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

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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I've got an iMac from late 2007 with 4GB of RAM and and an SSD, and also a MacBook Air from mid 2012. They both work like a charm. My iMac has had some minor repairs, but my MacBook Air hasn't given me any trouble yet!

Oh, and a 2006 iPod, perfectly functional! Still using it as my main MP3 player.
 
justperry said:
That's not really their point, I tend to agree with them, why do you need a new phone each and every year?
Sure, they can buy what they want, I don't care yet I don't see the point of buying a new one on a yearly bases.
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I do agree that there is no need. I usually skip one or two generations depending on the specs/enhancements. However, I’d dare say that updating a phone is not everything that is wrong with this world.
 
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Yeah, it would be more useful to separate the iPhone from the other devices. I keep an iPhone two years, but get a new MacBook Pro only when there is a major upgrade, averaging over 4-5 years. I have iMacs at my office that get daily use and are ten years old :)::touch wood:::).
 
Sounds about right. At about 4 1/2 years (on average) is when I begin to swap out parts (RAM, HD, etc.). Now that isn't really possible since practically every Mac is a glue bomb.
 
yaxomoxay said:
Wow.
Even more that murderers, rapists, Boko Harm, militias, dictators, etc?
[doublepost=1520000729][/doublepost]
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To that point, many of the metals acquired to build these devices are mined in illegal or unethical ways that various groups like Boko Haram profit from. Good news though, just a couple of days ago Apple announced they are going to start sourcing Cobalt directly from miners. Which forces them into ethical compliance.
 
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grobik said:
To that point, many of the metals acquired to build these devices are mined in illegal or unethical ways that various groups like Boko Haram profit from. Good news though, just a couple of days ago Apple announced they are going to start sourcing Cobalt directly from miners. Which forces them into ethical compliance.
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Question: isn’t Foxconn responsible for the parts, chips excluded?
 
Even though its very imprecise and biased towards iOS devices, it actually makes perfect sense and is in line with what we know about consumer electronics lifespans.
 
Just over 4 years for a Mac? I replaced my 07 MBp in 2013 only because the logic board fried. The 2013 retina model I have STILL feels brand new. As much as I would love to pick up one of the touch-bar models, I see no reason to replace for quite a long time. I'm expecting it to last me well beyond 2020.

If I'm spending as much I am on a laptop, I would hope I'd get way more than 4 years out of it. If the applications I use (sketch, adobe cc, etc.) open and run, then I'm good to go.
 
I just reactivated a 27" mid 2010 iMac i7-870 2.9MHz 4 cores and it's still great for email, browsing and watching movies.
 
yaxomoxay said:
I do agree that there is no need. I usually skip one or two generations depending on the specs/enhancements. However, I’d dare say that updating a phone is not everything that is wrong with this world.
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I bet a yearly trip to the sun with a plane does more damage to the environment then buying a new iPhone each and every year.
I myself buy them every 2-3 years and give the old one to my girl, she's happy with it.
 
Most if not all my Apple devices are EOLd by Apple. My G5 is still working fine and could probably run snow leopard or lion just fine if they released it for PowerPC. My Mac Pro 1,1 to replace my G5 was halted by Lion. My MBP 2012 is still going strong. Apple is eyeing that now and my work Mac mini 2014 is next.
iPhone 4,4S,5 have been tossed under the bus and the Apple TV 2 and series 1 watch are next.
 
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This is worthless data. You can't combine all products together to get a meaningful result. Some products are designed for long time use, and some not, especially with the trend that most people update their phone at least every couple years. Like others, my 3 Macs are all 8-10 years old, with no immediate replacement plans.

Can I add my working Apple II+ to the data?
 
StrangeNoises said:
Speaking for myself, when a Mac is no longer supported by the latest MacOS it gets Linux put on it, and may then "enjoy" a pretty long second life, or semi-retirement maybe, as a small server. But presumably would not then count as "active".

Although having said that I can't even get latest-Ubuntu on my 1st gen Mac Mini any more :-( Other linuxes may be possible but I think honestly it's gone beyond my ability to care enough to do it, when it's slower than the raspberry pi i now have doing those sorts of jobs.

Doesn't apply to iOS devices of course.
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Still running my MBP Core Duo from 2006. It's only 32 bit, so Apple quit supporting shortly after Steve Jobs died. I now have Mountain Lion and Linux Mint as a dual boot. I don't seriously use it anymore other than to occasionally update the Linux partition. I'm keeping it around as a reminder of how good Apple products used to be.
 
I'll go along with this .... I have a 2013 Retina iMac and 2013 MacBook Pro. I have no urge to upgrade either. May think different if they weren't top spec but either way, I'll go on for another few years.
 
So designing products for batteries issues that occur after 2 years might be a good idea?
 
Used a 2008 MacBook for 10 years before it failed.

Still using a 4 year old iPad Air without issues (a bit slow I admit).

On the other hand: my S0 Apple Watch failed after 2.5 years.
 
recoil80 said:
My iPhone 4, bought in August 2010, is now in a drawer but after I used it I passed to my father, then my mother until fall 2017, so about 7 years. She's now using my old iPhone 5 bought in 2013, so about 5 years ago.
The life span of a Mac is much longer, my in laws are using my old mid 2009 MBP and my aunt is using my mid 2012 MBA. I'd say a Mac can have at least 10 years of life before becoming almost useless.
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I've been using my iMac from late 2007. I upgraded its original 2GB with 4GB of RAM, and its Hard-Drive with a SSD. So far it's working flawlessly, perfectly functional and fast, and still using it as my main desktop computer. I'm using it together with a MacBook Air from 2012.
 
We've got three Macs in the house all circa 2010. All used every day without a glitch.

For the record, there are a few in the house much newer than this, but there are no plans to replace them any time soon.
 
curtvaughan said:
Still running my MBP Core Duo from 2006. It's only 32 bit, so Apple quit supporting shortly after Steve Jobs died. I now have Mountain Lion and Linux Mint as a dual boot. I don't seriously use it anymore other than to occasionally update the Linux partition. I'm keeping it around as a reminder of how good Apple products used to be.
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I still have a Powerbook G3 Pismo and a Powerbook G4, the Pismo is from 2000 and the powerbook G4 from around 2004/5, they both work although they both have issues, the G3 is properly working one;y if I don't move the display, it crashes instantly if I move it, the G4 sometimes does not switch on, it will take some effort to get it running again but it will startup.
 
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