Alternative insurance protection plan service SquareTrade today confirmed support for both the Apple Watch Sport and mid-tier Apple Watch models. The plans sit near the cost of AppleCare+ for the Watch, but cover accidental damage done to the device, unlike the additional charge required in AppleCare+.
The SquareTrade Apple Watch plans offer customers options with and without deductibles. So, for example, the Apple Watch Sport plan ranges from $59 to $69 (with deductible) and $129 to $159 (with no deductible). Similarly, the mid-tier Apple Watch models stretch from $79 to $149 (with deductible) and $169 to $239 (without deductible).
Both Watch tiers are 2-year plans covering malfunctions as well as accidental damage. The company believes that one of the most likely points of risk for the Watch will be "among others, drops and falls from nightly charging stations." But it assure customers that anything beyond intentional damage, loss, or theft will be covered by the plan.
"We don't mean to dampen all the excitement about the Apple Watch, but inevitably the klutz in us will come out. Just like smartphones, the Apple Watch accompanies us everywhere and is susceptible to the wear and tear of daily life," said Jessica Hoffman, vice president of global communications for SquareTrade.
The company has even gone so far as to create a "Wrisk" Predictor Lifestyle Quiz that aims to predict which Apple Watch model is most suitable for each customer's lifestyle. The company created the so-called Wrisk Factor to detect and perceive the risks for the wrist-worn device.
AppleCare+, in comparison, sees its two-year plans priced at $49 (plus $69 deductible for accidental damage) for the Sport and $69 (plus $79 deductible for accidental damage) for the mid-tier Watch, with the only gradient pricing range increasing with the added option of a combination iPhone/Apple Watch plan. AppleCare+ also provides a $1500 plan for the Apple Watch Edition, but SquareTrade appears to have opted out in focusing on those higher-end customers for its new Watch protection plans.
Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones.
Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3.
Notification Summary Changes
Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries
Apple Intelligence...
Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes.
While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner.
Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages.
Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far.
Apple Intelligence for Siri
Siri ...
Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today.
A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device.
The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes.
The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
Friday January 24, 2025 9:09 am PST by Juli Clover
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.
On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the Dynamic Island to remain "largely unchanged" across the iPhone 17 lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the iPhone 17 models.
...
Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch.
In each of the past four years, ...
Thursday January 23, 2025 2:48 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
It's also time for Apple's first product announcement of the year.
Last year, Apple said it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and the wireless earbuds are expected to launch very soon.
Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code
In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the...
I purchased the Apple Care for the first time on any Apple device. Given the FUBAR that this launch has been I felt I needed some security. When I saw this, I was thinking, darn I could have gotten a cheaper insurance. After reading the article, I am back to feeling good about my Apple Care decision.
The problem with no-brainers is that a brain isn't always involved in the decision-making process... You can mail in your iDevice with AppleCare + just like you do with SquareTrade, plus it costs less. Definitely a no-brainer. ;)
Mebbe so. OTOH, I get my Apple watch plan free with the points I've earned protecting everything else in my house.
Actually much cheaper than ST. Doesn't Apple allow 2 accidental damages and unlimited repairs?
ST makes you buy a new warranty once replaced.
Unless they've changed it for he Apple Watch, this is not correct. We have ST on all of our iPhones and have been able to make multiple claims without buying a new plan.
Alternative insurance protection plan service SquareTrade today confirmed support for both the Apple Watch Sport and mid-tier Apple Watch models. The plans sit near the cost of AppleCare+ for the Watch, but cover accidental damage done to the device, unlike the additional charge required in AppleCare+.
