Question Macs Longevity?

[ibex333]

So it seems like the cutoff on how long a brand new mac can be used is around 7-8 years. After that, Apple cuts support for the latest OS, and the computer no longer has access to all the latest features of the OS and security updates.

Please correct me if I am wrong about the above.

In the case of a PC, a PC can stay more or less "relevant" for basic everyday tasks such as email, internet and word processing easily for 10 years or more. Hell a well maintained Pentium 4 computer will run Windows 10 32bit fine. And that will keep receiving latest security updates. Sure, you-tube will run like crap, and forget about good 1080p video support or any sort of gaming, but at least it's something you can work with. Even when all else fails, there's plenty of hacks and workarounds which will let you squeeze a few more years out of an ancient PC.


Whats your experience with Macs in this regard?

Thanks.

 

[DigDog]

Uh, yes and no.
Modern macs are just PCs with a weird motherboard. They will last for however long the CPU remains relevant, so about 5 years or so. You do not have "the option to upgrade" but that option is hardly ever used on common PCs anyway. The initial costs are higher, as you have to pay a premium for otherwise cheap stuff like SSD space and RAM.
Apple does a good job of making sure their OS can function on older models, so you should have no problem there.
Having said that, i wouldnt want to deal with Apple because their user experience comes at the cost of limitations on what you can actually run, while Windows-based computers have almost unlimited access to free stuff, with the caveat that you need to know how a computer works.

 

[paperfist]

I wonder how it works if you upgrade your Mac's CPU/RAM/HD as far as being able to install the latest OS?

 

[ibex333]

I wonder how it works if you upgrade your Mac's CPU/RAM/HD as far as being able to install the latest OS?

It would not affect your ability to install latest OS as long as CPU and GPU support it. The problem, is that newer Macs do not allow you to upgrade anything. Even RAM.

 

[amyklai]

Longevity results of 4 factors:
- Quality
- Software support
- Upgradeability
- Repairability and repair cost

Apple usually has good initial quality (although the fact that my 2015 12" MB is on its third keyboard tells me its worse than it used to be).

Macs are supported for quite some time, although there were occasions where Apple left users stranded (OS 9 -> OS X, 68k Macs -> Intel) and Windows usually supports old hardware for a bit longer.

Upgradeability and Repairability is where Apple is really bad. The new Macs with the T2 chip lock out 3rd party repair shops, and Apple usually declares hardware obsolete after 5 years or so, so it's questionable if theres a distinct possibility that there will be no way to repair those Macs once Apple doesn't offer repairs any more.

So, all in all, I'd say they're about average, all things considered. Not as bad as cheap PC brands, on par with unrepairable good quality PC brands with builtin obsolescence like Surface, but clearly worse than repairable and upgradeable good quality PC brands like Thinkpads.

 

[paperfist]

It would not affect your ability to install latest OS as long as CPU and GPU support it. The problem, is that newer Macs do not allow you to upgrade anything. Even RAM.

That wouldn't be good if true. I just bought my first Apple, an iMac from 2015 and I'm shocked that you can upgrade the RAM, CPU and I even seen some people talk about doing the GPU. Of course it's no where's near as straightforward as taking out 2 screws on a PC...

 

[TheStu]

That wouldn't be good if true. I just bought my first Apple, an iMac from 2015 and I'm shocked that you can upgrade the RAM, CPU and I even seen some people talk about doing the GPU. Of course it's no where's near as straightforward as taking out 2 screws on a PC...

The iMac Pro still has socketed RAM and CPU, but it's officially NOT user-serviceable, and I don't even know if the CPU is something that they'd let you pay to upgrade after the fact. The blade SSDs are also removeable, BUT since the T2 is controlling them, who knows what's involved in replacing those (and it's a proprietary connector so you'd have to go with system pulled components or wait 5 years for OWC to produce viable replacements).

 

[ZGR]

Apple still supports my Macbook Pro from 2012. I do all the repairs on it myself. I have replaced the keyboard 3 times from spills and a bunch of other work.

I really do wonder how long Apple will support my GPU, as that is the root problem for long term support; it is Kepler. And since it also has HD 4000, Apple must support both.

I can see them dropping Kepler support next version. I have a good feeling GCN will last a bit longer. I would be concerned about long term Nvidia support.

I also wonder how long Iris Pro will be supported for. They support every Intel CPU with an L4 cache so far.

 

[Fir]

I have a 15" 2012 rmpb in top config that cost $3800 back in the day.
Battery has 440 cycles and most of its use was plugged in. Used a Moshi silicon keyboard cover so no shiny key syndrome. Also in plastic clamshell case. Looks brand new. Last night I put Mojave on it. It runs really well for a computer that's going on 7 years old. The main difference is SSD speed as the SATA connected flash is considerably slower than the PCI-E SSDs they use now.

I have several newer Macbooks. The 2015 15" first model with force touch trackpad and crystalwell i7 in max config with 1TB nvme SSD is probably the best. I do love the older keyboards.

I also own a few of the newer ones and am concerned, genuinely concerned with warranties expiring and the issue coined "flexgate".

https://flexgate.me

This looks worse than the keyboard issue and it seems like all of them are destined to fail, only a matter of time. Frequent opening and closing of the lid accelerates the process but interestingly enough they seem to fail just after the warranty expires. Not cool at all!

 

[sashton]

I have an rMBP Late 2013 and still in good condition. Upgraded to Mojave and runs smoothly. However, it is not used extensively. mainly for web browsing and basic office.

 

[Arkaign]

Hilariously, I had a circa 2006 MacBook Pro 17. Early Intel model, Core 2 Duo with I think an ATI X1300 video or very similar. OSX support had long been canned on it, but I was able to install Windows 7 right off the disc, upgrade it to 4GB of DDR2, and upgrade to an old spare 160GB Intel SSD I had, bought a new battery for it for cheap. Ran like a top Decided to give W10 a go on it, and it actually worked, but it took some effort to get the ATI video going properly. I gave it away a good while back