$180 is a very good price for the AppleCare protection plan, which usually costs $250 for the MacBook. Yes, most extended warranty plans on electronics are a rip off; but I highly recommend this 3 year warranty and technical support service from Apple, especially for laptops. Portable computers have a rough life, and just about any single repair will cost well over $180; replacing the motherboard or display typically costs $600-800. (At that price, you might as well buy a new computer!) If your MacBook is still covered by it’s original 1 year warranty, you’re elligible to extend your warranty with AppleCare. On sale now at MegaMacs.com (no affiliation with Mykl.biz).