Reviews

Review
Moshi Avanti On-Ear Headphones
Review
Brother MFC-J985DW XL All-In-One Printer
Review
Origin Chronos gaming PC (2016)
Review
Turcom AcoustoShock Bluetooth Outdoor Speaker
Review
Tenda AC9 AC1200 Smart Dual-Band Router

© 2016 MNM Media LLC.. Privacy Policy is applicable to you. All rights reserved.

Changes coming to US AppleCare policies this fall, Apple says

  • updated 08:30 pm EDT, Fri May 10, 2013
  •         by MacNN Staff

More repairs for damaged iPhones, phone support extended, more

According to leaked reports from an Apple "town hall" meeting, some significant changes are coming to AppleCare and AppleCare+ policies starting this fall -- however, unlike most news of this nature, the changes should benefit consumers while still cutting some costs. Among the bigger changes will be a new policy to repair, rather than replace, damaged iPhones when possible; an extension of telephone support; more remote hardware fault diagnosis, and a change to tie an AppleCare policy to a customer rather than a specific device.

The town hall session was led by Apple Vice President Tara Bunch, an executive in charge of AppleCare, reports AppleInsider. Also discussed was a possible change in branding under a new "One Apple" moniker, however it was not clear from reports whether this is an internal codename or a possible rebranding. The company is also planning a move to a subscription service that covers all the Apple devices a customer owns and is attached to that customer rather than to the device.

It is said that Apple is still deciding on the full feature set and pricing of such a plan, but such a move would likely save money for those owning multiple Apple devices compared to the current policy. The company currently allows a purchased AppleCare policy to cover more than one device only if all the covered items are purchased, along with the AppleCare policy, on the same invoice.

The other big change in policy is that over time and becoming fully effective this fall, Apple tech will repair -- rather than just automatically replace -- damaged iPhones. Employees are being trained to replace batteries, home buttons, vibrator motors, cameras, sleep/wake buttons, logic boards and speakers -- and thus return the original item back to the customer rather than give them a refurbished replacement (depending on the level of damage). The move actually brings Apple's US policies in line with the standard practice in China, and is also likely to be seen as more environmentally friendly.

Alongside the repair program, more advanced diagnostic tools are being prepared that can assist employees with remote hardware access diagnosis, which should significantly reduce having to send damaged units "out" for repair, resulting in faster turnaround times. AppleCare telephone support is said to be expanded to include the entire first year, unlike the current policy where it runs out after 90 days unless a full AppleCare policy is added before the 90th day after the original equipment purchase.

The changes do not affect most of Apple's front-facing after-sale support features, such as visits to the Genius Bar or in-store training, however the change in the telephone support policy (along with other initiatives like offering support via iMessage and a revamped Support Pages website that would feature more video tutorials and interactive features) will result in the company hiring more telephone support advisers. Apple has already doubled the size of its phone support teams in the past year, and now employs over 4,200 phone support providers.

The changes in the program are mostly expected to be rolled out in stages over the summer rather than implemented all at once, though some adjustments will be more widely publicized. Overall, the revamp is expected to save the company around $1 billion per year. The current plan is for the AppleCare overhaul to be finished sometime in the fall of this year.

TAGS
5 Comments
  1. Avatar
    efithian Junior Member Joined: Apr 21, 2004
    May 11, 2013 at 08:39 am

    I recently had a problem with a Time Capsule that was replaced due to my having Applecare on a MacPro, which was not purchased at the same time as the MacPro. This also happened with an Airport Extreme. Evidently, all accessories that are not Applecare eligible are covered in this manner. Good policy.

  2. Avatar
    Jeronimo2000 Dedicated MacNNer Joined: Aug 20, 2001
    May 13, 2013 at 07:39 am

    @efithian: not quite. Any Airport hardware (= Time Capsule, Airport Express, Airport Extreme) is automatically covered with any iPhone, iPad, Apple TV (yes, even that one) and of course Mac Apple Care Protection Plan (APP in short). The Airport hardware doesn't have to be purchased at the same as the main device (or the APP), in fact it can be up to two years old at the time the main device was purchased.

    It's different for displays: to be covered under the Mac's APP, it needs to be purchased on the same day as the Mac (but it doesn't have to be on the same invoice). Granted, a bit complicated, but a great service after all. It's a great plan and it's well worth the expense.

  3. Avatar
    Jeronimo2000 Dedicated MacNNer Joined: Aug 20, 2001
    May 13, 2013 at 07:45 am

    Quote: "unlike the current policy where it runs out after 90 days unless a full AppleCare policy is added before the 90th day after the original equipment purchase"

    Not true. The full Apple Care Protection Plan (APP) can be added within a full YEAR after the original equipment purchase. It's true that you only have 90 days free telephone software support if you don't own an APP), but if you call, let's say, after 8 months and have a software problem (e.g. you can't connect to a Wifi network) but don't have an APP for this device yet, the Apple Care agent will advise you that it's gonna cost you on a per-case basis, and that you'd be much better off buying an APP.

  4. Avatar
    Jeronimo2000 Dedicated MacNNer Joined: Aug 20, 2001
    May 13, 2013 at 07:47 am

    I sure hope they don't call it "One Apple". Would make it far too easy to support the Apple haters' opinion that the whole thing is a "religion" or "cult".

    I can already hear them. "One Apple to rule them all..."

  5. Avatar
    Mike Wuerthele Managing Editor Joined: Jul 19, 2012
    May 13, 2013 at 02:52 pm

    Originally Posted by Jeronimo2000View Post

    "One Apple to rule them all..."



    That does have a certain fluidity to it.

Post a comment
Please note that it takes a couple of minutes for new comments to be visible in this area.
  

Now AAPL Stock: The symbol you provided ("AAPL") doesn't appear to be registered

Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit

Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj

Developer  1663d

Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket

The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]

 1663d

Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera

Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94

Industry  1663d

Apple employees testing wheelchair features

New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa

Troubleshooting  1663d

SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards

SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If

Upgrades/storage  1664d

Apple's third-quarter results due July 26

Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm

Investor  1665d

Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users

Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE

IPhone apps  1665d