12.9-inch iPad Pro with M1 chip costs $699 to repair without AppleCare+

Apple's latest flagship tablet, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, is its most expensive, and the company on Friday confirmed repairs will be slightly more dear than the 2020 model.

According to an updated repair service document, it will cost users $699 to repair a broken 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M1 chip that is not covered by AppleCare+. That price is $50 more than the repair cost for both the third- and fourth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and $100 more when compared to the fee for a third-generation model.

While Apple does not explain the bump in price, the additional overhead is likely due to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's mini LED display.

Previous generations, and the current 11-inch iPad Pro, come with Liquid Retina LCD screens, while the new 12.9-inch variant introduces Liquid Retina XDR technology. Instead of a traditional LED backlight, Liquid Retina XDR uses 10,000 mini LEDs segmented into clusters to achieve optimal contrast through local dimming.

All iPad Pro models come with Apple's standard manufacturer's warranty, which covers production flaws and other issues. When the gratis one-year plan expires, owners who don't have AppleCare+ need to foot any subsequent repair bills.

MacRumors spotted the document earlier today.

AppleCare+ for iPad Pro costs $149 for two years or can be purchased as a $7.99 subscription. The subscription service offers coverage for the life of the product.

Apple's 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro hardware went up for sale today alongside the new M1-powered 24-inch iMac and refreshed Apple TV 4K. Delivery times for the tablets and desktop are pushed back into June, with some 12.9-inch iPad Pro configurations seeing ship-by dates slip into July.

10 Comments

dysamoria 3430 comments · 12 Years

About 3 years ago

Repair fee? That’s more like a discount on buying a refurb unit to replace your broken one. What are they repairing? Anything?

In an era where we should have long been reducing materials waste, we have way more completely disposable electronics and appliances.

danox 3395 comments · 11 Years

Don’t sit on it, or let your dog sit on it, problem solved.

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

dysamoria said:

Repair fee? That’s more like a discount on buying a refurb unit to replace your broken one. What are they repairing? Anything?

In an era where we should have long been reducing materials waste, we have way more completely disposable electronics and appliances.

What we really should be doing is making it much easier to recycle those ‘disposable electronics and appliances’ instead of them winding up in landfills. Apple touted using 100% recycled aluminum in its Spring Loaded show for example. Maybe Apple should offer some store credit if you bring your old Apple gear in for recycling. Maybe states should reinstitute deposits on glass bottles, aluminum cans, etc. People don’t react to preaching as much as they do to incentives.

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

dysamoria said:

Repair fee? That’s more like a discount on buying a refurb unit to replace your broken one. What are they repairing? Anything?

In an era where we should have long been reducing materials waste, we have way more completely disposable electronics and appliances.

Yeh, that's true....
But, on the other hand, with iPhones and iPads, there are functional reasons -- and consumer benefits -- to packing things in so tightly they cannot be repaired.

The buyer needs to know that they are essentially buying a largely disposable product.
Their only recourse (aside from not buying the product) is AppleCare+.

For myself, I consider AppleCare+ mandatory and just part of the sales price of the product. Between myself and my grandson we own 8 active Apple products and everyone of them is covered by AppleCare+. It is the only aftermarket insurance that I have ever purchased. But I won't be without it. Even if it cannot be justified from the financial side, it provides peace of mind that I can get support if and when I have trouble with the product.

AppleInsider said:

...

AppleCare+ for iPad Pro costs $149 for two years or can be purchased as a $7.99 subscription. The subscription service offers coverage for the life of the product.

Apple's 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro hardware went up for sale today alongside the new M1-powered 24-inch iMac and refreshed Apple TV 4K. Delivery times for the tablets and desktop are pushed back into June, with some 12.9-inch iPad Pro configurations seeing ship-by dates slip into July.

Yes, that is true....
But I think readers also need to be aware that, if they take out the $149 plan, they can extend AppleCare+ indefinitely by switching to a monthly subscription when that initial 2 year plan expires. They have 30 days (or is it 60?) to make the switch. But, they have to remember to do it and initiate the process because they do not get any reminders.

To me, that makes enormous sense: the likelihood of needing service increases as the product ages -- which makes AppleCare+ even more likely to be needed.