Curious, why do you feel iPads have a shorter casual user lifespan than Macs?
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Do you guy feel the "need" to get a New MBP Every year ?
- Thread starter TheRealAlex
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IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
I figure that it takes about 5 years for hardware to improve enough to update. One exception was my replacing an M1 Mini with an M4 Pro mini, the 4X improvement in memory was sufficient reason for the update. Though back in the 1980 to 2000 timeframe, 5 years would get ~10x larger memory and even greater improvement in speed.
Applewatch42
macrumors 6502
Why do you need one every year, I bought a 5 year old MacBook Pro and it performs perfectly fine, and 2 would be extremely overkill
goldmac2006
macrumors 604
Applewatch42
macrumors 6502
That, yes, but 2 of the same MacBook is excessive, like for instance 2 M5 Macbook Pro's
Howard2k
macrumors 604
My quote was in jest - "As a shareholder". 😀
Although... In all seriousness, in a professional setting it absolutely may make sense in some circumstances.
Applewatch42
macrumors 6502
goldmac2006
macrumors 604
capamac
macrumors 6502a
Ah, no. That seems a bit wasteful, even if one has the money to splurge.
I used my new 2011 Macbook Pro until the trackpad stopped working in 2015.
I used my new 2015 MPB until the trackpad stopped working in 2021.
Bought a new 2021 M1 air; still using it five years later.
(I replaced the 2015 trackpad using parts from ifixit.com, works fine now.)
I used my new 2011 Macbook Pro until the trackpad stopped working in 2015.
I used my new 2015 MPB until the trackpad stopped working in 2021.
Bought a new 2021 M1 air; still using it five years later.
(I replaced the 2015 trackpad using parts from ifixit.com, works fine now.)
stlblufan
macrumors regular
i can almost guarantee that the OP on this thread is china and just looking for all of the data y'all are providing.
as for me, i'll keep my ford and maybe upgrade to a toyota at some point.
as for me, i'll keep my ford and maybe upgrade to a toyota at some point.
Macdctr
macrumors 68000
I tend to cycle thru my iPhone devices much faster than I do cycling thru MacBook Pros. I'm still using my 16 inch M1 Max MacBook Pro and have the most recent MacOS Developer Beta OS installed and not having issues using my laptop on the daily.
It seems I tend to be much more aware of features getting long on the tooth so to speak regarding use of iPhones so I tend to stay more current with those devices.
It seems I tend to be much more aware of features getting long on the tooth so to speak regarding use of iPhones so I tend to stay more current with those devices.
TJFDenver
macrumors 6502
not to stray far from the OP's topic, but one thing stopping me from updating to new(er) hardware is the anemic size of the SSD's on MacBooks and Mini's ... 256gb? 512gb? my email alone is 50gb from the last 35 years ... yes, I know I can run external SSD's but my current 2020 iMac (128gb ram) and 2019 MacBook Pro (64gb ram) both have 8Tb SSD's and I consume roughly 4Tb on each device.
it seems like Apple is forcing Cloud Services via hardware constraints ... at least on the less computer savvy consumers ...
it seems like Apple is forcing Cloud Services via hardware constraints ... at least on the less computer savvy consumers ...
capamac
macrumors 6502a
Parkinson's law of data:
"Data expands to fill the space available for storage."
You got a bigger drive and you'll find stuff to fill it with. So you're always "out of SSD space."
"Data expands to fill the space available for storage."
You got a bigger drive and you'll find stuff to fill it with. So you're always "out of SSD space."
With that much RAM and SSD, your needs would appear to exceed most typical Apple customers. Those are big investments, and you're wise to carefully consider if, and when, you need to upgrade.
The way I see it, there are three considerations when upgrading:
1. Lots of memory and internal SSD
2. Affordability
3. Apple hardware
Unfortunately, you can only pick two.
Affordability is relative, of course. A colleague of mine has spent 5K on a laptop. He could obviously afford to do so.
I'd see it as a balance. Apple Cloud has its place, especially for cross-device synchronisation and backup, is easy to use, and isn't too expensive. One issue you have is that you'll need to back up your 4TB of live data on each device (losing everything would be painful). Local backup is risky (fire, flood, theft, ...) but cloud backup at that scale is pricey (and you'll probably need business grade storage [with warm/cool etc options to keep costs down]). NAS/RAID is an option for local use but can have nasty common-mode failures (I had a work system wiped out by a disk controller failure in the past, corrupting multiple backups as well as the main disks) and you still don't have off-site protection, so isn't a complete solution. Check your SSD wear levels - they're much more reliable than HDs in my experience, but do have a finite life.
At home, I have 9 synchronised machines of various types, with everything important backed up both locally and to a remote location with fire proofing, my live personal data is also backed up to cloud (2-3 different consumer-grade providers, including Apple) and my work data also gets backed up where practical (I can afford to lose some short term data - it wouldn't take long to recreate). Total cost for the cloud storage is about the same price as buying a reasonably large disk each year, so not too expensive. But my live data is only about 512GB-1TB (including 36GB of email). For 8TB, you'd be paying the equivalent of about a dozen large disks a year (for proper backup, you need at least 2-3x the base storage), and you might need custom backup routines. That sounds like more work than I'd like 🙂
Absolutely! Not only that, but with recent trends in memory and SSD prices, we may all have to recalibrate our ideas of what is "affordable".
Traverse
macrumors 604
I still feel kind of wasteful for upgrading my M1 Max MacBook Pro to an M4 Max - ha! I think for me performance has reached its plateau. I care more about storage and overall design (e.g. OLED).
My M1 Max is going strong still. Perhaps 2nd generation of new form factor MBP.
Sh3ldon
macrumors regular
1/8th price especially with a $550 Trade in value. But In my humble opinion I think the 2025 M5 with 12GB faster ram and WiFI7 and everything It make my M4 feel so slow. This thing is so fast.
Upgrading any Apple product "every year" is just a huge waste of time and money, completely unnecessary.
For a Macbook Pro, I don't even contemplate replacing it for at least 3-4 years. And I'm fine.
Even if I was a billionaire, I wouldn't do that.
For a Macbook Pro, I don't even contemplate replacing it for at least 3-4 years. And I'm fine.
Even if I was a billionaire, I wouldn't do that.
goldmac2006
macrumors 604
Same here.
And when it’s upgrade time, I find deals, secure grants for all my product purchases.
The Game 161
macrumors Nehalem
The only Apple hardware I change relatively often (every 3 years) is my iPhone.
It's my main "computer" and I'd rather get the new one than change the battery.
Mac is until it gets obsolete or broken (5 to 7 years if no more).
Ipad is until it dies (and not sure I'll replace it)
Same for Apple Watch.. the thing is mostly useless and redundant with the iPhone and mechanical watches are more fun.
It's my main "computer" and I'd rather get the new one than change the battery.
Mac is until it gets obsolete or broken (5 to 7 years if no more).
Ipad is until it dies (and not sure I'll replace it)
Same for Apple Watch.. the thing is mostly useless and redundant with the iPhone and mechanical watches are more fun.
The only justification for buying each new Mac as they are released is if you are developing software and need to test it for compatibility.
Same for iOS developers, you would want an extensive collection of iPhones and iPads.
Same for iOS developers, you would want an extensive collection of iPhones and iPads.