AppleCare+ is a must for me. It has saved me countless times – and not just with battery upgrades. I think it’s worth the cost. In fact, for my four year old iPhone X, after the two year initial subscription ran out I continued on the monthly subscription and have already had one battery upgrade since then, done by Apple.

It’s also given me two Apple Watch replacements so far, and saved my MacBook Pro a few times, when it was still under warranty.

Anyway, it’s a good security blanket.

I was thinking of upgrading to a new iPhone 13 Pro this year. They are back-ordered, and I still haven’t entered my order. But the camera is much improved, and the screen is so much nicer that I think I might go that way. I’m really into taking photos.

While comparing prices between the U.S. and Japan I was struck by how much more expensive AppleCare+ with theft and loss coverage (an extra option) is in the United States compared with Japan. Take a look at these screenshots from the Apple online shop in both countries.

As you can see, the two year standard AppleCare+ coverage in the US is $199. That’s 22,680 yen. But look how much it goes up if you add theft and loss protection – $269. That’s $70 extra. And that total comes to 30,657 yen.

Now take a look at the Japan prices for the same coverage.

For the standard two year AppleCare+ the cost is 24,800 yen. That’s $217. So the standard AppleCare+ protection is slightly higher in Japan – $18 more. Spread out over two years that’s a $0.75/month difference.

But look at what it costs to add theft and loss protection in Japan – just an extra 2,000 yen = $17! So the total with theft and loss protection is 26,800 yen = $235. Considerably less than the U.S. cost.

Monthly also, if you add theft and loss protection in the U.S. it’s an extra $3.50, which is $84 over two years. In Japan, the monthly extra charge is just 100 yen = $0.88, which comes to just $21 over two years.

My thoughts, all kidding aside, are: (1) there is less personal theft in Japan and (2) lost items are almost always returned to the owner or turned into police stations or lost and founds. I guess that reflects in the insurance coverage costs.