I now have an iPad with a nicely cracked screen. Apparently Apple will charge me $299 to repair it. I’m pretty sure there are non-Apple storefronts that will repair these, but that makes me more than a little nervous. Anyone have any experience with that type of place? Is it worth a shot, or is it better to suck it up and go through Apple?
Ooooo poor you! I have no advice; just sending sympathy through my iPad here.
It must have taken quite a jolt to crack the screen. You can’t be certain it did not also crack a circuit board inside. This is a risky rebuilt in any case. I would opt to replace it entirely or go with the cheapest third party fix under $200 if available.
Do you have AppleCare? I’m wondering if they would cover drops…
Nope. Applecare is an extended warranty, not insurance.
One of the reasons I cringe every time someone talks about buying something like this for their small child. Just an accident waiting to happen.
So, the EWP only covers their shoddy workmanship? Not something I might do to it? 
Great…
Just like your car warranty doesn’t cover you crashing it into a tree, or your computer warranty doesn’t cover you tossing it in a pool.
What you want is insurance, not a warranty.
For what it’s worth, the front panel for an iPad can be replaced by the daring, but iFixit calls it “Very Difficult” The part alone is $150 and it’s all very easily munged up. I just looked through the instructions, and I’d call it “Freaking wicked insane madness to attempt”
But, there’s good news - I know that a couple anecdotes do not equal data or a corporate goodwill policy, but there have apparently been quite a few people that went to the local Apple store, admitted to what happened and Apple swapped them for a new one. Needless to say, be sweet and polite, and as long as you didn’t abuse it like the Blendtec guy, they just might surprise you. If not, you already know it will cost about $300 to have it repaired.
Have you checked with your insurer? You might be covered under a contents policy. I got a camera screen fixed under one last year.
True enough. Homeowners might cover it. Or if you bought it with a credit card, they might have some kind of purchase protection.
Many repair centers that service Apple products are “authorized Apple repair centers”, meaning that they’re using genuine Apple parts and have to go through some sort of training process for the repairs. If you’re getting a better price from them, it’s probably because they’re accepting a lower profit margin, taking a bit longer for the repair, or have lower fixed costs (those fancy Apple stores in prime retail locations aren’t cheap). I wouldn’t expect the quality of the repair to be worse (in general).
Agreed. In NYC it’s Tekserve. Find a local Apple tech place. Must be one in the D.C. area. Not just a store, but someone who got into Apple well, as long ago as the guys at Tekserve did.
No reason not to comparison shop.
Odd to be posting into this thread. Five feet away sits my very delighted wife, who is just now digging into her new iPod Black.
1st Anniversary Gift. 
I’ve been married for 22 years now and did I get an iPad for my anniversary? Noooo. My husband is waiting for the price to come down. I keep explaining to him that Apple doesn’t follow the usual pricing pattern for electronics. They never lower the price, they just keep adding more memory and features.
To the OPer, if you paid for the iPad on a platinum card, it might offer you consumer protection.
Whatever you choose to do, repair or replace, make sure you get an OtterBox case for the repaired/replacement iPad
Oh and make sure BetsKid doesn’t have access to the iPad anymore, I know it’s an unpopular idea but BetsKid has already shown an inability to care for an expensive piece of consumer electronics
As far as Apple replacing a cracked unit, generally they don’t, a single crack with no signs of abuse? Maybe, but the classic “spiderweb” break or other impact/drop crack? Highly improbable to not gonna happen
Either way, an OtterBox should be in the iPad’s future…
It can’t hurt to go to an Apple store and ask. My brother’s toddler got a hold of his iPad and dropped it on a concrete pool deck, and Apple replaced it.
I thought the 22nd was “gadget with copper wiring” year.
My mom dropped her iPhone and smashed the screen a few years back. Apple quoted the repair at $200, but she took it to some dude who worked at a nail shop and also fixed iPhones on the side. He did the repair for $70 and it’s still in perfect shape. I’d search Apple forums for “some dude” to see if there’s one near you.
I took an iPod to the Apple store for repair and they flat out told me it was cheaper and faster to take it to one of the many 3rd party repair places that are popping up. It was too.