Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How long did your macbook or macbook pro last?

I bought a Rev. A MacBook as soon as they were released back in May 2006 (which means it's 4 years old next week). I gave the MacBook to my brothers, and they're using it without problems. No cracks, yellow tint, discoloring - no problems what so ever.

I gave it to them in June 2009, when I bought the new 13" MBP. My MBP has a squeaky hinge, but that's the only problem I encountered with it.

My brother has a 14" iBook G4 from 2003. It works fine, but he stopped using it after he got a 13" MBP and 24" ACD.
 
mdatwood said:
3 years ago I sold my friend my Powerbook when I upgraded to the SR MBP. He is still using the powerbook and I think manages to play WoW on it sometimes. I guess that makes it over 5 years old now?

I just gave my mom my 3 year old SR MBP when I bought my i7. Honestly, even at 3 years old the SR MBP is overkill for what my mom does on the computer, but hey she wanted a Mac and the price was right for her ;)

I'm expecting to keep the new 17" i7 I just bought for 3+ years. IMHO, there is a clear upgrade path with more RAM and an SSD that that is a better upgrade than any new upcoming processor tech for the foreseeable future.
Click to expand...


You "Gave my Mom" and the "Price was Right"? Which was it? I hope you didn't charge your dear mum a nickel.
 
I have a Rev A Blackbook from August 06 that I gave to my fiance over a year ago and she has been beating that thing up (not really, just isnt as careful with it as I was) for the last year or so and it is still going strong.

I had the battery replaced under Applecare once because it decided to stop holding a charge for **** but other than that it is a champ compared to my old Dell that died 2 months after the 1 year warranty expired.
 
white macbook from july 07, c2d 2ghz, recently dead.

just before the end of the first year, apple substituted the logic board, battery and charger for some heat issue.
one hard disk fried after 2 years, now i guess i need another logic board but it's not convenient out of warranty.

don't know about the pros, apparently the basic model does not resist to continued high loads.
 
my old 15" 2008 santa rosa MBP lasted for exactly two years without slowing down til I finally sold it for a unibody i5 MBP ;)
 
All of my Apple laptops have lasted really well, other than my last one. I think my Powerbook 150 still works, and that's – about 15 years old – I don't even remember exactly how old it is, now. My blueberry iBook G3 also still works, and that's from around 2000 or 2001, I think. My titanium Powerbook from 2002 had a hard drive failure after 4 years of very hard use, and everything else about it works fine.

My last one – a 2006 MacBook Pro, has not been as trouble-free as the rest. I needed to get 2 worn out power cables replaced (starting with when it was less than a year old), 2 defective batteries replaced (starting with when it was less than a year old), a defective screen replaced (when it was a little over a year old), a defective logic board replaced (at 3.5 years old), and a worn out hard drive replaced (at 3.5 years old). However, I can't complain too much, since Apple did all those repairs at no additional charge beyond buying Applecare.
 
2007 2Ghz MB Core Duo, Upgraded it over time to keep it in tip top condition.

Tiger> Leopard> Snow Leopard
1GB RAM> 3GB RAM (it's limit :()
80GB> 200GB> 320GB> 500GB + second 500GB drive (optibay)

Keyboard- replaced (defective with the cracks, also now with the replacement)
Battery - replaced after 300 cycles (second battery now at 580 cycles)
power charger - replaced with the newer metallic magnetic

Thinking of a 80GB SSD just to pacify me so I still keep this machine a little longer and replacing the screen with a newer one. I don't have the money to buy a new one but if this can last me another 18 months that would be great.

I wonder as a side note who has had the most upgraded/modified laptop here?
 
Dgpsx7 said:
I just got a 2010 13" MBP (I love it). I am coming from an Alienware Area 51 desktop that was a P4 1.7 and had a GeForce 3. This computer lasted 9 years and still works well to this day it just can't play HD video but can run (1) Fireworks (1) and other programs I use. Although I don't expect any other computer to last this long I would like to know your experiences on how long your Macbooks and MBPs lasted.

I plan on keeping my 13" MBP for around (2) 4 years (2). Am I expecting too much?

Please state the model or specs of your macbook or MBP and how long it lasted. Please include details of what problems you had during the life of your laptop (e.g. hard drive failed, logic board, etc..)

I bought an MBP because I wanted something that was quality and would last longer and work better than a PC. I hope I made the right decision..
Click to expand...

(1)What is fireworks? sorry for my ignorance if you think it is obvious.

(2)I think it will last LONGER than 4 years. They sell AppleCare which lasts 3 years so I know it will last at least 3 (they wouldn't make it longer than its life) but I expect 5 years from my 13"
 
I have an original MB from 2006 (1.6Ghz, 80GB HD, 1GB RAM-now 2GB) and it's still going BUT I did have many issues with mine.

In the first year, the logic board and hard drive both died. After 2 years I had to replace the battery and replace the power cable because it frayed.

My bluetooth is no longer working properly and the computer doesn't usually go to sleep. But I wouldn't worry about this. The two issues are related, and I think the reason the bluetooth module stopped working is because I always sit my MB on top of a blanket and it could never ventilate properly. So if you want your Mac to last long, I highly recommend using some kind of lap pad (or even the MB box works nicely).

Really, 4yrs is "good" for a laptop. Although my MB has broken down a bit physically, my friends with PCs have had to wipe their computer almost yearly because of viruses-most have bought newer models already.
 
My 12" white Macbook lasted 2 years Jul 05 to Aug 07 before shutting down with power issues. Replaced with Macbook Pro which again lasted 2 years before the screen began flickering and gave out 3 mos later. Issues with DVD drive too.

Learned my lesson and got Applecare with this one so I'm guaranteed 3 years, but I'd like to get 5 considering the price and the fact they are well taken care of. To be honest though, I expect to be let down again. Great laptops but longevity not great, in my experience.
 
I have a Titanium Powerbook G4 that I purchased back in 2002 and it's still working (though quite slow)! The hinges had broken/cracked, and I tried to fix it myself to save $$, which didn't go quite as planned and ended up causing the screen to start splitting at the sides. I replaced it with a black Macbook a couple years later, which ended up being a mistake since it was underpowered (even with a RAM upgrade). The old Powerbook works fine, minus the screen issue and old software, though! Pretty impressive, no? Now I'm working with two Intel MBPs, one new 13" and one 17".

Also, my boss has the same model Titanium Powerbook as I do, and his is in fine working condition as well. They were built well!
 
My PowerBook G4 is still in use (near-mint condition) and my brother is having no problems with it after I gave it to him last summer. It is almost 7 years old.
 
swish2351 said:
(1)What is fireworks? sorry for my ignorance if you think it is obvious.

(2)I think it will last LONGER than 4 years. They sell AppleCare which lasts 3 years so I know it will last at least 3 (they wouldn't make it longer than its life) but I expect 5 years from my 13"
Click to expand...

Fireworks is a graphics editing program that adobe develops that was originally developed by macromedia. It is very similar to photoshop but is more geared towards web development. I like it a lot better than photoshop which is why I was kinda sad when adobe bought macromedia years ago.
 
My 2006 MBP still runs fine, it was just getting monumentally slow running photoshop and illustrator. Updated to the my 2010 MBP and couldn't be happier.
 
Dgpsx7 said:
I like it a lot better than photoshop which is why I was kinda sad when adobe bought macromedia years ago.
Click to expand...

Oh trust me, those of us who grew up on Adobe are kinda sad they bought macromedia, too. :)


I have a friend of min who still has an iBook G4 that she bought in early 2004. Using Tiger (OS X 10.4), which is outdated, but it still runs like a champ. And at work we have a Dual G4 Mac Pro running OS X Leopard that still works really well.

And, I had a MacBook Pro that I purchased in 2007 and would probably still be working for me quite well if it hadn't been stolen.

That said, like any company, you'll get a majority of systems that will last a long time, but a few lemons will end up in people's hands. The good news is, you'll know right away if your system is going to have problems, and if you're courteous but firm about it, Apple will do you right and fix the problem, even if it ultimately means swapping it out for a new one.

You're also right at the sweet spot in the purchase cycle, a few weeks out of a new model release, but not TOO new... right at the point where manufacturing and production issues are known and being corrected. So I would predict that if you buy now, you'll be in good shape.
 
I come from the future, where the end of time has been reached and my 2010 Macbook Pro has lasted that long. So I can tell you, expect it to last a while assuming you take good care of it.
 
I'm using a 2004 PowerBook 12" 1.33GHz A1010 now.
upgraded to 1G+256MB DDR (about $40 2nd handed)
and some girl dropped it, killed the HDD, and the heatsink screw.
I replaced the HDD with a 160G 5k4 RPM a friend gave me.
and I replaced Sanyo UR18650F 2600mAh battery cells (5200mAh degigned capacity in total, actually ~4900 now. about $5*6),it can operate 2~6hours each charge depend on load. XD

i'm planning to upgrade the LCD to SXGA+, that panel costs about $200 now.
 
Dgpsx7 said:
I just got a 2010 13" MBP (I love it). I am coming from an Alienware Area 51 desktop that was a P4 1.7 and had a GeForce 3. This computer lasted 9 years and still works well to this day it just can't play HD video but can run Fireworks and other programs I use. Although I don't expect any other computer to last this long I would like to know your experiences on how long your Macbooks and MBPs lasted.

I plan on keeping my 13" MBP for around 4 years. Am I expecting too much?

Please state the model or specs of your macbook or MBP and how long it lasted. Please include details of what problems you had during the life of your laptop (e.g. hard drive failed, logic board, etc..)

I bought an MBP because I wanted something that was quality and would last longer and work better than a PC. I hope I made the right decision..
Click to expand...


Still on Rev 1 macbook pro 1.83 two (need a new one) batters, 3 power adaptors, 2 fans, optical drive replaced.
 
Dgpsx7 said:
I just got a 2010 13" MBP (I love it). I am coming from an Alienware Area 51 desktop that was a P4 1.7 and had a GeForce 3. This computer lasted 9 years and still works well to this day it just can't play HD video but can run Fireworks and other programs I use. Although I don't expect any other computer to last this long I would like to know your experiences on how long your Macbooks and MBPs lasted.

I plan on keeping my 13" MBP for around 4 years. Am I expecting too much?

Please state the model or specs of your macbook or MBP and how long it lasted. Please include details of what problems you had during the life of your laptop (e.g. hard drive failed, logic board, etc..)

I bought an MBP because I wanted something that was quality and would last longer and work better than a PC. I hope I made the right decision..
Click to expand...

My late 2003 PowerBook G4 Firewire 800 is still in fantastic working order (I gave it to my Mom who uses it about 8 hours a day)...That thing has been through hell and STILL looks and works like new...it has Leopard on it and does everything it was made to do just perfectly...
I only hope my new uMBP works as well and lasts as long...

Also, I bought my daughter a new white MB in June of 2007 to replace her her 2002 14" iBook which replaced her 12" 2000 iBook...BOTH of those iBooks are still running (she gave them to her little step brother and he is using them)...
 
One of my teachers has an iBook. Still runs fast and stable. Just so you know :)
 
ive owned my first mac, which is the mbp in my sig for about a month and a half. this maybe off topic but, ive used a dell pc since 2001 until a month ago (when i bought this mbp) and it STILL ran. so im pretty sure a $2,000+ mac will last forever. if you really wanted to use it for that long without upgrading.
 
My 1.33GHz Powerbook G4 is almost six years old and has never had a problem, which is more than I can say for virtually anything other object I have owned in that span of time.

Not expecting that kind of miraculous longevity from my new MPB, but I'll take it if it happens ;)
 
I don't think you're expecting too much either. I have a white Macbook 1.83ghz and has fared well, except there was one major issue, I don't know if it could've been a virus, or maybe a hard drive issue. I don't exactly remember what was wrong, but it was extraordinarily slow. I replaced the HD (and went from 1gb to 2gb ram, both upgrades I planned on doing before this problem) and it still works great. I think mine was an isolated issue, so it is nothing to be worried about. Mine will turn 4 in August, but handing it over to my mom this week when I get my 15" i7, which I plan on using throughout college the next four (or seven ;)) years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back