<p>[AppleInsider</a> | Apple’s CDMA iPhone 4 components cost $171, $16 cheaper than GSM phone](<a href=“http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/10/apples_cdma_iphone_4_components_cost_171_16_cheaper_than_gsm_phone.html]AppleInsider”>Apple's CDMA iPhone 4 components cost $171, $16 cheaper than GSM phone | AppleInsider)</p>
<p>I used CSI as well for both sons and highly recommend it.</p>
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<p>You have to provide a police report before they will cover the loss. Of course, you can report a loss as a theft to the police but it would take quite a bit of fibbing I would think.</p>
<p>I bought CSI for son and within 90 days into his freshman year his brand-new laptop got damaged. They don’t just take your word for it, you have to send it to them and they determine if they can repair it. You also have to send the receipt for it. It was taking so long for them to get parts for son’s computer, they just sent us a check for a replacement laptop. I was pleased with the customer service. The reimbursement for the laptop was $900, I spent $115 on the policy.</p>
<p>I buy the insurance on son’s smart phone (and mine, too). IMHO, it’s worth the expense because those things are very easy to damage. Over the years, we have used his cell phone coverage several times (and his ipod insurance and before that coverage on his CD player). I just consider it part of the expense of owning a phone.</p>
<p>your $199 replacement cost seems low–i’m guessing your time for an upgrade had come along…i had to replace an iphone (AT&T) and it was not time and it would have been $499. my husband was due for an upgrade, so he did an upgrade and i took his old iphone. saved quite a bit!</p>
<p>i think the applecare for the iphone cost me a small amount for the first year–but it was helpful when my iphone had some operating error–i was sent a new phone overnight–but yes, i did have to return the original.</p>
<p>Yes, I did have to turn in my old phone. No, I wasn’t eligible for an upgrade. It was something called an Out of Warranty replacement.</p>
<p>Verizon does an out of warranty replacement too. Not sure if they will be doing it on the new iphones or not but I had a cell phone stop working correctly out of warranty. I had to pay 50 dollars for a replacement phone and return my old one. (I didnt dump anything on it or drop it, it just stopped functioning correctly). The replacement phone that they gave me was a refurbished version of the same phone. Much cheaper then paying the 200 dollar sticker price on the new phone. That’s why I don’t take their insurance.</p>
<p>My homeowner’s policy (State Farm) would not cover cell phones even with an unscheduled rider. Computers and other electronics are not a problem, but cell phone ? no coverage. I would specifically ask if they cover cell phones.
FYI, My D has lost her iphone twice, and my son once.</p>
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<p>For my D’s computer that she spilled coffee in - they took the word of the campus computer folks that it was dead beyond help and she never had to mail off the dead computer, but she kept it just in case.</p>
<p>Thank you all for comments. I see that there are various options of which I was unaware. After going back to double check the terms, I’m leaning towards buying Verizon’s insurance, the one they call Total Equipment Coverage. We’ll do that for at least six months, and then see what his replacement options would be at that time.</p>
<p>My son pointed out that he has never lost an iPod; he says it’s because he’s constantly handling it and he’ll treat his iPhone the same way. Still, if he happened to lose his iPhone, it would be very hard to come up with the money to buy a replacement.</p>
<p>cbreeze, I’m assuming you would recommend buying Verizon’s coverage.</p>
<p>Have you thought of using SquareTrade - [SquareTrade</a> Warranties | Extended Warranties for 70% Less Than Retail | Electronics Insurance Alternative](<a href=“http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/?ccode=bs_war_vc_034:text]SquareTrade”>http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/?ccode=bs_war_vc_034:text) They’re having a special sale right now for Iphone insurance. I’ve used them for on-line purchases before.</p>
<p>Make sure the insurance covers water damage because that seems to be the most common. They are very sensitive to water and moisture - rain drops, a really steamy shower, etc will turn the dots pink and void the warranty.</p>
<p>It’s good to know about SquareTrade, another one that was new to me. But, they do not cover loss or theft, which we want and is covered by the Verizon Total Equipment Coverage. We decided to go with that plan. The price is worth it for the peace of mind it offers.</p>
<p>Minor rant – I wish Verizon would make it easier to obtain accurate information about their products and services. Again I had to probe and pull to get the correct information from a rep yesterday. He hemmed and hawed when I asked him questions, answering in vague terms (“this is the latest information I have” or “if you want to know for sure I’ll have to check”). And I was afraid to call again and get another rep who would give me different information, which has happened to me at least a couple of times in the past.</p>
<p>On a related note, the NYT reports that The Fiske Guide is available in iPad format and provides a list of other college application type apps available for iPhones, iPods and iPads.</p>
<p>[Bypass</a> the Bookstore: ‘Fiske Guide’ Goes iPad - NYTimes.com](<a href=“Bypass the Bookstore: 'Fiske Guide' Goes iPad - The New York Times”>Bypass the Bookstore: 'Fiske Guide' Goes iPad - The New York Times)</p>