Currently, to get AppleCare after purchase or the 90 day window, you need to go to an Apple store before the warranty expires and ask staff to add it for you. This is never advertised (to my knowledge) but well known. Now they are making it possible to add AppleCare even after warranty expires.
I hate to say this, but no other PC or mobile phone manufacturer is providing warranty service (for consumer hardware) that remotely matches Apple's.