I just bought an Apple TV 4K for our living room. I usually get AppleCare for MacBooks and iPhones.
Is it worth buying it for the Apple TV?
Extended warranties are always a matter of personal preference.
I think they’re a good idea for laptops because you’ve got moving parts (especially the hinge), and they are transported a lot and are therefore subject to dropping and other stresses. But even then, only if the expectation is that they will travel a lot. If they are going to be spending most of their time sitting in one place, then maybe not.
For devices that don’t move once set up, like desktop systems and an Apple TV, I don’t think it’s worth it. I personally think that if these kinds of devices don’t fail within the warranty period, they’re almost always going to last longer than AppleCare. (FWIW, I did not get AppleCare for my Apple TV 4K.)
But that’s just my opinion. I know many people who disagree with me about this.
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I own one Apple TV 4K and four Apple TV HD boxes in two houses; the oldest is now 5 years old, and none of them have ever needed service. I don’t get the AppleCare for the ATV myself.
I think not. There’s no moving parts, very little chance of anything overheating or wearing out, as Apple doesn’t put new / hot chips in there.
It doesn’t get moved around a lot, and the connections don’t get a lot of plugging/unplugging.
In all of my experience with AppleTVs, going back to gen 1, suggests to me that you’re much more likely to want to replace it before you need to replace it.
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No. There’s nothing to really break on the Apple TV, except the remote, and those are relatively cheap. I only buy AppleCare for iPhones and MacBooks because those are the devices I’m most likely to break. I also have it on my Apple Watch Series 4, but I’m not sure if it’s been worth it.
Perhaps not a consideration for any member of this group, but AppleCare also provides you with priority access to Apple Support. I have many less than tech savvy friends who buy it for that reason alone.
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Has anyone noticed any difference in talking to Apple Support based on AppleCare? I’ve never been asked about it when I’ve called in.
TBH I haven’t noticed a difference either. I have generally found that Apple Support will do what they can to help regardless of warranty status.
I think based on the comments that people have posted, it’s safe for me to skip the AppleCare on the Apple TV. Given that there are no moving parts, and the likelihood that defective hardware would probably fail within the warranty period, I’ll take my chances.