In the six years I’ve been using Macs I’ve needed to visit a Genius Bar only twice. Once was when I had faulty RAM (which turned out to be third-party) in a black MacBook. The second visit was last week when I took in my 11-month-old 13in MacBook Pro with a corrupt 256GB Apple SSD. The problem was diagnosed efficiently and the computer was returned in rude health, complete with a new drive, yesterday morning.
While I am surprised to find a faulty SSD—I had rather felt we’d be past all that with the new technology—it’s a comfort to know that service is so near and so efficient. The repair would have cost £500.  I was just within the one-year warranty, though, but I also have an AppleCare extension to 2013. While I never take out AppleCare on iPhones and iPads, I think it is always worth the extra cost with a laptop or desktop.
One thing I did learn while carrying the MacBook Pro to and fro was that it is heavy. Not in absolute terms, of course, but in relation to my 11in MacBook Air. I now have no use for a portable computer with the capabilities of the MacBook Pro range and the extra weight that goes with it. I am about to the sell the 13in MPB in favour of a new iMac when the facelift models arrive this summer. The Air is just so right for slipping into a day bag and does most things so well.