Hi Wolfgang,I bought my 800Mhz iMac 17" LCD a year ago, along with an 800Mhz iBook for my wife. Normally I do not add any sort of extended warranty/care option to >anything< I buy. However, I was totally new to the ppc platform, so I anticipated I might need help with various aspects of the system beyond the standard period--so I sprung for the (hefty) additional expense. I have not had any hardware failures--Apple makes good hardware, you can say that for them--but have used the call-in support a number of times since the standard support period would have expired. It was invaluable for issues that were new to me such as printer config, sharing a wireless Net connection, file sharing between our 2 machines, power management glitches, etc. OTOH, I ended up taking the iMac to a local shop for what I concluded was a hardware problem, based on the diagnosis I was getting from call-in support--cost too many bucks! Turned out the problem could have been resolved by an available tool I could have run myself if the prob had been diagnosed properly to begin with. It's my impression with call-in tech support that, as long as you're inquiring at the level of "How do I play a DVD?" "How do I load images from my WhizBang digital camera?" etc. etc., then tech support is great. Once you start getting in deeper at basic system level issues--issues that Linux users find themselves dealing with routinely--then tech support tends either to make a wrong diagnosis or pass the problem to a "specialist" higher up & the problem becomes very time consuming.
For myself, I quickly grew irritated with OSX & software like Appleworks & Quicken Apple offers; and I went back to Linux, this time in the ppc flavors. Now I stay out of OSX as much as I can (though I still have to be "system administrator" for my wife on the iBook!). By the same token, of course, the AppleCare tech team is not going to be able to help me anymore with any but the most general of questions.
To summarize: I can't answer your question. I think it depends on how much you plan to do in the MacOS's rather than Linux & the question of just sheer luck whether you'll have a hardware problem (not related to accident) or not. As said, it's good hardware.
HTH. Good luck --Harvey Wolfgang Pfeiffer wrote:
Hi all, Sorry if you feel the following is Off-Topic for this list: I'm considering to buy "Apple Care Protection Plan" for a Titanium IV, which extends global repair coverage up to 3 years. But I'm in doubt: According to Apple, and if I understand correctly, accidents with the machine are not covered by this "Protection Plan" ... So I simply don't know whether it makes sense to buy this "Plan" at all. Did someone out there buy this "Apple Care Protection Plan", and what experiences did you have with Apple once something broke on the machine: Did it help to have the " Protection Plan", or is it more or less a waste of money to buy it? Thanks in anticipation. Best Regards, Wolfgang