AppleCare is a service and support plan and is part of the customer support service of Apple Inc., providing customers with 90 days free phone support and one year of hardware coverage. Both can be extended to three years through the AppleCare Protection Plan, which is purchased separately or with new Apple products, mainly Macintoshes, iPods, and iPhones. Professional plans are also available. The AppleCare service began in the 1980s.