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AppleCare and leap years don't mix

by Erica Sadun Mar 12th 2008 at 5:00PM

There's dog years and Internet years, but this is the first time we've heard of a special definition of 'a year' when it comes to warranty coverage.

TUAW reader Tom Moore bought his AppleCare agreement on May 3rd, 2006, and recently called Apple to activate the coverage on an older iPod. Like all iPod AppleCare coverage, it's a two year agreement (3 year coverage applies to computers and servers), and the telephone rep told him it runs through May 2008 -- at least it runs through the 1st of May, instead of the 3rd. Why not cover until the 3rd? It's because AppleCare defines a year as exactly 365 days -- whether it's a regular year or a leap year. Seems kind of stingy on Apple's part, but that's the way the coverage crumbles.

Update: Tom has asked that we mention he found the experience with AppleCare and the 'lost day' to be amusing rather than upsetting. So noted for the record!

Thanks Tom!



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There's dog years and Internet years, but this is the first time we've heard of a special definition of 'a year' when it comes to warranty...
 

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14 Comments

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ehm_jay29

I wish I could complain about apple care but heres my story:

Parents get me a mac for xmas 2 years ago.
Last year I got apple care.

Both the mac and the apple care were purchased a couple weeks prior to Xmas but weren't given to me UNTIL christmas.

Christmas rolls around and I go to activate my applecare but I can't because it is a few days past my year (because it was an xmas gift). Call the Apple Care rep, they totally understood my problem, and activated the applecare for me.

They could have been douchy and said "too bad" but they didn't. They helped me out. And for that I must give them kudos.

March 13 2008 at 10:50 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Aaron Fisher

In California, Apple extends your warranty for whatever amount of time/days they are working on your computer or ipod. It's a state law here =P

March 13 2008 at 3:19 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Marky

It's not just AppleCare. My dotmac subscription expires a day earlier this year.

March 13 2008 at 3:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
manish jain

Damn it's a slow APPL news day.

March 13 2008 at 12:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tom

Look, dammit, I said I thought it was *funny*, ok? Worth knowing, worth noting, but definitely not worth whining about.

March 12 2008 at 11:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Phil

@ Matthew - Exactly... I calculate warranty expirations for a living. Try and find a firm that doesn't calculate warranty in that manner

March 12 2008 at 9:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tendo

dude its not some phantom day sent to screw you up. it exists. Plan accordingly. I dont think apple is at fault at all. If you had a court date set for 1 year from X day. and the next year was a leap year. You'd better be a "day" early.

March 12 2008 at 7:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Davis

Shouldn't it run out on May 2, 2008 then?

5/3/2006 + 730 Days = 5/2/2008 right?

March 12 2008 at 6:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Davis's comment
matthew

I assume it's inclusive of 5/3/2006 as the first day. So a normal 365 day year would actually be 5/3-5/2, and then with the leap year it gets pushed back a day to be 5/3-5/1.

March 12 2008 at 6:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bratling

Mac Users. We'll Whine About Anything.

Maybe AppleCare should last 365.25 days.

March 12 2008 at 5:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Bratling's comment
punkassjim

Exactly. Boo-friggin-hoo. Hell, and I thought -I- was being retarded by waiting to buy my iPhone until the exact day I was going to activate it, so I wouldn't waste precious AppleCare coverage time. Now I'm starting to feel reasonable.

March 12 2008 at 5:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
matthew

Hmm, but then you need to account for only having a leap year in century years every fourth century. So perhaps Apple Care years should last 365.2422 days. :)

March 12 2008 at 6:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tim

im sure it says 365 days in the fine print, and its not like they are taking a day from him, he still got the same amount of time that everyone else did.

March 12 2008 at 5:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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