professorkamrankhan@gmail.com 
AppleCare One offers a good deal for protecting your Apple hardware in some cases. Here’s how it compares to the standard AppleCare+ plans.
On Wednesday, Apple launched AppleCare One in the United States. Starting from July 24, U.S. customers can sign up for the subscription, effectively bundling multiple AppleCare+ plans into one payment.
The big draw is that you can protect up to three devices under one AppleCare One plan, instead of having one AppleCare+ plan per device you own.
Here’s what the deal is with the new program, and what to consider about it.
AppleCare One vs AppleCare+: What is AppleCare+
AppleCare+ is Apple’s long-standing protection plan. Effectively an extended warranty, it is a plan that offers quick repairs for accidents.
If you’ve dropped an iPhone, for example, you know you can turn up to an Apple Store and have it worked on by Apple’s support teams. The accidental damage also covers liquids, battery replacements, and in the case of AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, replacements of an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch that has been lost or stolen.
While there are some limitations, such as up to two lost or stolen claims per year, you do generally benefit from not having AppleCare+. Chiefly because you will almost certainly have to pay hefty repair fees if your devices needed repair and you didn’t have the added protection.
In some cases, there are deductibles for repairs even under AppleCare+, but it’s still a far cry from full repair pricing.
AppleCare+ also enables support in Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers around the world. This even includes 24-7 support from Apple directly, via various means.
AppleCare One vs AppleCare+: AppleCare One’s deal
AppleCare One is an expansion of the concept of AppleCare+. Rather than being limited to just one device per AppleCare+ plan, AppleCare One instead allows users to add multiple devices.
So long as the Apple product was recently purchased or is currently covered by AppleCare+, it can be incorporated into an AppleCare One plan.
Apple also says that devices that are in good enough condition after an inspection or diagnostic check can be added, if it’s less than four years old. Headphones one year old or newer can also be added.
The key difference for AppleCare One is that it can handle multiple devices on a plan. For the monthly fee, you can add up to three devices to AppleCare One, instead of having separate AppleCare+ plans for each of them.
The plan is also not limited to just three devices, as it could also be expanded to cover more hardware linked to your Apple Account. Doing so incurs an extra monthly fee.
Apple does state that the devices have to be on the same Apple Account as the subscriber of the AppleCare One plan. It’s not a family-style plan, so you can’t protect multiple iPhones under multiple Apple Accounts under one AppleCare One plan.
Each person needs their own AppleCare One subscription.
It includes all AppleCare+ benefits including Theft and Loss coverage for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
The exception is when it comes to claiming under Theft and Loss. While AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss covers two claims per year for one device, AppleCare One will go up to a total of three claims per year.
This does reduce the total number of claims to the equivalent of one per device under AppleCare One versus three separate AppleCare+ plans, but it seems like a reasonable change.
AppleCare One vs AppleCare+: Pricing and bundling
The main draw for AppleCare One is that it can potentially save users money if they have more than one Apple device that needs protection.
AppleCare One is priced from $19.99 per month and covers up to three devices. It doesn’t matter which hardware is protected, as the price is the same.
If you want to add a fourth or fifth device to the plan, it costs a flat $5.99 per extra device. There is no per-year pricing for AppleCare One.
By comparison, there is a lot of variation in price when it comes to AppleCare+. Depending on the hardware being covered, the cost can go up and down.
Current AppleCare+ starter pricing as of July 23 is as follows:
- iPhone: $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year
- iPad: $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year
- Mac: $3.49 per month or $34.99 per year
- Apple Watch: $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year
- Apple Vision Pro: $24.99 or $249.99 per year
- Display: $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year
- Apple TV: $9.99 per year
- HomePod: $9.99 per year
- Headphones: $14.99 per year
This pricing isn’t exhaustive, as it covers the lowest-priced AppleCare+ option in each range. For example, the $9.99 per month is available for the iPhone 16e, but it’s $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
AppleCare One vs AppleCare+: Device considerations
The pricing of AppleCare One is obviously great if you have multiple Apple products on hand that need protecting. However, you can’t really justify using it for every Apple product you own.
The good examples include if you have the main trifecta of Apple hardware: an iPhone, an iPad, and some form of MacBook Pro. While a static Mac can get cheap AppleCare+ rates, portable MacBooks cost more, such as $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for a 14-inch MacBook Pro.
This sort of hardware collection would cost you from $24.97 per month for three AppleCare+ plans, going for the cheapest option of all three areas. That makes for a saving of $4.97 per month or $59.64 per year.
AppleCare+ vs AppleCare One – Pricing for AppleCare One doesn’t change, regardless of the hardware you add.
Obviously, it will be more beneficial as a package if you have higher-specification models that have higher AppleCare+ prices to match. Ideally, it’s worthwhile if each device you want to protect with AppleCare One has a comparable AppleCare+ price above $6.67 per month.
It’s certainly not worth using it with hardware like an Apple TV, since the $9.99 full-year protection fee under AppleCare+ works out to be less than a dollar per month. It’s also questionable using it with an Apple Watch or headphones, for that matter.
The only justification for adding hardware with very low AppleCare+ prices to AppleCare One is if you haven’t used your three-device allocation, and if you’re saving money versus AppleCare+ with what you’ve already put on the list.
AppleCare One vs AppleCare+: Apple Vision Pro
There is one massive outlier in the Apple products list when it comes to AppleCare One: The Apple Vision Pro.
Normally, the Apple Vision Pro costs $24.99 per month for AppleCare+. This is $5 per month more than AppleCare One’s monthly fee.
AppleCare+ vs AppleCare One – The AppleCare+ plan for Apple Vision Pro is more expensive than AppleCare One.
This makes AppleCare One a complete no-brainer subscription if you pay for AppleCare+ for the Apple Vision Pro, even if it’s the only Apple device you own.
Aside from that saving, you still have two more slots for devices to be added and protected under AppleCare One. You’re effectively able to get free AppleCare+ protection for other devices you own, from paying for cheaper protection for the headset.
It’s unclear exactly why Apple decided to price AppleCare One this way and still include the Apple Vision Pro, but it’s one of the biggest deals possible under the program.
AppleCare One vs AppleCare+: An attractive option, if you have expensive hardware
AppleCare One is an oddly good plan for protecting your hardware. Apple Vision Pro benefits aside, the plan is very useful if you have high-spec Apple hardware that you use all the time.
It’s not as good when you are dealing with a few low-spec devices, or are typically protected by AppleCare+ for a very low monthly fee. In these cases, sticking with AppleCare+ is probably the better choice.
It also remains to be seen whether all Apple’s customers will be able to take advantage of the pricing.
For consumers who have an iPhone payment plan, they already have AppleCare as part of that program. Apple hasn’t explained how AppleCare One would work for those customers, if at all.
It seems unlikely that they will be able to use AppleCare One at this stage. AppleInsider is trying to find out what the situation is with that.
For consumers who have been put off by the price of AppleCare+ in the past, the AppleCare One package seems to be a decent protective purchase option. The savings vary depending on the hardware, of course.
