How long do Macs "last" in general?

[ibex333]

In your experience, if you buy a brand new Mac, how long can you realistically keep it and remain "relevant"?

Be able to run all the latest OS updates, software, etc. I am not talking about games. I am only concerned with business/work related stuff. Video editing, Photoshop, Programming, etc, etc.

Thanks!

 

[Eug]

It often gets OS updates for about a half dozen years and then it remains viable for software updates from Apple for about another 2-3 years and often a bit longer for third party software. So expect 7-10 years of “relevancy”.

That’s assuming you have SSD, sufficient RAM, and a fast enough CPU.

The biggest killer in the past has been lack of SSD and insufficient RAM. Entry level for RAM now is 8 GB. 7 years from now 16 GB will likely be strongly preferred.

 

[v-600]

i had a 2013 rmbp that was struggling when it was replaced with the '15 model a couple of years ago....because of 4GB of RAM.

 

[ggadrian]

I still use a Late 2009 MacBook upgraded with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD as my personal laptop. Is fast enough for my personal use, which basically is web browsing, streaming from Plex, light photo sorting and editing, email and office documents. Thanks to the RAM and the SSD it feels snappy (despite the slow C2D CPU) and it still gets software updates.

I think I'll keep using it until it dies or no longer gets OS security updates, whichever comes first.

I've been tempted to get a newer mbp many times, but mine does work, it's trouble-free and fast enough for my use, so I haven't got around to spend 2000€ for a new one. It also has great sentimental value since I've had it so many years and I've done so many things with it.

At the end, YMMV, depending on the software you use you will need to replace your mac more often, but for an average user, computers have been fast enough for a few years and if your computer is still supported and getting security updates you don't need to get a new one.

 

[nitsuj3580]

Have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro. upgraded to 8gb and 512 SSD and still runs great for business related tasks. Just got latest OS update. Also have a late 2011 iMac education edition. I maxed out the RAM in that but really feeling the need to try to open it up to put an SSD in. I also have a mid 2012 mac mini that I upgraded to 16gb RAM and SSD and that thing still flies (in my opinion). Other than the iMac, I have no itch to upgrade any of my machines.

 

[Eug]

I still use a Late 2009 MacBook upgraded with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD as my personal laptop. Is fast enough for my personal use, which basically is web browsing, streaming from Plex, light photo sorting and editing, email and office documents. Thanks to the RAM and the SSD it feels snappy (despite the slow C2D CPU) and it still gets software updates.

I think I'll keep using it until it dies or no longer gets OS security updates, whichever comes first.

I've been tempted to get a newer mbp many times, but mine does work, it's trouble-free and fast enough for my use, so I haven't got around to spend 2000€ for a new one. It also has great sentimental value since I've had it so many years and I've done so many things with it.

At the end, YMMV, depending on the software you use you will need to replace your mac more often, but for an average user, computers have been fast enough for a few years and if your computer is still supported and getting security updates you don't need to get a new one.

I'm running 10.13 High Sierra on my MacBookPro5,5 mid-2009. Works fine. There is a patch that gets it to work on High Sierra, with no significant issues. That prolongs the life of this machine by 2 years, since officially only 10.11 El Capitan is supported.

To make it viable, you really want 8 GB RAM and SSD, but you already have both.

The only thing is that Office 2011 has some very minor bugs when running on High Sierra, as it is not supported. It's definitely usable, but the bugs will never get fixed. Office 2016 runs on it, but it's slower, especially at initial launch. Office 2016 is also slow on my 2017 Macs, but because those machines are faster, the slowness is a bit less annoying.

10.13 High Sierra also runs fine on MacBook5,1 late 2008. Not surprising, as the hardware is almost identical, just without Firewire and backlit keyboard.

I expect 10.13 is the last OS that will be installable on these, and I expect that third party applications will support 10.13 for about 3-4 more years after 10.14 comes out, so hopefully these things can last until 2021-2022. If so, that means 13-14 years for MacBook5,1, and 12-13 years for MacBookPro5,5.

 

[Oyeve]

Generally they will last longer than apple will support them. My 2009 MBP runs great with an SSD but apple said "no OS update for you!" a few years ago. Saw no compelling reason as to why. So, I just don't buy their stuff any more.

 

[Eug]

Generally they will last longer than apple will support them. My 2009 MBP runs great with an SSD but apple said "no OS update for you!" a few years ago. Saw no compelling reason as to why. So, I just don't buy their stuff any more.

See above. You can run High Sierra on MacBookPro5,x.

 

[mikeymikec]

The other thing to remember about Apple is that they haven't valued backwards compatibility as much as say Microsoft does. The move to x64 was their second major architecture migration, rendering ~4 year old PowerPC-based machines obsolete. When a company controls both the hardware and the OS, they can call the shots to make major changes far easier, and if Apple deems it a prudent business strategy to make a hardware change (major or minor, for whatever reason, but enough to render older generations of hardware obsolete), history shows that they have done it so it's reasonable to assume that they might do it again.

 

[Eug]

The other thing to remember about Apple is that they haven't valued backwards compatibility as much as say Microsoft does. The move to x64 was their second major architecture migration, rendering ~4 year old PowerPC-based machines obsolete. When a company controls both the hardware and the OS, they can call the shots to make major changes far easier, and if Apple deems it a prudent business strategy to make a hardware change (major or minor, for whatever reason, but enough to render older generations of hardware obsolete), history shows that they have done it so it's reasonable to assume that they might do it again.

I'm not sure what hardware migration you see on the horizon though. Everything has been 64-bit since Core 2 Duo.

There is the possibility of an ARM release I suppose though.

 

[mikeymikec]

I'm not sure what hardware migration you see on the horizon though. Everything has been 64-bit since Core 2 Duo.

There is the possibility of an ARM release I suppose though.

I said 'major or minor' because a more minor change (compared to a complete CPU architecture migration) like mandating a new storage bus/specification for a new version of OS X might be all it needs to render older models obsolete, or say that the GPU has to comply with certain standards.

IIRC, Windows 8.1 (the 64-bit version only) differed from 8.0 in one key aspect in that a particular processor instruction was required for the newer version to even install. I think it ruled out x64 P4s and some early Athlon 64s.

 

[AmyScarlett04]

Official support? A good five years or so before they will be discontinued, I'd say. ^^

 

[Commodus]

I'll give you a good anecdote:

My folks bought a 20-inch iMac in 2007. Apple stopped delivering OS updates for it in 2015; the folks only felt compelled to replace it this year... a decade later. And I have a feeling the 4K iMac they got (it helps they specced with 16GB of RAM and a Fusion Drive) will last them about as long.

 

[Eug]

I'll give you a good anecdote:

My folks bought a 20-inch iMac in 2007. Apple stopped delivering OS updates for it in 2015; the folks only felt compelled to replace it this year... a decade later. And I have a feeling the 4K iMac they got (it helps they specced with 16GB of RAM and a Fusion Drive) will last them about as long.

iMac7,1 supports El Capitan 10.11. Actually, the last real OS update for El Capitan was summer 2016, but it continues to get security updates. Furthermore, Apple supports Safari 11 on El Capitan, and just about all software (except stuff that depends on HEVC support, etc) supports El Capitan.

So, that's 9-10 years of OS updates.

Just be glad they didn't buy in 2006. That early 2006 iMac stopped getting OS updates in 2011. That's just 5 years of OS updates.

 

[AmyScarlett04]

How do you get Safari 11 on El Capitan? I've got Safari 9 but I don't know how to update it, so I use SeaMonkey instead.

 

[TheStu]

iMac7,1 supports El Capitan 10.11. Actually, the last real OS update for El Capitan was summer 2016, but it continues to get security updates. Furthermore, Apple supports Safari 11 on El Capitan, and just about all software (except stuff that depends on HEVC support, etc) supports El Capitan.

So, that's 9-10 years of OS updates.

Just be glad they didn't buy in 2006. That early 2006 iMac stopped getting OS updates in 2011. That's just 5 years of OS updates.

I'm in about the same place. I have a 2008 Mac Pro (3,1), and it got updated all the way to El Cap, but will not run Sierra officially. And other than things like HandOff and the iCloud clipboard, there's not a hugely compelling reason to actually work to put High Sierra on there.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The C2Ds are getting pretty sluggish-feeling, all things considered. But they still work.

 

[tsupersonic]

I still use a MBPr 2013 (i5/8 GB RAM/256 GB SSD) everyday. I haven't updated to High Sierra since I'm lazy/waiting to see how it's working for others.

 

[gar655]

Still using an early 2011 iMac. Doesn't have High Sierra but it has the previous OS and it runs fairly well. A little slow sometimes but can still handle my 40K photo library (if given a few minutes).

 

[purbeast0]

In late 2015 I bought a 2014 MacBook Pro and it's still running like a beast, and I do A LOT of stuff on it at once in regards to development. I will have multiple servers running and multiple IDE's open and it doesn't even show the slightest of hiccups. I don't see it being obsolete for a very long time.

It's also crazy how great the battery is on this thing compared to the Dell and HP laptops I had in the past, which would give me like an hour max on battery, then about after a year of owning it, they wouldn't work unless they were plugged in. The battery on this still acts like it did when it was brand new.

This is the exact one I bought brand new for $1800.

https://www.adorama.com/acmgxc2lla.html?discontinued=t

• Intel Core i7 Processor
• 16GB RAM
• 2880 x 1800 Native Resolution, 2560x1600 Resolution
• 512GB Drive
• Weighs 4.5 lbs, Weighs 4.6 lbs

 

[secretanchitman]

In late 2015 I bought a 2014 MacBook Pro and it's still running like a beast, and I do A LOT of stuff on it at once in regards to development. I will have multiple servers running and multiple IDE's open and it doesn't even show the slightest of hiccups. I don't see it being obsolete for a very long time.

It's also crazy how great the battery is on this thing compared to the Dell and HP laptops I had in the past, which would give me like an hour max on battery, then about after a year of owning it, they wouldn't work unless they were plugged in. The battery on this still acts like it did when it was brand new.

This is the exact one I bought brand new for $1800.

https://www.adorama.com/acmgxc2lla.html?discontinued=t

• Intel Core i7 Processor
• 16GB RAM
• 2880 x 1800 Native Resolution, 2560x1600 Resolution
• 512GB Drive
• Weighs 4.5 lbs, Weighs 4.6 lbs

Have the same machine but the late 2013 model and 1TB SSD. It's so damn reliable and fast that I honestly don't see a need to replace it (unless Apple decides to release a 15" RMBP with 32GB of RAM and Nvidia graphics ).

 

[TazExprez]

I currently use a 2011 base 2.3 i5 Mac mini and a 2010 base 2.4 C2D MBP 13 on a daily basis. I only upgraded the RAM on both to 8GB. They still have HDDs and Apple is still making updates for both. I am thinking of getting a 2017 base 27” 5K 3.4 iMac. There are some good deals out there, but I would have to order it from Apple with a 256GB SSD upgrade because they still sell all of their stock 27” 5K iMacs with spinning drives. I know that these are hybrid fusion drives, but at this point in time Apple should only put SSDs on all of their desktops, just like they do with all of their laptops.

 

[Commodus]

I currently use a 2011 base 2.3 i5 Mac mini and a 2010 base 2.4 C2D MBP 13 on a daily basis. I only upgraded the RAM on both to 8GB. They still have HDDs and Apple is still making updates for both. I am thinking of getting a 2017 base 27” 5K 3.4 iMac. There are some good deals out there, but I would have to order it from Apple with a 256GB SSD upgrade because they still sell all of their stock 27” 5K iMacs with spinning drives. I know that these are hybrid fusion drives, but at this point in time Apple should only put SSDs on all of their desktops, just like they do with all of their laptops.

As a 5K iMac owner, I'm not too fussed about Fusion Drives. Arguably, it's the stuff that sits on the SSD portion -- the OS, your most frequently used files -- that you deal with most of the time. The content that has to sit on the slower drive usually isn't speed-sensitive unless you're a creative pro or avid computer gamer. And let's face it, until you can get a 2TB SSD for something close to the price of a conventional disk, spinning hard drives will have to stick around for a while.

 

[Eug]

As a 5K iMac owner, I'm not too fussed about Fusion Drives. Arguably, it's the stuff that sits on the SSD portion -- the OS, your most frequently used files -- that you deal with most of the time. The content that has to sit on the slower drive usually isn't speed-sensitive unless you're a creative pro or avid computer gamer. And let's face it, until you can get a 2TB SSD for something close to the price of a conventional disk, spinning hard drives will have to stick around for a while.

I bought a 1 TB SSD for my internal drive, and got an external 1 TB USB 3 SSD.

 

[Commodus]

I bought a 1 TB SSD for my internal drive, and got an external 1 TB USB 3 SSD.

Ah, but how much did you pay for each? The pricing is getting better, but even a 1TB SSD is still pretty expensive in my experience.