How long should a Mac last?

My rule of thumb is that you can expect to get useful life out of any computer for three years - after that, technology will catch up with you and you should be prepared to purchase a new unit.

I don't always 'practice' my rule of thumb... I kept my 1,1 MacBook Pro for 6 years and it was running great when I purchased my new MacBook Pro. Someone in Minnesota is still using it. However, I couldn't upgrade to Lion, so I knew, then, that it was time to pony up the cash for a new computer as there were new apps coming out that required Lion (at the least).

Clinton

How long? It will last forever

So long as you keep replacing parts for it and said parts are available.

After about 5 or so years, youll raise your eyebrow at it like your favorite old horse with arthritis you love but you know isnt going to "run the race" anymore.

Diminishing returns. How long does a laptop last is like asking how long a car will last.

Are you an old lady who drives it to the grocery on a weekend or a hotrod driver who abuses it and treats it bad.

Ive got 4 laptops over 12 year old that run smooth as silk.

Question is, would you want to "drive" them? 😐

After a drive on a new laptop, your "old favorite" loses its luster quickly

Old laptops only become "cool" when theyre so old they become technological antiques you can look at and say...... "my goodness, did humans ever use something that slow?" 😁

Average Macbook $1500 (betwen the low Air and the high Retina) ... 3 years general use (36 months) [up to 5 years many times however]

$1500 / 36months = $40 PER MONTH

I bought my maxed-out MBP in 2006. Within the first year or so, so many things needed replacing that the lead tech told me that I essentially had a new laptop. I use my MBP many times daily, at work and on evenings and weekends. I'm not limited by the technology, but it does show its age: the frame around the screen has a crack clear through near the hinge, the hinge flops loosely on the frame, and the screen has keypad images etched into it by the metal keys. The greatest nuisance is that the touchpad has lost its texture, so my fingers usually drag (rather than glide) on the now-smooth surface. I plan to replace it very soon, basically out of fear that if I wait too long, it will die a sudden death and I will regret the loss of some of my work. So, I either got 7 years out of it, or 6 years, depending on how you look at it.

1987 SE still works perfect

2002? G4 eMac still works perfect

2006 MBP still works perfect

2010 MBP has a new MagSafe being replaced now, expect it to still be after

2011 MBP still works perfect

Treat it right, it will last

$300,000,000 satellites fail, so can a macbook.

I don't care if someone thinks I'm a "shill" for Apple for saying it, but after having repaired enough laptops to RE-sink the Titanic in my distant past I know sure as sunrise that Apple build quality is top of the heap, combined with A1 cust. Service, and OS I don't have to tinker with all the time.

if you're using a computer 18 hrs. A day like me data redundancy is vital, but so too is another machine, if something goes down get it fixed and use the other.

extreme complexity = high failure potential, that's technology, not a Make or model related.

asking "how long will my Mac last" is like asking "how many licks to the center of a tootsie pop". It's an obtuse abstraction

I've got Macs because they're well built gems I can count on, even if one them goes belly up within a year,...which hasn't happened to me.

when I go to university auctions antique old piles of Mac stuff (real old stuff) gets bid on like it was solid gold, that says a lot.

most very old technology you can't even give away, and I know this firsthand, sometimes I've had 10 feet deep piles of computers I couldn't give away barely

I have a 2010 MacBook Pro with no AppleCare, that works perfectly fine! I love it! I only want a new one because of the Memory restraints.

I expect a $2000 machine to last at least 10 years to be honest. I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro which is now facing the infamous GPU problems and I'm very disappointed knowing that I haven't had this machine for 4 years and it's already having serious problems. I treat my MBP with the utmost care. The problems I'm having now are not from my doing but from a design flaw. I guess I'm just unfortunate to have purchased a computer from the 2011 line. I didn't purchase Applecare and I didn't feel the need to up until 2 days ago when I started seeing problems.

My 2008 Refurbished 2,8 GHZ 8 core MacPro was purchased in April 2008. Although I spent money upgrading it (SSC drives, Blu-RAy DVD writer, RAM etc.) I never once had a hardware failure except for the original ram that came with it. I paid $2499 CDN + tax an you better believe that I expect mine to last a decade! I clean it often and use it in my cool basement so heat has never been an issue. When the mobo does blow one day, I love the case too much to part with it so I will probably build a new Mac with it.

I have to agree with Gman on this. If we have to purchase the extended warranty, I don't see the point in buying a $3,000 laptop. I am on my third Macbook pro (late 2011), which only lasted 3 years before my logic board failing. I almost feel like it is intentional. I have always loved Apple and I am having a hard time even looking at other laptops, but I am extremely disappointed. I will say My first Macbook (2005) lasted a long time with no problems. I never bought Apple Care because I trusted it was a good product and I knew I would be careful about dropping it, etc. My logic board has been my problem the two times.

It seems others have fixed their laptops along the way, adding life to it.

rennyz27 wrote:

I expect a $2000 machine to last at least 10 years to be honest. I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro which is now facing the infamous GPU problems and I'm very disappointed knowing that I haven't had this machine for 4 years and it's already having serious problems. I treat my MBP with the utmost care. The problems I'm having now are not from my doing but from a design flaw. I guess I'm just unfortunate to have purchased a computer from the 2011 line. I didn't purchase Applecare and I didn't feel the need to up until 2 days ago when I started seeing problems.

https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

My macbook (mid 2009) has lasted to the present day (a good 5 years). I've done everything from editing to heavy games on this machine. I upgraded the RAM when I first got it, and last year added an SSD. My brother's laptop (macbook pro 2011?) ended up needing the logic board replaced (which apple did for free) because of a graphics card malfunction.

I think pretty much every line of apple technology will have at least one major issue that'll need to be fixed, be it software or hardware related.

Most of these computers should last at least 5 years before they start breaking down (if you use it heavily). The most I'd expect it to get is 10 years with one or two replacements (such as the battery and charger). I do think that most computers are rigged to break down anyway since the parts being used aren't as premium as they could potentially be.

My first macbook lasted roughly 7 years but the macbook air I have now has an issue after only 4 years, which I find somewhat disappointing and in this case, buying the extended warranty would not have helped.

yup-for sure on that. Alll I can do is tell you my experience. I have a used Mac pro, no AppleCare and it's working fine . However, I didn't pay $3,000 for it, either. I'd expect to get about 5 years, probably longer out of it. It seems to be the case with everything now-a-days that stuff isn't really built to last for a long time, be it a PC, Mac, toaster, tv set, fan, or what have you. back to the matter at hand. I had a G5 Power Mac, one of the liquid cooled ones, comes with a Cinema display monitor. Seeing as how I was lucky enough to buy this, and AppleCare wasn't a whole lot more money, I bought it, in the aim of protecting my investment, just in case something should go wrong, not that such thing happen regularly, but, they do happen. And it did. AppleCare paid for two logic board replacements and a whole host of other repairs, caused by the failure of the liquid cooling system. Apple can, at its discretion, after the 3rd large repair, replace your Mac entirely for free, which is what they did. I got a Quad Core Mac pro, roughly equivalent to my G5, like with like. In that respect, AppleCare paid for itselt quite well. I'd say that if you are spending that kind of money on a computer, any computer, an extended warranty is a prudent investment, especially if you cannot afford to pay for a large repair bill on your own, which I can't do. Occasionally, though, through no fault of your own, you may get a lemon. That happens. I don't know of any other computer company offhand that would give you a whole new computer after the 3rd large repair, and for free.

just my experience

John B

I agree. Things aren't made to last, especially computers, as in general their OS will become obsolete before hardware failures anyway.

To the OP, i would have loved to get one of the new macbook pro retina's ( they're so pretty ! ) and I nearly bought one but would have been running it really hard with the software i use ( music production ) and decided against it. Heat is the killer with computers and the size of that case, its tinny little vents and its fans are just too small for decent ventilation for heavy lifting imo. Sure you can get cool pads ( external fans ) and SMT fan controller software to optimise it but thats a bit of a faff on. They are beautifully designed and built but i honestly believe logic board failures will be more common with the macbook pros ( than their desktop counterparts ) as people often use them for intensive software tasks. Heat in a small enclosure with electronics is always going to shorten lifespan , sometimes dramatically so and these macbook pro's just keep on getting smaller. if you've ever worked one really hard and got the core temp up, Its easy to see why they might fail as they become almost too hot to touch. To be fair they look beautiful and have a fantastic OS, so as meat loaf said - two out of three ain't bad he he

I have a 4 yr old macbook air. i've just needed to replace the battery charger so far. its a fantastic little thing but i always feel like I'm on borrowed time with how I've used it. However, my lovely old mother had an older white macbook that had a logic board failure less than a month after the 1 year warranty ran out. It was just used for emails ! They did not offer to repair or replace it so that was the state of customer care. Keeping strictly to the warranty length.

Sorry i didn't even answer the question. According to UK law the answer is 5-6 years. I personally think a macbook pro should be designed and engineered to last 8 to 10 years but components do fail and i think there will be more board failures due to its size.

Apple Products and Consumer Laws in the United Kingdom

Under consumer laws in the UK, consumers are entitled to a free of charge repair or replacement, discount or refund by the seller, of defective goods or goods which do not conform with the contract of sale. For goods purchased in England or Wales, these rights expire six years from delivery of the goods and for goods purchased in Scotland, these rights expire five years from delivery of the goods.

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/