, it would be better to either purchase additional laptops to use as spares or have a repair budget with the amount that would have been spent on AppleCare. 9to5Mac has also partnered with a national repair company if you do end up needing out of warranty repairs for iOS and macOS device..
For higher-end purchases like Mac Pros, upgraded iMacs, or upgraded MacBook Pros it might make sense as you compare the purchase price to the AppleCare price. For a $5,000 purchase, an AppleCare upgrade for $200-250 makes a lot more sense than adding a $200 warranty on a $1,200 purchase. In most situations, AppleCare for the enterprise isn’t a great investment, though. Otherwise, just pay for repairs when they occur.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
