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Average Life Span of a Macbook Pro

We are still using the first Apple Notebook I ever owned .... a 15" Powerbook.

It is about 6 years old now.

Our MacBooks and Powerbooks are still kicking as well, they are 3 and 4 years old.

I laugh when people say ......


" Add an SSD and it will run like new! "

What's that supposed to mean?

We did a clean reinstall of the original OS and software on the six year old Powerbook not long ago and it ran just like new. NO SSD NEEDED! :D
 
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thundersteele said:
If I wouldn't get a new one, I would do the following now: Upgrade RAM to 4 or 6 GB, put in a SSD, and buy a new battery.
Click to expand...

Let me guess -- you're from Israel! ? Right?

"If I wouldn't get a new one" in English should be: "If I weren't going to be getting a new one" (well there are other variations, just yours is not one of them haha)
 
I'm still using my late 07 white MB, I upgraded the hard drive to 7200rpm and 4gb RAM. My hard drive failed early this year, I guess I'm lucky to have it failed that month while harddrive still cheap. I put 500gb 7200rpm inside. I also got my battery replaced for free for bulging issue 3 months ago.
Despite its exterior appearance (yellowing color around keyboard, some crack near the screen), It's working perfectly and still quite fast for what I need. I want to replace it but can't justify replacing a working macbook. Fortunately, I don't like current MBP color scheme, so I have no itch to get one :D I'm definitely waiting to see the next gen MBP.
 
Just sold a 2006 CD macbook in excellent working condition and I have another 2006 15" CD macbook pro with a broken screen that I've hooked up to my 40" LCD and use to control my media center. it is working out great. i can't upgrade it to lion like my 09 mbp, but it doesnt really need it as it's working great on snow leopard
 
I have a 2007 aluminum unibody MacBook. I would love to find an excuse to upgrade to a new MBP or MBA, but the blasted thing refuses to die. It's had a few problems: the hard drive dying about a year after the warranty expired (thankfully, I was able to recover the files after much sweat and tears); the DVD drive recently stopped working (vibrates like crazy before spitting out the disk); and it's covered in dents from falling off of the couch (gosh, I wonder what caused the first two problems?). But it still works just fine.

In contrast, my old Dell laptop pretty much lost molecular cohesion literally two days after the warranty ran out: screen components cracked and separated (was able to keep it held together for a couple days longer by using a clothes pin, but eventually the screen died completely), DVD died as well, and keys went flying off when my cat walked across the keyboard! I've got it hooked up to an external monitor for watching Netflix videos.
 
stickybuns said:
[...] and it's covered in dents from falling off of the couch (gosh, I wonder what caused the first two problems?). But it still works just fine.

[...] and keys went flying off when my cat walked across the keyboard
Click to expand...

I found the perfect laptop for you:

originalCF_19_01_mk2_klein.jpg
 
thundersteele said:
Lol.

I thought all unibody MBPs can take 8 GB ram.
Click to expand...

Who hasn't stepped on their MBP's hard drive in a drunken stupor? ;)

Also, I was under the impression that the Late 2008 Unibody MBP's could only work with 6GB RAM, even though Apple suggests the max is 4GB... If I can upgrade to 8GB, that would be awesome...
 
Heebeejeebies said:
Who hasn't stepped on their MBP's hard drive in a drunken stupor? ;)

Also, I was under the impression that the Late 2008 Unibody MBP's could only work with 6GB RAM, even though Apple suggests the max is 4GB... If I can upgrade to 8GB, that would be awesome...
Click to expand...

It can with the latest EFI update via Software Update.
 
My white late 2006 is still a nifty little computer that I still use occasionally (upgraded RAM and HD). I know that I should sell it --- it's in very good cosmetic condition as well, but it was my first Mac computer and it has sentimental value to me.

I can only hope that I get similar performances from my MP, MBAs and MBP.
 
My MacBook

I have a nice computer. It is the early 2008 aluminum MacBook. That's right. I own the first and only Aluminum Unibody MacBook ever built.

I remember the day I walked into the Apple store with my father to purchase this laptop.
My father had purchased the first iPhone and was enamored by the delicate simplicity of an Apple product. I loved my third generation, white iPod to death.
Most days, early in the morning, when my father would either come to say goodbye, or - more often than not - wake me up before leaving for work, hey would pull those basic Apple headphones out of my ears and worry about my hearing, and what went into my head at night.
At any rate, neither of us knew much of anything about computers, other than the fact that we had the process of wiping and re-installing Windows XP on our home machines down to a quick and weekly science. We were fed-up and, with our tentative introduction into the Apple eco-system, we knew exactly where to go.
I remember the day I walked into the Apple store with my father to purchase this laptop, and the days and weeks after the purchase, when we would call one another in marvel over some novel function or feature, and general ease of use.
What was once a stressful interaction, using a computer now only provided us with delight beyond reason.

It has been exactly three years now, and we've been through a lot.

I have even used this computer to rip a two terabyte film collection & a 10,000 song iTunes Library.

Every weekend or so I wipe down the screen and enclosure till it is spic-and-spin.

It looks and performs like new, everyday.

One day, I will replace it. But, there is no rush. There should never be a rush.
Today an Apple product to me is like a "classic car", especially those of the mid-twenieth century automotive industry.
Like a 1960's Mustang, my MacBook roars with a certain elegance, as does my father's iPhone (yep, he still uses the first one).
Enjoy and cherish what you invest in, don't fiend like an addict for the "latest and greatest".
Live life simple. :apple:
 
4-6 years depending on the software, and potentially far longer. My 2.4Ghz Penryn 4.1 MacBook Pro (early 2008) runs great, still completely original never having to do much than blow out the dust from the fans. I just upgraded to a i7 2.4Ghz 8.2 MacBook Pro and I fully expect this Mac to last as long as all my previous one's.
 
I bought a 2005 15 inch PowerBook last May I wanted to keep it bit longer but I am deaf I need to use webcam even though iSight webcam work fine on some apps but not work on PowerPC cpu so I am forced to upgrade to MacBook Pro so I can use some latest apps for webcam :(
 
I got my 2.4ghz Santa Rosa in 06/2007 and it's still going strong. I leave the thing running 24/7 too so the most I've had to do in terms of repairs is replace the fans.

Still runs great though. I love my comp.
 
My 17" MB Pro (2,1) early 2007 still runs perfectly every day, now on Mountain Lion.

Had two early warranty failures of motherboard apparently related to ATI Radion X1600 graphics card in it's first year of use.

More recently added 8gig memory, changed out original HD (which I use now as an external drive), replaced with 500gb, 7200rpm Seagate High Speed Hybrid drive with 3gb SS cache. I really like this Seagate Hybrid and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a huge improvement in speed with little cost.

I intend to add to my collection of Apple products a new MacBook Pro, preferable 17" but will buy a 15" if the 17" is abandoned or not upgraded, as soon as the new models are released next month.

My old MB Pro will move over a foot or so on my work table and continue to serve me well until it eventually expires.
 
My Rev 1.1 technically still works, though the HDD is on it's way out. I treated it poorly at the end, so I'd say at least 5, probably 6 or so.
 
if you get one that has relatively high end new specs, i'd say 5-6 years easy. I expect to use my early 2011 17" through 2016 or 2017.
 
The computer will still do what it does today in any amount of years... Nothing changes within the computer. Macs don't really slow down with time. Usually, your needs will grow with time as you want to use the newest and greatest software. I had my aluminium macbook(2008) until recently. It was getting slow for me as my needs grew (I produce music and I started to edit HD video). Still a capable machine. I traveled with it everyday without a case and you really needed to pay close attention to notice the wear and tear on it. Macs keep their value much better thans PCs. I bought it 1200 and sold it for 700.

If you're going to be a creative professional, you'll probably want to change your computer fairly often. It allows you to keep up and also doesn't cost you that much as the computer keeps quite a bit of it's value. Though if you really want to keep it or start using it a secondary machine, it will surely last you many years.
 
I brought a early 2011, 13'' MBP, i5 with 8GB of RAM for University, starting in September 2012.

It needs to last for over 3 years, as I won't be able to afford a new machine during my studies. I don't expect my battery to last more than a year, but I'm happy to replace it for £100 when it starts to perform poorly.

Even if my MBP runs flawlessly after I've finished University, I still probably sell it and buy an iPad until I need a laptop again.
 
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