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Average Apple Device Lifespan Estimated at Just Over Four Years by Analyst

My main desktop computer at home is a 2.0 ghz intel core2duo mac mini that I bought in April 2009.

Still going strong.

I replaced the internal HDD with an SSD 3 or so years ago and that basically made it feel like a brand new computer.

I'll be sad when it finally decides to give up, had a good run so far!
 
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It seems any evidence that negatively conflicts with this 'study' is dubbed anecdotal. As others have pointed out, the tremendous number of IOS devices effectively skews the results to yield a fraudulent conclusion. Its poor methodology does not help matters either. I have never had an Apple device to fail. This includes a 40 year old 1978 Apple][. I may no longer use some of my devices but they are still working available and for use. In my experience, whenever there is a need to hide unpleasant inconvenient facts, use statistics.
 
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I find this a bit absurd... My iMac 2007 still works. Slow and some functions are not available, but it still works. I don't do banking on it, considering it may not protect me properly, but I still use it 'internally', to watch tv shows, pictures, play music, etc...

My MBA 2013 still functions as if it was brand new. I'm using an iPhone 5S working perfectly. I still use the original iPad as an ebook reader and as a music scores library.

My iPad mini 2 still works beautifully.

I find continuing using devices as long as they function is the best way to protect the environment from all the phones and electronics that are filling out dumps in the world. Of course, if someone ALWAYS wants the latest functionalities and can afford changing all their devices everytime there's a new product out, I'm fine with this. But this is absolutely not an obligation or it is not forced to us by Apple. The choice is always ours to decide.
 
CerebralX said:
Is this why my 2008 iMac worked fine until it finally broke last year at the age of 9 years?
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I'm writing this on my daughter's hand-me-down (to Dad) 2008 unibody MacBook,13" which keeps company with a Cube G4/500 (2001), a TiBook 667 (2002), Mac Pro 1,1 (2006), 17" MBP (2011) and a two year old Mini. All send their regards.
 
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I get about 7 years on a desktop. Heck my 2009 Mac Pro is still humming along and I expect it to be good for use for at least another 3, hardware wise. If Apple disallows 10.14 on a 5,1 then I'm going to look for "alternative installation means" I guess.
 
I may be bad for Apple's bottomline, but what I love about Apple products is that I've been lucky in stretching their lifespan considerably.
 
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Jcxa said:
It seems any evidence that negatively conflicts with this 'study' is dubbed anecdotal. As others have pointed out, the tremendous number of IOS devices effectively skews the results to yield a fraudulent conclusion. Its poor methodology does not help matters either. I have never had an Apple device to fail. This includes a 40 year old 1978 Apple][. I may no longer use some of my devices but they are still working available and for use. In my experience, whenever there is a need to hide unpleasant inconvenient facts, use statistics.
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Given the number of assumptions in this study, 10 million other "experts" (incl. "analists" of the poorer category) would come up with 10 million different lifespan outcomes.
So what's the purpose of this ? Further enticement into planned obsolescense ?
 
I have a macbook pro from 2009 that still works. It's heavy, there's a crack in the bezel below the screen, but it runs well enough. Will I be replacing it with a new laptop this year, yes. But that's only because I want a retina display. But damn if that thing hasn't lasted me a long time. I have a year old iMac 5k as my main machine now, and I fully expect to use this until at least 2020, unless I get sick of this not being on a visa mount, and decided to upgrade.
 
My main machine is a 2010 15" MBP. I upgraded the hard drive to an SSD, still works great. Although lately, it's been displaying symptoms of a GPU problem. On the other hand, my I traded in my iPhone 6 for an 8Plus. The battery life was terrible, so I just decided to trade it in. My son uses the Ipad Retina to play games and watch videos (still working great). Also still in use, iPod Video (replaced the HD with SD card) and iPod Mini (replaced HD with CF card). I think most of the mobile devices hardware can/should have reasonable lifespan, but the batteries will not be able to keep up, at least not until the Li-I researchers come up with better batteries. It is the most volatile component of mobile hardware.

Other machines that I acquired and are still working (after a few upgrades): Mac Pro (2006), Powermac G5 (2004), Powermac G4 Quicksilver (2001), G4 Cube (2001), Powermac 6500 (1997), Performa 630CD (1994), Mac SE30 (1989), Macintosh IIsi (1990), Apple IIc (1984). I just keep them working to play old games every now and then.
 
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Have an iPad 1st Gen since 2009. Still own a rMBP from Late 2013 but have plans of replacing it with (shamefully) a Hackintosh, yet still keeping the rMBP. And the reason for that is almost simple: Not willing to pay £2000 for a 15in Macbook Pro just for the dedicated GPU, and it isn't even the ones with and without the TouchBar.

I also have an iPod Touch 2nd gen, an iPad Air and the iPad Pro 12.9, but I don't use them. The family does. I'm trying to be more of a Mac user than a Windows user.
 
The white 2006 iMacs in my experience lacked real longevity; developed GPU and overheating problems and I've had G4 iMacs give up and die. On the other hand I had a LaserWriter II for 17 years and then gave it away, still working. Canon's equipment is also long-lived; have a 2004 or 2005 vintage i9900 13" inkjet that's still going at the total parts cost of $80 a few years back for a print head, the only FireWire printer I've ever known of. Yeah, that's right. FireWire 400 printer.
 
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itsmilo said:
My MacBook Pro from Late 2012 still runs like on its first day.

My first gen Apple Watch on the other hand was dead on arrival (so slow, Steve Jobs would have never allowed it)
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My iPhone 6S Plus works like a champ - and my iMac 2011 21" 2.5Ghz works great - with 16gb Ram and a 1TB SSD. I have gone through a few PC's at work in the same period - the Mac just cruises. I am not editing huge videos, but some photo work...

Waiting on an iMac Pro.. In the interim when out and about I use a 12.9" 2nd Geo iPad Pro 256gb - that is fast. Woof.
 
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CerebralX said:
So what? Assuming that I don't know how averages work or assuming that I have used multiple apple products in the past and I am therefore making this comment. Which one seems more plausible?
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Your original statement was attempting to derail this average because of a single experience you had, which is in fact not how averages work...

Ignoring your original statement and then moving on to your family average, that's a much better case and I wouldn't have replied to that one. However since we're discussing it, given the huge number of people that own Apple devices, I imagine there are many who have had most of their devices last 2 years. If they applied that to the entirety of Apple's product base that would be equally wrong to you saying your own experience represents the masses.
 
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nitramwin said:
How did it break? For instance, I wouldn't count HDD failure. Am interested as I have an early 2009 iMac!
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Broken was a bit of an exaggeration. Broken enough to justify a new laptop for me. Using Lightroom and PS was a bit trying. Also the fact Snow Leopard was the most current OS that could be loaded was a bit depressing. A decade was enough time w/ "Jungle Julia", it was time to move on.
 
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My old Mac SE-30 had leaky capacitors. (Simisimac) My first iMac (Bondi Blue) blew out its transformer. My PowerBook 5300 died of unknown causes.

But all lived to ripe old ages. It isn't death that kills them, it's obsolescence. They work fine with their original operating systems and programs, but can't do what the newer machines can do. (The World Wide Web was developed on a NeXT cube. You can't surf the web on one now.)

The calculus is "does the new model have sufficient new features and functionality to warrant replacing the old." It seems that happened more often in the past; the pace of progress has slowed.
 
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Makes sense

My mac mini 2011 lasted 4 years then kaput ! DOA

My mac mini 2015 lasted 3 see above... pretty sure the cooling on these things is intrinsically badly designed , won't ever buy another one...£3k in just 5 years on minis alone...

Not really impressed with the current trend in mac hardware considering how expensive the things are now

Conversely my old macs lasted 10 years plus ! I had a Quadra 840av that was SO old I couldn't even go on the net with it but it still worked...

I'm on an iMac 27 maxxed out and if this thing packs up in 4 years , it will definitely be the last mac I ever buy :(
 
I had my first Apple devices fail when my wife’s iPhone 4S got a cracked screen (not really its fault) and my son's iPhone 5C essentially started going senile. Both were right around the four-year mark - we got them used. That said, I'm writing this on my workhorse 2011 Mac Pro.

I think broken (flooded, cracked) iPhones probably account for most of the study's conclusions, along with the methods used, sale of older computer equipment to other countries, people who toss completely functional machinery (both Mac and Windows computers die this way!) when they get something new, and of course conversion of old machines to Linux.
 
iTuna said:
My 2008 Mac Pro and 2010 MacBook Pro are both still highly functional, as are my 2003 iPod photo and 2009 iPod Touch.
Only thing I replace every year is my iPhone.
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The 09 imac I gave my mother to replace her computer, television, and home heating system has been used nearly every day since, and continues working surprisingly well, running Sierra. However, when it finally goes, it probably won't be replaced by another computer. ...probably just a TV with Netflix built in.

Oddly, the 09 17" MBP I use for nearly everything in home, office, and shop, has 8GB of ram in it, and an antiquey Core2Duo chipset. We burned up four other more powerful 17" MBPs in the office in just a few years, but this 09 just keeps on running smoothly nearly a decade later. It even runs solid modelling applications and runs CNC mills in a pinch. Crazy. ...meanwhile an 8 month old Max-Spec iMac sits on my desk going completely unused. :confused:
 
I have a MacBook Pro (1,1), which I purchased in 2006. It is kind of slow these days, with modern software demands, but it still runs and works. Apple no longer supports OS updates for it, so I'm running Linux as its OS. It is 12 years old and running just fine. I can't speak for current or recent Apple hardware - I'm guessing planned obsolescence has horned in since SJ died.
 
PowerMac 7300, bought 1997, running system 8.6 and still working well (except for Internet Explorer ...)
G5 2.7, bought 2005, running Tiger and still working.
Both have their uses. Present main model is iMac 2015.
 
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