Apple is making some significant changes in its AppleCare support offerings. It will be extending the purchase window for buying AppleCare+ to 60 days, and will be discontinuing the standard AppleCare offering in order to concentrate on sales of AppleCare+, which provides support for up to two incidents of accidental damage, in addition to two years of premium support.
Previously, customers were required to buy the plan within 30 days of purchase of an iPhone or iPad, but today’s change brings that purchase window to 60 days. This gives customers more time to decide if they will need enhanced support for their mobile Apple devices. The AppleCare+ plan costs $99 for both recent iPhone and iPad models. The plan can be purchased both via Apple’s Online Store or inside of official Apple retail stores. The AppleCare+ change is supported in all AppleCare+ regions except Japan, where the timeframe remains 30 days…
In a move intended to boost AppleCare+, Apple is discontinuing the less-expensive iPhone and iPad AppleCare protection plan that did not include accidental damage protection. The change will go into effect today in the U.S., Canada, and Japan, and will likely take place in other regions in the near future.
This means Apple will be offering either the one year of hardware repair coverage through its limited warranty and 90 days of complimentary support that comes free with iPhones and iPads, or its premium AppleCare+ two year plan that includes two accidental damage replacements that cost $49 per incident for the iPad and $79 for the iPhone.
Apple hopes the push will boost AppleCare+ sales numbers. It may also increase the amount of pay-per-incident fees Apple collects as some users may not want to pay the $99 fee for AppleCare+.
