Apple Announces AppleCare One
Today Apple has announced that they are introducing a new AppleCare plan, called "AppleCare One". AppleCare One is a way of consolidating all of the AppleCare plans that you might have into a single bill. AppleCare One will cost $19.99 for up to 3 devices. If you need to cover more devices than that, you can do so, for just $5.99 per device per month.
AppleCare One can be used for any Apple product that Apple sells, this includes iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro, and Macs. With AppleCare One, if you add an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, it will also add "Theft and Loss" protection for those devices, which was not previously available for the iPad and Apple Watch.
Limitations
AppleCare One is not limited to just new purchases, but you can also add your existing devices, as long as they are less than 4 years old, or less than a year old for headphones.
You might be wondering if you can add family members devices, according to Apple’s "Questions" section on the AppleCare website:
Question: Can I add my family’s devices to my AppleCare One plan?
Answer: "AppleCare One plans can cover devices that are on the same Apple Account as the subscriber.
So… maybe? It surely looks like you can, but Apple’s question and answer leaves it rather ambiguous.
Doing the Math
For some AppleCare One will make complete sense, particularly if you have an iPhone and an iPad and are paying monthly. For those it may be cheaper overall. For others though, it may not make sense. For me, it MIGHT make sense, but let us look at the details.
I thought I would do the math for my current devices and see whether it would make sense for me to switch to AppleCare One. I pay for AppleCare on a number of items. My current AppleCare subscription list includes:
| Device | Current Monthly Cost | AppleCare One |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $11.21 | $19.99 |
| MacBook Pro | $7.75 | $0.00 |
| 13-inch iPad Pro (M4) | $7.04 | $0.00 |
| Mac Studio (M1 Max) | $5.00 | $5.99 |
| Studio Display 1 | $4.17 | $5.99 |
| Studio Display 2 | $4.17 | $5.99 |
| Apple Watch (Series 10) | $3.29 | $5.99 |
| HomePod 1 (2nd Gen) | $1.67 | $5.99 |
| HomePod 2 (2nd Gen) | $1.67 | $5.99 |
| AirPods 4 with ANC | $1.21 | $5.99 |
| Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) | $0.84 | $5.99 |
| Total | $48.00 | $67.91 |
I do have AppleCare on a couple of other devices, but these would not be covered by AppleCare One.
As you can see, overall I’m paying $48.00 per month for all of my devices. Now, to clarify, I pre-paid for multiple years on a couple of devices, like the MacBook Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, and iPad Pro, so these are less than the amount that I would pay if I were paying monthly on its own.
Therefore, for me, it does not make sense to switch to AppleCare One. I would end up paying 41.47% more than I am now.
Closing Thoughts
For those who have multiple devices that have AppleCare, it might make sense to get AppleCare One. In particular, if you are one of those that has an Apple Vision Pro, it makes sense to get AppleCare One because you could save quite a bit of money, if you add any device.
You will need to do the math for yourself to see if it makes sense for you to switch to AppleCare One, for me, I’m not going to switch. However, it might make sense at some point in the future if it makes sense.
If you are switching devices on a somewhat regular basis, it could make sense, definitely depending on the devices you have.
Source Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces AppleCare One, streamlining coverage into a single plan with incredible value