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How long do you keep your laptop?

L

larapumkin

macrumors regular
Original poster
i dont know why i have hard time throwing away electronics..especially computers and laptops.
What do you think the average lifetime of a laptop is?
 
larapumkin said:
What do you think the average lifetime of a laptop is?
Click to expand...

I'd say 2-3 years for a PC laptop, 4-6 years for a Mac. I still have my 1st gen bondi blue clamshell iBook (mainly for Classic programs: Excel 2.2 anyone?😱.😎) Still going strong with my 1st gen MacBook. It's gonna be another year or when FW makes a comeback on the MB before I buy my next laptop.
 
I run mine into the ground to the point that they can't be repaired fast enough to keep them functional.

aka 4-5 years
 
Until it doesn't work for what I need anymore. I won't get rid of it after an arbitrary number of years just because of its age.
 
I keep mine until it can no longer do what I need it to do. Since Madden is no longer being made for computers, I guess I'll never need another computer. Thanks EA!
 
in the past my laptop has been my main working machine (graphic design) so i update them every 2-3 years.

however, my next purchase will be a Mac Pro so i will keep this machine (2 years old in december) for at least another 2 years for use giving lectures and for onsite client stuff and use the MP as the main machine.
 
I'm hoping to get six years out of my Core Duo MacBook. ...Only 4 more years to go!

However, I'm guessing it'll only make it another two.
 
I plan to keep mine as long it will run everything I need, reliably. mabey another 3-4 yrs? donno exactly
 
My PowerBook is now my secondary system, it's about 5 years old (almost). Previously I would get a new laptop every year. Back before the Mac days.
 
1 year and 10 months. 🙂
My 2.0Ghz MacBook needed an upgrade to the 2.53 Ghz MacBook Pro since it couldn't handle games, the screen was to small and I needed a larger HDD. (It was really annoying to have to connect my MB to two external HDD's whenever I wanted to listen to music or upload some photos.)
 
I'm a sucker when it comes to technology.

I got my first laptop about 2 years ago, moving from my desktop.

It is a refurbished Gateway M275 tablet. Paid $400 for it... and I thought it was a good deal.

When it shipped to my house, I turned the laptop on, and the battery was not working, nor would it charge.

I sent it back to Gateway 3 times. The third time I finally got a working battery. Now I have two backup batteries.

The thing runs hot, and is laggy no matter how many OS re-installations I do.

In December or January, I will finally join the party of being a Mac convert... and hopefully I can keep my desired MBA for a while. 🙂
 
I have never owned a new laptop, but I usually keep them around until they can no longer serve me adequately. My last upgrade (from a Ti 867MHz to an Al 1.33GHz) was based on USB 2.0, higher RAM ceiling for Leopard, and the superior graphics power (also for Leopard).

I suppose after my current PowerBook dies, I'll have to weigh my options between going for a Core Duo or early C2D MacBook Pro, or just saving a bit up and buying a new one. I feel the older MacBook Pro (the previous generation) is more future-proof than the current, with full-size DVI and both types of FireWire, but I've never owned a new Lappy....
 
Well, I still use a Gateway PC that I bought in February of 2003. I don't use it often, however. I try and keep computers for as long as possible. For me, the big factor in deciding to get rid of a computer is when I can't find new software that will run on it. I plan on keeping the computers in my signature for at least 5 years.
 
I'd say I'd aim for at least 3 years, but right now, I don't think I'd even bother trying with regards to this MacBook. I bought the rev A, Core Duo 1.83 GHz MacBook, and it was repaired around 8 times in 1 year. It spent around 10 weeks in repair, which meant that it was in the shop getting fixed 1 day out of every 5 days, on average.

Got a replacement by Apple.....a C2D 2 GHz machine. Much better. Palmrest has cracked twice, but that's it. It's been buggy though. 😱

In total, it has been 2y 5m since my original purchase, although this MacBook is only 1y and 5 months old. 🙂 Not a bad deal.


However, if I had originally purchased a 15" MBP to replace my 12" PB, I would have been a lot happier and would have no problems keeping it for 4 or 5 years. I'll just wait until the MBPs allow for 16 GB of RAM (rather than 4 GB), and maybe 1600x screen resolution before I pull the trigger.
 
usually I plan on having a laptop for 2 years. Usually around 2 years I get the latest update. Currently now though I have no idea how long I am going to need to keep this.
 
I'm only on my third laptop, my process so far has been to get a new one when the old one breaks, which has been about every two years, but my 12" powerbook has lasted not quite 3. I'm feeling its age a little but I love the form factor and can't justify getting a new one now.
 
I used my 867MHz 12" PowerBook until it was over 4 years old, and I hope to keep using my MacBook till at least till 2010. I've already upgraded the RAM to 4GB, and I plan to get a 500GB hard drive soon so those should help increase its useful lifetime, however the GMA X3100 will become more and more of a problem as Snow Leopard and OpenCL become more important. 🙁
 
it5five said:
Until it doesn't work for what I need anymore. I won't get rid of it after an arbitrary number of years just because of its age.
Click to expand...

Agreements. I plan on keeping mine for as long as I can. I figure that by the time I need more speed or can (otherwise) justify buying another, I'll have this one long paid off and it won't owe me a thing.

I think the fancier the machine is when you buy it, the longer you'll use it.
 
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