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I have been debating getting a new MBP for the past year but my 2010 15" MBP still runs so well with the memory and storage upgrades I made to it a couple years ago. But I guess it's time...or will be soon. Probably can squeeze another year or so out of it. My 2008 died last year at the 7 year mark.
 
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There is no reason for Apple to discontinue OSX support for any Mac UNTIL it is is impossible to support them. Microsoft supports computers up to 12 years old with Windows 10 that is supposedly

The difference there though is that Microsoft don't make the majority of drivers that make the hardware work - so there's little reason third parties can't continue to create drivers that work with versions of Windows.

With Mac hardware though Apple themselves have to write and maintain all the kext for all hardware they've ever used - they have to have a certain cut off point. To be fair (as you pointed out, this wasn't about OS X compatibility and I was jesting over that) but they do provide support up to about 7 years. But think of the support request they get from people who don't understand why Handoff or instant Hotspot, some of the most advertised features don't work because they haven't got Bluetooth LE chips.
 
Nothing new, Apple has used this planned obsolescence model for years. It's part of their highly successful marketing practices.

It adds to the elitist snob appeal factor that you see in many forums. Notice the comment above, looking down on those who like the model they have, calling them "cheap as..es".
They didn't really get into planned obsolescence until 2012. With the old iMacs, you could upgrade hard drives, RAM and sound cards. And you could upgrade hard drives and RAM on all Macs. It wasn't until 2012 that they started soldering in RAM and using a proprietary interface for Solid State Drives.
 
The difference there though is that Microsoft don't make the majority of drivers that make the hardware work - so there's little reason third parties can't continue to create drivers that work with versions of Windows.

With Mac hardware though Apple themselves have to write and maintain all the kext for all hardware they've ever used - they have to have a certain cut off point. To be fair (as you pointed out, this wasn't about OS X compatibility and I was jesting over that) but they do provide support up to about 7 years. But think of the support request they get from people who don't understand why Handoff or instant Hotspot, some of the most advertised features don't work because they haven't got Bluetooth LE chips.

Even without drivers though, Windows now usually has the basic drivers to allow a computer to be functional or will work with older drivers. My 2008 White Macbook runs Windows 10 very well with drivers made for Windows 7, and even without those drivers, most things worked anyway out of the box. You can install Windows 10 on almost any computer that meets the minimum specifications and have a mostly working machine.

While I appreciate there is work to do to keep compatibility, its not like Macs are cheap, they're expensive and high margin products so part of those margins should be going into long term compatibility. The way that Apple handled certain machines with 10.8 (namely not being bothered to write a 64 bit kext) was downright bad. My Machine was 3.5 years old and I paid $1800 for it - over 5 times more than the $350 Compaq Presario that was also bought a couple of months before it. The Presario runs Windows 10 with no fuss, where as the 2008 Macbook is stranded back on 10.7.

I can understand why handoff won't work on certain devices, as Apple created it based on Bluetooth 4.0 technology so obviously will not work on hardware without bluetooth 4.0, as there is no driver that Apple can magically write. However instances where Apple have arbitrarily cut off support for quite recent machines that cost A LOT to purchase, that is what annoys me. I believe machines should be made to last as long as they can as that is best for the environment and those who like holding onto machines for a long time. So with that in mind I do congratulate Apple on their good support of certain 2007 machines + certain 2008 Machines, and hope that they are supported for as long as possible, even if it means those machines miss out on features.
 
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I had my GPU replaced in late February, so missed the obsolescence by less than a month. I am so glad that I stopped procrastinating and just got it fixed.

My brother is a lucky man, as he will gift him this computer when I upgrade later this year.
 
Even without drivers though, Windows now usually has the basic drivers to allow a computer to be functional or will work with older drivers. My 2008 White Macbook runs Windows 10 very well with drivers made for Windows 7, and even without those drivers, most things worked anyway out of the box. You can install Windows 10 on almost any computer that meets the minimum specifications and have a mostly working machine.

While I appreciate there is work to do to keep compatibility, its not like Macs are cheap, they're expensive and high margin products so part of those margins should be going into long term compatibility. The way that Apple handled certain machines with 10.8 (namely not being bothered to write a 64 bit kext) was downright bad. My Machine was 3.5 years old and I paid $1800 for it - over 5 times more than the $350 Compaq Presario that was also bought a couple of months before it. The Presario runs Windows 10 with no fuss, where as the 2008 Macbook is stranded back on 10.7.

I can understand why handoff won't work on certain devices, as Apple created it based on Bluetooth 4.0 technology so obviously will not work on hardware without bluetooth 4.0, as there is no driver that Apple can magically write. However instances where Apple have arbitrarily cut off support for quite recent machines that cost A LOT to purchase, that is what annoys me. I believe machines should be made to last as long as they can as that is best for the environment and those who like holding onto machines for a long time. So with that in mind I do congratulate Apple on their good support of certain 2007 machines + certain 2008 Machines, and hope that they are supported for as long as possible, even if it means those machines miss out on features.

To be honest I think Apple's support for old machines is excellent. You might not think so but I find a 2007 computer ancient. I think its commendable they bother to support such devices. The thing though with Mac's (specifically the Macbook's) is they're so well made they still do work properly after 5 years. Growing up I never had a Dell that lasted more than 3 year before it was basically junk with no resale value that needed throwing in the bin. And any laptops we had (which weren't made until I was a little bit older) if the plastic keyboard hadn't broken and it didn't take 5 minutes to boot up, then the battery was totally dead and if you didn't have it plugged into power all the time it switched off. I've seen that only every single PC laptop ever - i've never seen it on a Macbook and in fact the battery holding time of all the Macbooks i've had has been excellent. Thats before we get into resale value.

The G5 is probably one of the best systems I had, it felt like I owned it forever, but it was from 2005 until about 2009 and it was still worth a fair chunk of money when I sold it even though it was a PPC system. I can't imagine wanting to own a computer for any longer than I had that G5 even though, compared to top end PC's id bought it still worked as well as the first day I got it out of the box. As someone who likes to play with new technology there's too much change in that time for me to not want to buy something else. Hell the force touch track pad alone was reason enough to upgrade my 2014 Macbook Pro.
 
I have a 15 MBP mid 2010 laying around.

Only thing I think it might need soon maybe is a battery replacement

Does this mean I can't even get that serviced or they just wont sell the battery for it to me at all ? :confused:

I would look for third party repair companies. For example, here in the Bay Area we have a company that is really terrific. We have had them work on our "obsolete" Macs:

http://www.allmac.com/
 
It's driven by California statutes - and those are some things that can't be made up... Every industry is affected differently in California for some reason.
Including this one. Vintage Apple products can still be serviced in California (and in Turkey). So if you're in California, you get an extra two years until it's "Obsolete" before losing access to service.
 
I'd love to buy a 2011 17 inch again. The way apple works though it'll be obsolete next year though.
 
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