Can a MacBook last for 10 years?

[millerj123]

I guess I'm missing the point. Aren't you so wealthy things like longevity don't matter? You'll just buy the next $15,000 mac pro next year anyway. Or is your online personality not your real person?

Beyond the snark (which I feel totally warranted) no, although the computer will still be working, there will just be too many bottlenecks for it to still be viable.

I have an upgraded Toshiba laptop from 2000 that still boots and runs, but there's no way I'd use it day-to-day.

 

[James_C]

What's the latest OS X version that your machine supports?

OS x 10.7 - Lion

Using it to type this reply

 

[Closingracer]

This thread directed my curiosity to where Apple's flagship laptop the 15" MacBook Pro was 10 years ago. In 2006 Apple introduced the MacBook Pro, replacing the Powerbook G4. Could you see yourself using this MacBook Pro today? Here's a quick look at the specs from it's press release.

The 1.67 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 1.67 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;

The 1.83 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
• 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
• 100GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;

Additional build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 120GB (5400 rpm) or 100GB (7200 rpm) hard drive, and up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM

Apple - Press Info - Apple Introduces MacBook Pro

500mb of RAM is stupidly low...
Otherwise the specs are fine

 

[Hieveryone]

Typing on a 2011 spotless MBA with 350 cycles running EL Capitan no sweat. Plenty of life left and blazing fast compared to the younger Windows machine I'm letting go.

I think modern machines are at a point where more power isn't needed. Case in point? rMB.

This is a REALLY good perspective. I think you're right about modern computers not needing to be the latest, greatest, and fastest computer out there.

If you aren't a power user, rMB specs are fine. I only use safari, word, mail, notes, google earth sometimes, maps, face time, etc.

I updated to El Cap, and I really like it. My computer does not seem slower, and everyone runs great. I like it more than Mavericks. I never had Yosemite, which was probably a good thing given what I read on here from some users.

I can see myself holding on to this computer for a long time, I hope.

I will be keeping El Cap until they stop giving security updates, which will probably be for about another 2.5 years.

I have had my MBPr for about 2.5 years already, so I am good for 5 years.

After that, my hope is that I will still be able to use my MBPr without it getting slow. I know there will be a new operating system, which will pack more features, but I hope it is optimized for my machine and it does not get slow.

Of course, if 4k becomes mainstream, or some other processor/RAM heavy feature(s), I will upgrade. If not, I intend to keep my MBPr for as long as I can.
[doublepost=1463950557][/doublepost]

500mb of RAM is stupidly low...
Otherwise the specs are fine

Since 2006, technology has necessitated meany people needing better specs. But these days, we have notebooks being released with LOWER specs simply because more power is wasted power for some. Example being rMB.

 

[xraydoc]

This thread directed my curiosity to where Apple's flagship laptop the 15" MacBook Pro was 10 years ago. In 2006 Apple introduced the MacBook Pro, replacing the Powerbook G4. Could you see yourself using this MacBook Pro today? Here's a quick look at the specs from it's press release.

The 1.67 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 1.67 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load SuperDrive™ (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;

The 1.83 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

• 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
• 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
• 100GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;

Additional build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 120GB (5400 rpm) or 100GB (7200 rpm) hard drive, and up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM

Apple - Press Info - Apple Introduces MacBook Pro

Nope. 5 years? No problem. I have a 2011 11" MacBook Air that, aside from the battery which gets about 2 hrs per charge, runs perfectly fine. And has no problem running the software I need with the exception of my VMs due to its 4GB RAM limit.

10 years? That's a different ball game. That machine won't even run the software I need it to (Office 2016, current version of iWork, Parallels and a Win7 or Win10 VM) since it won't run the current version of MacOS. Even fully maxed out at 2GB RAM, it would barely boot anything remotely modern. Heck, my iPhone benchmarks higher than that machine.

5-6 years? Sure. 10? Too many compromises required for me.
[doublepost=1463958295][/doublepost]

Since 2006, technology has necessitated meany people needing better specs. But these days, we have notebooks being released with LOWER specs simply because more power is wasted power for some. Example being rMB.

But it's not really lower-spec'd. The graphics are still ~10x times faster. The current Core M CPUs are fully 64-bit capable, modern architecture and virtualization compliant... but with a low base clock speed to remain battery friendly. They have 4-8GB of RAM - four times as much as machines from 10 years ago. And their storage systems are 10x larger and 10-20x as fast (up to 512GB SSD). And the screens have more than 4x the number of pixels.

Even a base 2016 MacBook would run circles around the highest spec 2006 MBP.

 

[iBilal]

I have a 2012 rMBP 15" .. and _love_ it! ..

I have not had a single issue .. not one ..

there's no slowing down .. in fact, I think it's gotten faster with the updates ..

I wouldn't need another machine for years .. or if this thing breaks down and conks out on me .. don't see that happening ..

I bought a late 2013 rMBP 2.6/8/256 and I really love it. I hope to be using it for a very long time.

Any users out there who are using older MacBooks without any problems or major slow-downs?

 

[Hieveryone]

Nope. 5 years? No problem. I have a 2011 11" MacBook Air that, aside from the battery which gets about 2 hrs per charge, runs perfectly fine. And has no problem running the software I need with the exception of my VMs due to its 4GB RAM limit.

10 years? That's a different ball game. That machine won't even run the software I need it to (Office 2016, current version of iWork, Parallels and a Win7 or Win10 VM) since it won't run the current version of MacOS. Even fully maxed out at 2GB RAM, it would barely boot anything remotely modern. Heck, my iPhone benchmarks higher than that machine.

5-6 years? Sure. 10? Too many compromises required for me.
[doublepost=1463958295][/doublepost]
But it's not really lower-spec'd. The graphics are still ~10x times faster. The current Core M CPUs are fully 64-bit capable, modern architecture and virtualization compliant... but with a low base clock speed to remain battery friendly. They have 4-8GB of RAM - four times as much as machines from 10 years ago. And their storage systems are 10x larger and 10-20x as fast (up to 512GB SSD). And the screens have more than 4x the number of pixels.

Even a base 2016 MacBook would run circles around the highest spec 2006 MBP.

I meant compared to MacBook Pro's released within the last several years. I bet there are MacBook Pro's that were released last year, maybe even in 2014, 2013, or even 2012 which higher specs than the rMB.
[doublepost=1463971699][/doublepost]

I meant compared to MacBook Pro's released within the last several years. I bet there are MacBook Pro's that were released last year, maybe even in 2014, 2013, or even 2012 which higher specs than the rMB.

Point being, tech as of recently hasn't necessitated more power (yet).


If 4k gets big, or whatever else they're working on, then yeah many of us might need to upgrade.

 

[iSheep5S]

@Hieveryone

Good last point. Operating systems are getting more efficient. As stated in my previous post, the rMB 1st get isn't a powerhouse but it will be supported for apples usual support time.

Heck even windows slimmed down windows 10 so much so it gave older machines a new lease of life.

Sure tech moves on but so does the OS. I think this is true of mobiles too. iOS 9 runs on an iPad 2 and iPhone 4S!

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Leman has given the correct answer to this enquiry, yes they can, it's highly unlikely though and their usefulness is limited after ten years.

 

[sevoneone]

Yes, the speed of advancement in hardware has definitely slowed down in the pas 5 years or so. Companies like Intel are starting to hit some difficult physical hurdles in the traditional cycle of making transistors smaller to fit more on a piece of silicon for more performance. I'd say that the odds are that a 2013 computer will be much more useful in 2023 than a 2006 computer today because of it.

 

[strawbale]

Typing this on a mid-2007 MBP, so 9 yrs old now, running SL/El Cap on 4GB. Bought it used in Sept 2013, with 1 yr warranty - very useful, as DVD-drive and logic board needed replacing within that first year...
Doubled the RAM since (from 2 to 4GB) and replaced the battery, running 10.6 on main partition or some other stuff on 10.11 on second(ary) partition; both running fine, but I'm not a heavy user (browsing with many tabs, iTunes, light image processing). Has problems booting from off, but restarting is fine - so keep it on/sleeping as much as possible; it's an 17" (with very nice 1920x1200 matte screen), so basically used as a desktop replacement. (used a Mac Mini as main machine from 2009-2013)
Saving for an affordable 4k@60 Hz capable Mac Mini (if and when...) or, if not, MBP 13".

 

[gpat]

Moore's law is dead, there are no more 50% CPU improvements generation over generation to be expected in the future.
Some people are using old C2D CPUs which are smoked even by netbooks by now and are happy with those, you can expect current machines to age even better than that.
Furthermore, newer machines lack the most fragile components that caused older machines to fail, like dedicated GPUs, optical drives, and hard disks, so that's even more favorable for longevity.
On the other side, components like RAM can't be swapped, so the user should hope not to get faulty or unlucky components in the long run.
For a longevity-aimed purchase, I suppose that the best decision could be to wait for 2016 MBPs, get one with 16GB RAM and without discrete GPU, and it could probably survive for 10 years of moderate use with a relatively low chance of problems.

 

[robvas]

I would not want to use a 2006 MacBook Pro. Even a 2008-2010 would be a little painful but I could probably survive if it has 8GB RAM and SSD

10 years you're looking at the screen, hinges, keyboard, and ports wearing out, not to mention the battery and charger.

 

[leman]

Moore's law is dead, there are no more 50% CPU improvements generation over generation to be expected in the future.

This is true, but right now we are on a door step of a radical increase of relative efficiency due to stacked circuitry. For instance, it seems likely that within only few years we will have high-speed, non-volatile on-CPU RAM and integrated GPUs that support VR. Such components will completely and immediately outclass current-gen products.

 

[packeteer]

yes, my MBP is currently 6 years old. I've only changed to an ssd drive (sits in the optical bay). admittedly it was a powerhouse in it's day 2.8ghz, 8gb ram, 512gb 7200rpm. but it still runs fine!

 

[Hieveryone]

I would not want to use a 2006 MacBook Pro. Even a 2008-2010 would be a little painful but I could probably survive if it has 8GB RAM and SSD

10 years you're looking at the screen, hinges, keyboard, and ports wearing out, not to mention the battery and charger.

My hope is that my notebook physically stays in shape. I use a keyboard cover, mainly because I find once hair, dust, crumbs, etc get under the keys, nothing can get it out. Using compressed air seems to only move it around, not get it out.

I assume my screen will dim, but generally I do not keep my screen bright unless I am outside and it is sunny.

The battery will wear out for sure. But I am sure I will be able to get it replaced by Apple. They have excellent service for these things.

Regarding the charger, it can always be replaced by a new one via the Apple Store. I actually have 2 already in different places, so that I don't have to carry it around with me.

 

[tann]

Yes, I think so now more than ever before. For example, before ~2011 apple macbooks came with slow hard drives, which for most people who don't know / didn't bother upgrading to SSD would be the bottleneck for general computing.

Now we get crazy fast SSDs in all of their laptops (almost) so for the average joe, who enjoys some Netflix, Youtube and Facebook they will probably find any one from the last 3 years or so is more than enough!

My Air is from 2013, and while it is slower than when I bought it (likely due to me having so much useless junk running in the background) it never feels 'too' slow. It is a pain for Netflix etc so I just avoid watching that on it. I'm sure if I reinstall cleanly it'll speed up a hell of a lot!

have any of y'all had to use apple care on these items within the first 3 years? Debating on purchasing AC for my 2015 15 (the one year expires on the 25th)

I have a mid 2013 (bought June or July 13, forget which) and I've never needed it. Then again in the time I've had it it's BARELY left my house apart from a couple occasions.

 

[leman]

My hope is that my notebook physically stays in shape. I use a keyboard cover, mainly because I find once hair, dust, crumbs, etc get under the keys, nothing can get it out. Using compressed air seems to only move it around, not get it out.

Ah, if thats the main concern, then yes, it should easily last for 10 years or more if you treat it right (non-smoking household, clean air, not too much exposure to sunlight and moisture etc). But I'd bet that some electronics inside will fry before that, making it a costly (and quite pointless) repair.

 

[grahamperrin]

2009 MacBookPro5,2 here is probably half-choked with cat hair and n types of dust for the nth time. Whirrrrr, go the fans, more often than they should, but the Mac never gets hot enough to trigger an automated stop so I'll just open it and blow it out occasionally.

Some of the original feet were lost so I glued on some larger feet that probably fell off a desktop computer. Not glamorous, but effective.

I lost count of the number of times it has been dropped (typically in a rucksack, when the weight of the notebook topples the sack off of an office chair). Dented but operational

 

[FatJeff]

I retired my 17" Powerbook G4 last year. A 2004 if IIRC. At the end it was painfully slow, the monitor had numerous vertical lines on it (no problem, plug in a monitor!), and nothing on it could be updated rendering most everything unusable. I finally broke down and got a 2015 MBP, transferred files and here I am today (with crap wifi performance...still!).

 

[Zwhaler]

I'm using a mid 2010 i7 and it still goes. I have access to a 2006 blackbook and it is long in the tooth for sure. Won't go beyond 10.6.8. 10 years is possible though.

 

[Hieveryone]

My main concern for my rMBP is the RAM. I got 8 GB's. 16 GB's might have been better for a 10 year time horizon.

But then again it COULD be OK. 4 GB's would probably have been unacceptable for a 10 year horizon.

Thoughts?

 

[grahamperrin]

My main concern for my rMBP is the RAM. I got 8 GB's. 16 GB's might have been better for a 10 year time horizon.

With solid state for permanent storage, 8 GB should be fine for volatile memory.

… 4 GB's would probably have been unacceptable …

Yes and no.

Right now I'm using a circa 2007 notebook (Ergo brand) with 4 GB memory and a relatively slow spinning hard disk.

Back in 2015 for a few weeks, maybe a few months, I accidentally used it with one of two 2 GB modules not properly seated. In retrospect, the 2 GB total was not too painful.

 

[redheeler]

My main concern for my rMBP is the RAM. I got 8 GB's. 16 GB's might have been better for a 10 year time horizon.

But then again it COULD be OK. 4 GB's would probably have been unacceptable for a 10 year horizon.

Thoughts?

It's hard to say how much the memory requirements for software will go up in the next 10 years. 8 GB today is like 1 GB was 10 years ago, a pretty standard amount, but those Macs don't have soldered RAM and can be upgraded to at least 2 GB. The 2006 desktop Mac Pro can be upgraded all the way up to an impressive 64 GB for use today.

Luckily with the fast SSDs used in today's MacBooks, virtual memory takes less of a toll on performance than used to be the case.
[doublepost=1464117159][/doublepost]

Back in 2015 for a few weeks, maybe a few months, I accidentally used it with one of two 2 GB modules not properly seated. In retrospect, the 2 GB total was not too painful.

Yeah, 2 GB is still usable today if you're careful with what you have open. The memory usage of OS X on 2 GB actually peaked at Mavericks and went down in Yosemite 10.10.3. Both of these were taken on a clean login, 10.9.5 and 10.11.2 Beta (not a Mac I use often on El Capitan, needs to be updated).

 

[strawbale]

It's hard to say how much the memory requirements for software will go up in the next 10 years. 8 GB today is like 1 GB was 10 years ago, a pretty standard amount, but those Macs don't have soldered RAM and can be upgraded to at least 2 GB. The 2006 desktop Mac Pro can be upgraded all the way up to an impressive 64 GB for use today.

Luckily with the fast SSDs used in today's MacBooks, virtual memory takes less of a toll on performance than used to be the case.
[doublepost=1464117159][/doublepost]
Yeah, 2 GB is still usable today if you're careful with what you have open. The memory usage of OS X on 2 GB actually peaked at Mavericks and went down in Yosemite 10.10.3. Both of these were taken on a clean login, 10.9.5 and 10.11.2 Beta (not a Mac I use often on El Capitan, needs to be updated).
View attachment 632776 View attachment 632775

My 4GB 2007 MBP uses less in 10.6.8 than in 10.11.5