Best Buy will reportedly begin offering AppleCare and AppleCare+ extended warranties for all eligible Apple products sold at the big box electronics retailer as of the week of September 14, just ahead of an expected iPhone 6s launch later that same week.
The news was first reported by 9to5Mac, who notes that Best Buy will become one of the only retailers, apart from select U.S. carriers, to offer AppleCare outside of an Apple Store. A report by MacRumors backs up 9to5Mac’s item, as they gained access to an internal Best Buy training video.
The AppleCare and AppleCare+ plans sold by Best Buy will include the same coverage as that sold directly by Apple, covering the accessories in the box, and other accessories purchased alongside the device or computer, such as an Apple Display in the case of a Mac.
Customers who purchase AppleCare via Best Buy will be able to receive service at Best Buy, or take their products to Apple for service.
“For its part, Apple has been rapidly improving its AppleCare offerings over the past couple of years, increasing the service’s availability worldwide, improving pricing plus purchasing windows, and expanding the offering to new products. Apple has also been working on ways to create an AppleCare+ plan for Macs, which would mean accidental damage support for laptops, but it appears such an offering is likely still far off.”
Best Buy will continue to offer its own Geek Squad warranty plans for non-Apple products. The retailer had been reluctant in the past to offer AppleCare due to the fact it competed with it’s own Geek Squad offerings.
