I used to be really happy with AppleCare, which I've always paid for. Lately though it feels a lot more adversarial interacting with the genius bar people, convincing them there's a real problem that needs to be fixed. It used to be they'd quickly fix a problem without much fuss but now they seem cagey and more arrogant than I remember them being. My last encounter with a new model MacBook Pro, they claimed it was my fault the keys were sticking! I had to escalate and consume several hours just to get them to fix the badly designed keyboard. I hear great things about Microsoft extended warranties and find myself wishing Apple was more like they used to be.

I'm in the USA.

(Also in The Netherlands) That depends on what you want, where you have it done, and how you plan it. I usually just iMessage or call the nearest APSP or Apple Business thing whatever-it's-name-is, tell them what the problem is, and we'll have a same-day contact at their location to run it to ASD2 and order the parts at GSX, we take the hardware back and as soon as the parts arrive, which is anywhere between 1 and 4 days, we get a message or call for a same-day repair. And that's the construction for one-off issues; for business use we just migrate the user to a replacement laptop (i.e. using Migration Assistant or Time Machine and a TB2 or TB3 cable), which takes about 1 hour and then the user is done. On our side, we then mail it to whatever service provider we have under contract and we'll get it back once it's done.

I suppose the difference in handling is that other vendors often have a wide open parts chain, and Apple doesn't. You can't buy them as a consumer or user, and as an APSP or AASP you can only get parts when ASD2 says there is a reason to, and you can only order them via GSX. In some cases, for example when it's a big item like a screen assembly or a mainboard, you have to send the item in first. All of that stuff takes time, and for many users, that is a reason to get next-day AppleCare support so you don't have that problem. You just get a replacement sent or someone at your door. Yes, that exists, just like with Dell and HP.

> to run it to ASD2 and order the parts at GSX, we take the hardware back and as soon as the parts arrive

The AASP I contacted could not return the hardware until the repair was done, so bringing it in when the parts arrived was impossible. The Apple stores need 1 week for repairs nowadays.

> a reason to get next-day AppleCare support (...) Yes, that exists, just like with Dell and HP

Only for enterprise users, and it sets you back 400 EUR/yr. Dell charges 190 EUR for 3 years (in total). Quite a difference.