AppleCare is a separate product [1]. All Apple products come with a standard warranty, regardless of where you purchase them, but AppleCare is different. Regardless, it's available provided you buy through an authorized retailer. Although, when you buy somewhere like Best Buy, there's a good chance that the blue shirt at the register will try to sell you their Best Buy extended warranty instead, which (IMO) would be a mistake.
The differences I'm referring to are the "human error" elements. I typically know what I'm buying, so I don't run in to these issues, but I know, also anecdotally, people who have both been taken great care of at an Apple store after they made a mistake in their purchase, and people who have been burned by buying third party.
A quick example. A friend bought a white MacBook at the Apple store. He explicitly asked for the newer model with the faster processor and 802.11n capable wireless chipset. Months later (literally 4 months) when attempting to apply the wireless N update, it became clear that he did not get the updated model. The clerk mistakenly brought him a unit with an upgraded hard drive, but of the older model. After an appeal at the Apple store, they swapped out the MacBook for a brand new one with very little haggling.
I also know someone who bought a mirror-front PowerMac (yes, this is an old example) through an authorized reseller. This was back when OS X was fairly new. He was unaware that he could not install OS 9 on it, which he needed for his publishing business. When he went to Apple, they explained that had he purchased the computer directly from them, they would exchange it, but that he would have to work with the retailer.
Both of these examples wen't Apple's fault. Quite the opposite, both were the result of carelessness by the purchaser. The point is that when you buy from Apple, the extra $50-$100 buys you a little insurance. I've also run in to cases where the Apple Store staff share some information that I may not have learned from someone at a third-party retailer. These little things have value to many consumers. Not everyone eats and breaths Apple.
The differences I'm referring to are the "human error" elements. I typically know what I'm buying, so I don't run in to these issues, but I know, also anecdotally, people who have both been taken great care of at an Apple store after they made a mistake in their purchase, and people who have been burned by buying third party.
A quick example. A friend bought a white MacBook at the Apple store. He explicitly asked for the newer model with the faster processor and 802.11n capable wireless chipset. Months later (literally 4 months) when attempting to apply the wireless N update, it became clear that he did not get the updated model. The clerk mistakenly brought him a unit with an upgraded hard drive, but of the older model. After an appeal at the Apple store, they swapped out the MacBook for a brand new one with very little haggling.
I also know someone who bought a mirror-front PowerMac (yes, this is an old example) through an authorized reseller. This was back when OS X was fairly new. He was unaware that he could not install OS 9 on it, which he needed for his publishing business. When he went to Apple, they explained that had he purchased the computer directly from them, they would exchange it, but that he would have to work with the retailer.
Both of these examples wen't Apple's fault. Quite the opposite, both were the result of carelessness by the purchaser. The point is that when you buy from Apple, the extra $50-$100 buys you a little insurance. I've also run in to cases where the Apple Store staff share some information that I may not have learned from someone at a third-party retailer. These little things have value to many consumers. Not everyone eats and breaths Apple.
http://www.apple.com/support/products/