Ex-Genius

What you can expect about getting your broken iPad serviced by Apple

The iPad will be launching in late March. You want one, and I want one. Right now, the bliss of a new Apple product line is fogging your memory. A few months pass by, and your iPads touch screen stops being responsive. Or you think that it’s so “magical”, it can survive a dip in the pool. Breaking: It can’t. What happens when your $500+ investment breaks?

Apple will handle the iPad service strategy like this:

• AppleCare - You will wan’t this. I guarantee you that the iPad will have a 1 year Limited Warranty attached to it provided by Apple. I guarantee you that you plan to use this device for a few years. So purchase the extended warranty. Apple’s mobile devices carry a two year extended warranty. This will help against anything that is a manufacture defect. What’s that mean? Like if the iPad stops charging, the screen dies, home button won’t respond, ect. Basically nothing that failed as a result of your inability to take care of products you spend half a grand on.
• Swaps - Apple will not repair iPads. They swap them out. What that means is, if your iPad needs to be serviced, they will give you a new, or possibly refurbished iPad in place of yours. The only service Apple might do is replace defective screens, but I doubt it. This is a service Apple offers with its iPhone, but they don’t offer it for the iPod touch, so I doubt they’ll take that route. Even on battery related service, they will swap out your iPad.
• Water damage - The iPad will indeed have multiple litmus paper sensors inside the dock connector and headphone jack that will turn from white to pink/red if the iPad comes in contact with water. Expect to pay for a replacement if this happens.