How often do you replace laptops? We're on a 3-year schedule across the organization, PC or Mac. All leased or covered by some sort of business-class warranty/service plan. It can be slightly annoying, as IT doesn't do any in-house repairs any more, but it mostly works. I thought a 3-year replacement schedule was fairly standard.
Unfortunately not. There are also 4-5 year renewal cycles. In any case, for the affected machines, there is no Apple Care aware any more as it is limited to 3 years after purchase.
This is an even greater problem with iPads, Apple Care only lasts for 2 years after the purchase, so any significant repair after that usually means a total loss.
FYI, purchasing with a credit csrd likely extends that by another full year, if not two years. Check your card benefits.