As anyone who’s ever dropped the iPhone 4 and shattered the back-plate knows, AppleCare doesn’t cover accidental damage. You might be able to beg your way into swapping it, but only if your local genius is super nice. Now meet AppleCare+, which will protect against just that. It costs $99 and you have to buy it when you get your phone, but here’s the official description:
Every iPhone comes with one year of hardware repair coverage and 90 days of telephone technical support. AppleCare+ for iPhone extends repair coverage and technical support to two years from the original purchase date of your iPhone and adds coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage due to handling, each subject to a $49 service fee.1 With AppleCare+ for iPhone, Apple experts can help troubleshoot issues over the phone or at an Apple Retail Store. They’ll answer questions about iOS, Apple iPhone apps such as Mail, iMessage, and Calendar, and help you solve interconnectivity issues between your iPhone and Mac or PC. And if your iPhone needs service under the plan, Apple technical support representatives can even set up a repair during the same call.
If you’re a bit of a klutz, that might be worth $99 plus the $49 repair fee. Though SquareTrade might have something very cool in the works, too.
[via TUAW]
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I love Apple products, but I hate the company right now. A month ago I bought the latest iPhone and the applecare+ protection plan. Tonight I mowed over my phone and chopped it to bits. Went to the store and they told me that applecare only covers repairs not replacement for destroyed phones. That is not what I was told when they sold it to me. This stinks.