How long should a Mac last?

Apple Mac's are no better then any other computer on the market. In fact IMHO they aren't as good as most other brands.

The only real difference between an Apple Mac and any other computer is they cost more. You get nothing extra for that extra cost. In fact most PC notebooks come with a better warranty and in most cases include some type of Accidental Damage warranty and if they don't come with it it can be purchased for a small amount. Apple does not offer any type of Accidental damage warranty.

Simply never buy another Apple product. You will be better off in the long run.

Observation to Shootist007...

Opinions are usually worth what one pays for them...yours cost nothing and IMHO, we got what we paid for.

Barry

Oh and I forgot about the iMac with the swivel screen that I gave to my parents so they can skype. It never shuts off and still runs fine. And it is quite old now.

Are you serious? We aren't allowed to discuss Apple policy on their forum? That seems a little censored. What are they scared of? Maybe they might learn something.

They aren't afraid of anything. That's simply not what these forums are for. Further, there is no way to have a productive, information-rich discussion on Apple policy when that discussion 1) will not involve Apple (since, beyond the moderators, they don't participate here), and 2) will of necessity involve much speculation, since Apple is not particularly open about their policies or reasons for those policies.

I am genuinely interested in how long people believe their mac should last.

As numerous people have already said, the hardware is generally quite good and lasts a long time. I've got a 10-year-old PowerBook in a cabinet - still works, though at this point there's little use for it, since it can't even do wireless communications. I've also got an 8-year-old PowerBook that is still in active use at my wife's small business. (Ironically, they keep having to throw away their 3- to 5-year-old Windows machines that are only reliable in not lasting very long, but they keep buying them.)

If everyone says that I shouldn't expect my laptop - built by Apple, a $400b company - to last 2yrs, then I will happily give them my money. I'll feel stupid for doing it since I expected more, but I'll do it. If on the other hand the majority say they expect their macs to last, say, 5 yrs, then I will go in asking them to repair it at a discount.

You should be able to expect your machine to last 2 years, but that's a generalization. Anything can happen. No manufacturing process is perfect.

As to whether you can expect to get a 2-year-old machine repaired for free, the warranty is only 1 year. Apple has no legal requirement to repair that machine for free or for a discount. Apple techs do have a history of making exceptions and repairing machines for free even out of warranty, but that is entirely at their discretion. So, keeping in mind that techs are only human, you'll have the best results not going in and demanding a free or discounted repair. You'll do best to be nice and friendly, while also pointing out (in a nice way) that the machine has not experienced any serious abuse and must have had a manufacturing defect. (Assuming that is true, of course.) Apple may or may not repair it for free, so you'd best decide beforehand whether you intend to pay for the repair or not.

Thomas A Reed wrote:

Knowledgeable people typically don't buy AppleCare. It's just another extended warranty, which in the long run will not pay off...

As to the 1 year warranty, most consumer electronics in the US have 1 year warranties.

Would you also advise "knowledgeable people" not to buy auto insurance or a health care policy? After all, being so smart you will never be dumb enough to get sick, or get rammed by an 18-wheeler. Looking back, of the 7 Apple portables I've owned, by the 5th I got 'dumb enough' to buy AppleCare and while I don't have the bills to do a cold and hard calculation, I think I've somehow managed to be dumbly come out ahead. Besides the slew of batteries I've had replaced, there was the CD player on the smoke iBook G3, the topcase and keyboard on the TiBook, the 4 screens, 2 keyboards, DVD player, logic board and topcase on the subsequent MBP, and finally the two fans and topcase on the late Early 2008 MBP (plus the hinge tightening service done twice). Yeah, I think I'll fall for it again and buy AC for the current Mac.

As for the 1-year base period, that's probably cause the dumb gringos have passively taken it all these years and dragged most but not all of the rest of the world along for the ride. In the EU, Apple (and any other electronics maker) is not so lucky and they have to honor a Union-wide 2-year mandatory base warranty. Apple tried to weasel out and got a royal workover by the European Appeals Court.

Shootist007 wrote:

Simply never buy another Apple product. You will be better off in the long run.

Ok, thread is complete, can be archived now. The Resident Scrooge has educated us with all we need to know. What's the computer equivalent of Tata Motors so we can phone ahead to tell them we're coming to replace our Macs?

Would you also advise "knowledgeable people" not to buy auto insurance or a health care policy?

That is a different thing entirely. Auto insurance is a requirement, and health is not something you should play games with. Both cover you against incidents that could end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more. Further, both of those are insurance, meaning they protect against accidents. AppleCare does not protect against accidental damage. It's not insurance.

If AppleCare paid for accidental damage, that would be a different story. I might recommend AppleCare Plus for iPad owners, for example... unfortunately, there is no AppleCare Plus for Macs. On average, you will spend more on AppleCare than you would on repairs. You'd be better off putting the money you would spend on AppleCare into a fund that you reserve for repairs.

Gman001 wrote:

... We aren't allowed to discuss Apple policy on their forum? That seems a little censored.

It's more likely your original question ("How long do you expect your mac to last?") could be construed as a poll, which is definitely against the TOU.

As far as Apple is concerned, it's their site and they're free to censor whatever they want, even if it complies with the Terms.

Among them:

... Unless otherwise noted, your Submission should either be a technical support question or a technical support answer. Constructive feedback about product features is welcome as well.

applecare $179

Logicboard $700

....Applecare wins

applecare $179

Logicboard $700

....Applecare wins

In the last 10 years, I personally have owned a PowerBook G3, PowerBook G4, 2 MacBook Pros, an iMac and a Mac Mini. None have had logic board failures that would have been covered by warranty. (One got dropped, which damaged the logic board, but that would not be covered.)

So:

6 x $179 for AppleCare = $1,074

6 x $0 for repairs that AppleCare would have covered = $0

AppleCare loses.

Obviously, it only loses on average, but logic board failures that are not related to physical trauma and that don't occur within the original warranty period are rare. As I said, you'd do better in the long run to put the money in the bank instead and keep it for a repair fund.

Based on the fact that this is a rare ocurrence - as it has to be or else no one would buy computers, I just wanted to ask, if you were in my situation, ie. your macbook pro was 2 yrs old, and the logic board broke simply due to a hardware fault. Would you be happy to pay for the repair out of your own pocket? Or would you insist Apple chip in for the repair?

Were you unaware at the time of your purchase that your notebook only carried a one year warranty?

It's usually spelled out pretty simply. AppeCare gives you two more years of coverage, increasing the expected lifespan of your computer two additional years.

Surely you weren't ignorant of the warranty period? I don't know of any manufacturer that doesn't have a limited warranty of some kind on products.

Clinton