My Macbook is 5 years old (purchase date July 06). It suddenly broke down : the diagnostic by Apple is that I have to replace the Mother Board.

Apple, like every other computer manufacturer, has a warranty for it's equipment, and Apple provides an optional Applecare agreement which extends the warranty. After that, you're on your own (unless you purchase a third party equipment insurance/coverage). Do you expect an auto manufacturer to repair your 5 year old car for free, because you think it should run longer without needing repairs?

Sorry I wasn't clearer ... in the case of an auto, agree that owner wear items/maintenance aren't relevant to the discussion ... what if the electronic dash, for example, dies in 5 years? Unless you have an extended warranty, the manufacturer isn't obligated to repair it for free.

It's unfortunate that the logic board has failed after 5 years, however, it does happen. It's not unusual for notebook hard drives to fail in 3 to 5 years, too. You can always ask Apple if they will repair it. at no charge.

As a related aside, if you do repair your Macbook, you should have a good hard drive backup routine, assuming that your hard drive is the original one. Since notebook drive failures in the 3-5 year timeframe aren't unusual, you've gotten good life from your drive, and you want to be prepared when it does stop working.

Hi Herve,

Unfortuneately after the 2nd year(optional) warranty is up there's nothing Apple will do unless you pay them. You can try going the DIY way, but that's a pain when replacing the logic board. You can also try selling it for what you can get and opt in to a new computer. There are people who want to buy laptops like that for parts if they're in otherwise good condition. I understand about wishing laptops would last longer. I've seen so many fail in many different ways between 3-5 years.

Good Luck,

Matt