Does Your New iPad Need an Extended Warranty?

If you’ve made up your mind on buying the iPad Air or iPad mini, you must also think of purchasing a protection plan to go with it. Apple offers AppleCare+ Protection plan, which is basically an extended warranty for your device. There are various brands offering the extended warranty plan but we list down two: AppleCare+ and OnsiteGo. OnsiteGo offers extended warranty too, but there’s a difference in the two protection plans in terms of coverage. We list them down for you…

AppleCare+ Protection Plan

iPad Mini and iPad Air come with a 1 year limited warranty called AppleCare+. With this AppleCare+ Protection Plan, you can extend your coverage up to two years from your device purchase date. The plan provides repair or replacement coverage, both parts and labour, from Apple-authorised technicians. It can be purchased only while your iPad is still covered under the standard one-year limited warranty. The good thing is, it’s a cashless plan and the coverage costs you nothing once you’ve paid at the time of buying the plan. Here’s what the AppleCare+ Protection Plan / Apple Extended Warranty plan offers…
* 1 or 2 years limited warranty against hardware defects that arise after the warranty period
* 90 days complimentary phone support

AppleCare+ charges you a fixed amount of Rs 5,200 for 2 years of protection plan and Rs 4,680 for a year, but doesn’t give you any service assurance. Nor does it provide the free pick and drop service. But a good thing is, the plan covers the included accessories (headphones, charger, battery and USB cable) and is transferable. This means, if you choose to sell or give away your Apple product to someone, you can also transfer the ownership of the AppleCare+ Protection Plan. Not to forget, the AppleCare+ plan for iPads also offers an accidental damage plan. If you break your device, or drop it in the pool, Apple will repair or replace the device for a set fee. You can take advantage of this accidental damage benefit twice over the duration of your AppleCare+ plan. (The plan price is not currently listed on the website). The AppleCare+ Protection Plan is available at the Apple Online Store and Apple-authorised resellers.

OnsiteGo Protection Plans

OnsiteGo also has suitable plans for iPads: OnsiteGo Extended Warranty and OnsiteGo Damage Protection plan. The OnsiteGo 1 Year Extended Warranty plan covers all the defects and malfunctions that are covered in the manufacturer’s warranty and can be purchased either with the iPad or within the 1 year manufacturer’s warranty period (1 year). It starts immediately after the expiry of the manufacturer’s warranty. The plan for Apple iPads costs Rs 1,999, while the the OnsiteGo 1 Year Spills & Drops Protection Plan / Damage Protection Plan that covers both, accidental as well as incidental damage costs Rs 3,499.

Lastly, one thing that’s common between both the plans is that you can buy the Extended Warranty plan within 11 months of buying the iPad. Another advantage with the OnsiteGo plan is its plan price. OnsiteGo is reasonably priced compared to AppleCare+ as far as the extended warranty and Damage Protection Plan is concerned. OnsiteGo also offers hassle-free service with free pick, repair and drop. All the repairs for iPads are done at Apple service centers only. So you need not worry about going to the Apple service center when your iPad needs repair. Our answer to the headline is, Yes your new iPad does need an Extended Warranty plan. With the OnsiteGo Extended Warranty or the Damage Protection Plan, you’re sure to save some bucks.