“The replacement screens we stock [at iFixit] suggests that the screens can genuinely be expensive.
More so for newer products.
Apple
Let’s take a look at some of Apple’s repair prices.
Ouch.Shubham Bombarde / Unsplash
Let’s have one more.
An iPad Pro screen repair can cost up to $999.
With an AppleCare+ plan?
Oof!.Fili Santillán / Unsplash
Not always, at least.
And that iPad Air coverage actually costs less than buying an Apple case for the iPad Pro!
So the value proposition is pretty obvious.
Ugh!.Ashkan Forouzani / Unsplash
For most gear, even if you never break it, you won’t be seriously out of pocket.
It’s priced to move.
Not to begin with anyway.
“Apple Care is worthwhile on a case-by-case basis.
For the average Apple fan, thats a phone, tablet, laptop, and watch.
That insurance adds up,” says Mokhtari.
That’s perhaps a little extreme, but it shows that AppleCare+ is selling.
The Cost of Care
But there’s another side to this.
Is Apple inflating its repair prices party to make AppleCare+ look like a must-buy?
Its a give and take,” iFixit’s Repairability EngineerCarsten Frauenheimtold Lifewire via Slack direct message.
Ashkan Forouzani / Unsplash
Frauenheim is dead right.
Apple makes a fortune from its AppleCare extended warranty program.
And they are only getting cheaper.
As Apple makes its devices more repairable, it also makes them easier and cheaper to repair for itself.
The screens on other iPad models are notoriously hard to remove for self-repairs like battery swaps.
In the end, it seems like AppleCare+ is overall a good thing.
And Apple makes it easy to get those repairs.
You don’t have to fill out endless forms.
You just drop into an Apple Store.
It’s kind of a win-win, which is rare in tech.
