AppleCare One is a step, but where’s AppleCare Family?
Apple did a good thing this week, introducing AppleCare One, a new iteration of its AppleCare package intended to support people who have more than one Apple product, which is, let’s face it, most Apple users.
It’s a good step but doesn’t quite go far enough.
What does AppleCare One give you?
Available only in the US, for just $19.99 per month, customers can protect up to three products in one plan, with the option to add more at any time for $5.99 per month for each device.
- You get all the AppleCare benefits, including unlimited repairs for accidents like drops and spills, 24/7 priority support from Apple experts, quick and convenient Apple-certified service, and battery coverage.
- AppleCare One also expands theft and loss protection beyond iPhone to also cover iPad and Apple Watch.
- Another good thing is that you can add products you already own that are up to four years oldif they are in good condition, which is a good improvement and well past due.
- (You may need to take your device to an Apple retail stall to verify its condition, though).
- I like it that AppleCare One also simplifies plan management and you can move products in and out of the plan at any time. It’s just a shame it doesn’t include the Mac.
What Apple said
“At Apple, we’re focused on creating and delivering exceptional experiences,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Built on the trusted foundation of AppleCare+, AppleCare One extends that same reliability and makes it easier than ever to protect the products you love and depend on like iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, combining simplicity and exceptional value.”
What does it lack?
There are two big lacks I see in this:
- The first is that it doesn’t seem to extend to Macs, which I think it should, even if at a slightly higher tariff.
- The second is that if you, your partner, and two kids all use Apple products then you may find you have to ramp up the cost of AppleCare One fairly astronomically to cover them all, though it’s still probably an improvement..
- With that in mind I can’t help but wonder if there’s scope for a family focused AppleCare plan to help protect such deployments. I don’t have access to Apple’s spreadsheets of course and if I did I may find such coverage would need to be more expensive – but I’m certain there are families in the US who would take it out.
There is a third problem, of course, which is that the service is at present US-only.
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