Laptops have been around now for some time - as has laptop insurance.
Echoes of the past
Historians of IT argue about the first of this or that, but even in the late 1970s there were desktop mini computers that could, with some effort, be moved around by hand - though it might have done your lap no good at all if you'd sat one of them in it!
By the 1990s, true laptop machines were around and although large and relatively unsophisticated by today's standards, they already were known for having a few characteristics worth thinking about:
- they could easily be damaged or destroyed by accidents;
- people liked to steal them;
- they had a tendency to break down.
Although today's machines are more robust and reliable, many of the above things still hold true.
That's why laptop insurance was developed - to help protect you against these sorts of troubles.
Modern laptop computer insurance
Today there's a genre of insurance that's called gadget cover.
Policies are available to protect the gadgets and technologies that are becoming commonplace in many businesses and homes - including laptops.
If you purchase a laptop insurance policy, you may find that it will typically offer you protection against the above risks of theft, breakdown outside of the manufacturer's warranty and destruction due to an accident.
Given the price of modern laptops, that's a benefit that might well be worth having - unless you happen to be very wealthy and don't mind the prospect of buying another laptop out of your own finances.
However, even if you're not worried about the financial risks involved, you may find other benefits of laptop cover insurance that would prove very useful.
Additional benefits
These may include things such as:
- guaranteed 48 hour replacement of your laptop once your claim is approved, which is offered by some providers;
- cover for it even if you've taken it overseas on business or pleasure trips;
- data backup (typically 3GB) for storing some of your most critical contact information etc at the time that you take your policy out.
The broader perspective
One of the advantages of gadget cover insurance is that it may offer you the possibility to cover a number of your gadgets at a discounted cost. That may include not only your laptop but also things such as your iPhone, iPad, cameras and BlackBerry etc.
This may give you both peace of mind but also possibly some cost savings.
Whims of fate
Nobody can ever tell you that insurance is necessary, apart perhaps from certain cases where the law makes it so.
In general terms, you may never need to call upon it.
Yet given the fact that laptop insurance can often be modestly priced and that it may potentially save you a small fortune if the worst does happen, it may be worth finding out a little more about it.
