A comment on the AppleCare discussion: Do get the AppleCare! Seriously. I don't think I'd get it for a desktop or screen or pretty much anything else, but for a laptop: definitely. If anything fries/dies in a laptop, chances are that you'll need a new logic board. And the cost for that is pretty much the same as buying a new laptop. I am speaking from painful experience, both my own and that of friends. It is totally worth it.

And there is no benefit in getting it towards the end of your 1 year warranty. The end date only depends on the purchase date of the laptop.