Apple has updated the terms and conditions along with the webpage for AppleCare+, granting iPhone purchasers an opportunity to purchase the warranty and pseudo-insurance plan within 30 days of the purchase of a qualifying iPhone. To help you visualize the concept, we’ve diagrammed the process in the image below.
Artist visutaliztion of AppleCare+ purchase window
(Click the image for a larger version)
As TMO previously reported, Apple launched a new service alongside the iPhone 4S called AppleCare+. The service, now $99 instead of the previous, sans-plus AppleCare’s $69, explicitly covers accidental iPhone damage for an additional fee paid at the time of service.
The one caveat is that Apple initially declared it mandatory to purchase AppleCare+ at the same time as the iPhone it would cover. Unfortunately for many pre-order customers, AppleCare+ was not offered at the time of their iPhone sales. In response, Apple offered a temporary exception allowing all early iPhone purchasers to buy AppleCare+ separate from their phone purchase until November 14.
That date having passed, most speculated that Apple would revert to its previous position of mandating AppleCare+ purchase at the same time as the iPhone. In fact, Apple has instead updated its AppleCare+ terms and conditions, first reported by MacRumors, allowing all iPhone owners to purchase the service within 30 days of their original iPhone purchase date, provided the phone passes a Genius Bar inspection ensuring that it is free from damage. As stated on Apple’s AppleCare+ website:
“How to Get AppleCare+
- Add it to your shopping cart during the checkout process when you purchase your new iPhone.
- Buy it within 30 days of your iPhone purchase:
- At Apple Retail (requires a Genius Bar appointment, inspection of the iPhone & proof of purchase).
- Or call 1-800-275-2273 (requires proof of purchase).”
AppleCare+, while for the first time offering explicit coverage of accidental damage of iPhones, may herald the end of complimentary one-time replacements for out-of-warranty issues that has become common practice at the Apple Retail Store.