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How long do Macs live for?
- Thread starter TyleRomeo
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In my experience, they generally outlive their usefulness. The only way that's not true is if someone just can't afford a new computer and is still using a 6 yr old Mac. Then it might die. I personally don't think it makes a difference between shutting it down and sleeping. OS X, however, likes to be left on (Unix heritage) and performs maintenance in the middle of the night. So I leave my computer on folding constantly.
My original apple IIe still works.
My subsequent beige mac with black and white inset video screen died, but only after about 4-5 years.
(A Gateway 300 MHz I bought in 97 still works, though I sold it; my dalliance with MS for the sake of playing games. Of course, 3 years after I bought it, I couldn't play any of the most current games on it any more, anyway).
My clamshell tangerine iBook 300 MHz still works, and is running os X like a champ (my wife is using it).
She would be using my subsequent iBook 500 MHz (white), but, it died! (at least, it is constantly troubled by small breakdowns, the last and hardest to fix cheaply, the video screen). Thankfully, it held on until I got my current mac...
I've had my current 17 inch Albook for about 2 months. Let's hope that the previous pattern continues, and this one will continue to work until I pass it on to someone else in 4-5 years.
My subsequent beige mac with black and white inset video screen died, but only after about 4-5 years.
(A Gateway 300 MHz I bought in 97 still works, though I sold it; my dalliance with MS for the sake of playing games. Of course, 3 years after I bought it, I couldn't play any of the most current games on it any more, anyway).
My clamshell tangerine iBook 300 MHz still works, and is running os X like a champ (my wife is using it).
She would be using my subsequent iBook 500 MHz (white), but, it died! (at least, it is constantly troubled by small breakdowns, the last and hardest to fix cheaply, the video screen). Thankfully, it held on until I got my current mac...
I've had my current 17 inch Albook for about 2 months. Let's hope that the previous pattern continues, and this one will continue to work until I pass it on to someone else in 4-5 years.
I'd agree with Zeke on this one. I have an almost 4 year old G4 PowerMac and its a dog. I need to upgrade badly. But I'm waiting for the 970s to come out, other wise I'd have bought a new machine last year.
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My friend has a 6 year old beige G3 that's still going strong, running Jaguar. Ha, she even has a PowerBook 520c that's 10 years old, running OS 8, which will even run Internet Explorer. Hilarious. Actually, seeing how long her Macs lasted is what prompted me to buy my iBook, since I was disgusted that my Dell only lasted 2 years and I wanted something more rugged.
Depends on how you use them...
My first mac was a Classic II and then my parents bought us an LC-475. We donated the Classic II to a school a few years and the LC is still downstairs and it works great!
I think desktops tend to last longer than laptops. My brother in law bought a blueberry iBook when they were introduced. He took very good care of it and never dropped it or handled it roughly. It died after 3 years of heavy use. Of course, he used it for about 12 to 18 hours a day for 3 years straight! He tried to get it fixed but it needed a new motherboard and it wasn't worth it to him after that. He upgraded to a 1 GHz TiBook. Sweet upgrade
As for me and my Pismo, it's almost dead. The screen is getting darker and it's really messed up. It would last a few more years but after droppiing it, it'll be too expensive to fix so I'm going get a new 15.x" PB when they come out.
My first mac was a Classic II and then my parents bought us an LC-475. We donated the Classic II to a school a few years and the LC is still downstairs and it works great!
I think desktops tend to last longer than laptops. My brother in law bought a blueberry iBook when they were introduced. He took very good care of it and never dropped it or handled it roughly. It died after 3 years of heavy use. Of course, he used it for about 12 to 18 hours a day for 3 years straight! He tried to get it fixed but it needed a new motherboard and it wasn't worth it to him after that. He upgraded to a 1 GHz TiBook. Sweet upgrade
As for me and my Pismo, it's almost dead. The screen is getting darker and it's really messed up. It would last a few more years but after droppiing it, it'll be too expensive to fix so I'm going get a new 15.x" PB when they come out.
Re: How long do Macs live for?
It all depends!! Sometimes it's luck and sometimes it's use, but overall my macs have lasted long long looooong enough! My performa CD is dead, and ironically, I used to take good care of it. My performa 6400 works, though I haven't turn on that computer for a while and I trashed that computer really bad. My power mac 9600 works, but it needs a new HD and I haven't had time to look for a used one. My current G4 is going to turn 3 years old and is working great. I have used this G4 for tree years an average of 10-14 hour per day and It's working great; on the other hand, I know people who had terrible experinces with some G4s because they died only after 1-2 years. Overall, Apple has great computers but it everybody's experinces are different.
It all depends!! Sometimes it's luck and sometimes it's use, but overall my macs have lasted long long looooong enough! My performa CD is dead, and ironically, I used to take good care of it. My performa 6400 works, though I haven't turn on that computer for a while and I trashed that computer really bad. My power mac 9600 works, but it needs a new HD and I haven't had time to look for a used one. My current G4 is going to turn 3 years old and is working great. I have used this G4 for tree years an average of 10-14 hour per day and It's working great; on the other hand, I know people who had terrible experinces with some G4s because they died only after 1-2 years. Overall, Apple has great computers but it everybody's experinces are different.
you can still sync with a newton?
anyway, back on topic. my iMac slot loading 400Mhz G3 with 512ram, and it still works pretty good. it all depends on how you use it. my brother was always on it from when he got home from school to midnight sometimes. then he got his 12" PB. heavy use by my whole family the iMac. im going to start phasing into a plan i call the G4 plan and try and get a faster computer. either a FP iMac or an eMac.
wish me luck!
I have never had a Mac die on me. I have 8 Macs and the earliest dates back to 1986. All of them run and boot up like new.
I have however had an Apple IIgs die on me, but that doesn't really count since it isn't a Mac.
I have however had an Apple IIgs die on me, but that doesn't really count since it isn't a Mac.
Macs last forever!
I have purchased both my Apple IIe and Mac Plus from thrift stores in perfect working condition. The IIe is about 20 years old and the Mac Plus is from 1986. They both work just fine.
P.S. Anyone know where I can find an Apple keyboard or mouse for the Plus? The keyboard is telephone-cable type and the mouse is serial. Thanks.
I have purchased both my Apple IIe and Mac Plus from thrift stores in perfect working condition. The IIe is about 20 years old and the Mac Plus is from 1986. They both work just fine.
P.S. Anyone know where I can find an Apple keyboard or mouse for the Plus? The keyboard is telephone-cable type and the mouse is serial. Thanks.
http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...rty=MetaEndSort&query=macintosh+plus+keyboard
Almost cheaper to get another plus that has the keyboard and mouse with it
Myself... I have 2 Plus' and only one keyboard and mouse
Pictures here.my rev a imac is still going strong. i put a new 20 gig hard drive in it just because i was out of space. also upped the ram to 512 to run x. i do get an occasional monitor flicker coupled with a popping sound. i'm scared it's about to go.
but hey, at $1300 new i figure that's just over $250 a year, or $20 a month! maybe i should get .mac!!!!!!
but hey, at $1300 new i figure that's just over $250 a year, or $20 a month! maybe i should get .mac!!!!!!
Mac 128K
My brother owns the original Mac 128k. It runs with out a hitch, but making the boot disks, or any disks for that matter that are 400K isn't easy. Does anyone know how to make a 400K disk so we can run some programs? We still haven't cracked it to see if the signatures are inside. Other macs include Apple IIe, PowerPC 7200, beige G3 tower, and eMac. All but the Apple IIe and 128k are used and run fine.
My brother owns the original Mac 128k. It runs with out a hitch, but making the boot disks, or any disks for that matter that are 400K isn't easy. Does anyone know how to make a 400K disk so we can run some programs? We still haven't cracked it to see if the signatures are inside. Other macs include Apple IIe, PowerPC 7200, beige G3 tower, and eMac. All but the Apple IIe and 128k are used and run fine.
My '99 iMac DV SE handles jag like it was nothing. whenever friends come over and use it they think it's a new machine. I leave it on all the time, and I don't let the hard drive spin down. either.
My mom's bondi blue iMac still works, but it struggles with new software. Maybe I'll retire it and turn it into a nice airport/mp3 server?
My mom's bondi blue iMac still works, but it struggles with new software. Maybe I'll retire it and turn it into a nice airport/mp3 server?
I hear that. A mac has never died on me, not has our 128K stopped, or any of the 20 or 30 or so we've had since.
Long may it continue.
My main computer is a four year old B&W g3 350 and runs OSX pretty well, I'm even recording with it and a MAudio PCI card and I'm not getting much latency but I may upgrade the CPU to a g4... I also have my first mac around, but I don't use it much anymore... It's a 7100/66 av, so it's 9 years old now and works perfectly.
I think I'd never sell a mac I own
but I may upgrade the CPU to a g4... I also have my first mac around, but I don't use it much anymore... It's a 7100/66 av, so it's 9 years old now and works perfectly. I think I'd never sell a mac I own
that's awsome. i have also heard of iTunes plug-ins that can put mp3's onto newtons. if i find it i'll post it.
too bad i don't have a newton
please no links to eBay because i can't afford anything because i don't have a job yet
Yeah, I've got one, but you can't have it because it is attached to my Plus which still works like a charm, as does the 20 meg SCSI Apple Harddrive that it boots from. The Imagewriter II works as well, I can still write with Word on the thing System 7.
All of my other Macs still work, I never turn them off nad only reboot when neccesary. Only downside to this is the baterry on my pismo is now dead (after almost four years, mind you) and new ones are very expensive. ITs not enough of a problem to justify an upgrade yet, though.
Originally posted by bryng
I gotta original Mac Portable that still works...
can you post some pictures of it? i would love to see one of those in action