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How long do you keep your macbook pro for?

I still use my 2009 27" iMac as a screen for my 2017 MacBook Pro.
My 2011 MacBook Pro was killed by Sierra last month - but I
was using it since 2011 with 16gb Ram and a OWC 1tb SSD.
My daughters 2011 21.5 iMac is running strong - I upgraded it
to 16gb ram and a 1tb SSD a few years back.

At $3k a pop I'm not treating my Macs like a iPhone - there is not need
to replace them every three or so years. There is plenty of reasons to
run them till they die.
 
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I tend to keep mine for 3 years (or just shy). I’ve found that I can get excellent resale value at that age - especially when there are a few months left on the AppleCare extended warranty.

Do I NEED to upgrade that often? No. I stick to a budget for tech purchases, and I like to have the latest when possible.
 
Papanate said:
I still use my 2009 27" iMac as a screen for my 2017 MacBook Pro.
My 2011 MacBook Pro was killed by Sierra last month - but I
was using it since 2011 with 16gb Ram and a OWC 1tb SSD.
My daughters 2011 21.5 iMac is running strong - I upgraded it
to 16gb ram and a 1tb SSD a few years back.

At $3k a pop I'm not treating my Macs like a iPhone - there is not need
to replace them every three or so years. There is plenty of reasons to
run them till they die.
Click to expand...
I considered upgrading my 2010 27" iMac to internal SSD, but I wasn't willing to install the SSD myself, and it was going to cost a lot to for a store to do it. I actually ran it with Firewire SSD for a while and it worked surprisingly well.

Instead, I bought a 2017 iMac, and use the 2010 27" as an external monitor, as a decent 27" monitor was going to be expensive anyway.
 
EugW said:
I considered upgrading my 2010 27" iMac to internal SSD, but I wasn't willing to install the SSD myself, .
Click to expand...

I used OWC Tutorials to switch all my iMacs to SSDs. I bought the OWC toolkit (amazingly inexpensive) and SSD/Ram from them as well. The first switch on my 21.5 iMac took me about 1.5 - 2 hours. I was overly cautious and watched
each step 3 times to be sure - and went quite slow. My 27" iMac took about 30 minutes after that. My MacBook Pro
took about 10 minutes. Up until 2015 I would recommend people do it themselves. After 2015 I wouldn't touch the
iMac - and I'd be hesitant to open the MacBook Pro.

Now with my old iMac - I use the screen and it's nice enough - but my 2017 MacBook Pro screen and keyboard are
sweet - I kind of miss them in the office using the iMac screen and magic keyboard.
 
2009 and 2011. Both have maxed RAM, and bigger, faster hard drives. I’m debating the upgrade to SSDs.
 
richinaus said:
every year - treat them like a rental.
Basically works out at about the cost of a coffee a day.
not bad seeing they earn me money.
Click to expand...

Same deal. Buy the new one when it comes out each time. The added power and speed make getting work done a bit faster. Even a bit of a gain adds up over time and more than pays for itself.
 
I started with a 2011 13" and replaced it finally last summer with a 2016 13". the only reason I replaced it was I was doing more and more photo and video work and needed something more powerful. if I get 4 or 5 years out of my 2016 ill be extremely happy. my 2011 lasted as long as it did because I went to an ssd in 2013 and 16gb of ram in 2014 so that made it last a little longer. my 2016 is fully maxed out because I cant change anything so im hoping that helps a little.
 
Papanate said:
I used OWC Tutorials to switch all my iMacs to SSDs. I bought the OWC toolkit (amazingly inexpensive) and SSD/Ram from them as well. The first switch on my 21.5 iMac took me about 1.5 - 2 hours. I was overly cautious and watched
each step 3 times to be sure - and went quite slow. My 27" iMac took about 30 minutes after that. My MacBook Pro
took about 10 minutes. Up until 2015 I would recommend people do it themselves. After 2015 I wouldn't touch the
iMac - and I'd be hesitant to open the MacBook Pro.

Now with my old iMac - I use the screen and it's nice enough - but my 2017 MacBook Pro screen and keyboard are
sweet - I kind of miss them in the office using the iMac screen and magic keyboard.
Click to expand...
I’ve upgraded lots of Mac laptops. Easy peasy. However, some people have cracked their iMac screens or broken various cables, and it’s moot now for me since I like using it as an external screen for my 2017 iMac.
Papanate said:
The 2011 can be upgraded easily to a SSD - the 2009 requires a bit of hoop jumping.
Click to expand...
If you mean the 2009 13” MacBook Pro I thought it was really easy. The hardest part was getting the right screwdrivers. Some may need a firmware update, but it’s easy too.
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OldSchoolMacGuy said:
Same deal. Buy the new one when it comes out each time. The added power and speed make getting work done a bit faster. Even a bit of a gain adds up over time and more than pays for itself.
Click to expand...
I did that one year. Decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. The worst part was wasting my time selling the old one every year on Kijiji. Selling to a store wasn’t worth it.
 
EugW said:
I’ve upgraded lots of Mac laptops. Easy peasy. However, some people have cracked their iMac screens or broken various cables, and it’s moot now for me since I like using it as an external screen for my 2017 iMac
Click to expand...

I have not heard of people cracking their screens. I could see people having problems with the 'LCD Temperature Sensor Cable' and the 'Display port Connector'. As usual to this kind of work - no one should attempt it unless they are confident
in their abilities. Cracking the screen or damaging the LCD panel sounds like carelessness.


If you mean the 2009 13” MacBook Pro I thought it was really easy.
Click to expand...

I thought both were iMacs. The MacBook Pro is stupid easy.
 
Given that my laptop is now 6 years old, I'd say I hold on them for 6+ years :p

Actually I tend to replace them every three years, but the 2012 MBP, is such a great laptop, nothing so far has measured up to it. I have second laptop, the Surface Book and its good, but Apple good.

I'm looking to hopefully buy a 2018 model MBP, depending what Apple does with the update. My kids will get the 2012 MBP for their needs.
 
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maflynn said:
Given that my laptop is now 6 years old, I'd say I hold on them for 6+ years :p

Actually I tend to replace them every three years, but the 2012 MBP, is such a great laptop, nothing so far has measured up to it. I have second laptop, the Surface Book and its good, but Apple good.

I'm looking to hopefully buy a 2018 model MBP, depending what Apple does with the update. My kids will get the 2012 MBP for their needs.
Click to expand...

That’s why I say I keep it till it dies now. I used to expect to replace every 3 years, but my 2012 unibody 15” still does everything I need. Quad core i7 in 13” form is what I’m waiting for now ... people used to say that would never happen. Silly people.
 
leman said:
In general every 3 years, once the warranty runs out.
Click to expand...

Same here - Early 2011 15" MPB with 1680x1050 screen. Since replacing the HD with an SSD a couple of years ago, it's been great. Logic Board did die in 2016, but it was part of the extended warranty program, so it was replaced for free.

I really would like to replace it, but I'm not really in love with the current design, and plus getting a 15" with a 1TB HD is insanely expensive. I'm still really bothered that everything is now soldered on. I have never owned a Mac that I have not updated the HD and or RAM, so it's hard to accept that this will no longer be the case.
 
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Although I definitely have an upgrade obsession with my iphone and other gadgets (like BeatsX), I find my 2011 MBP does the trick for me and almost has become a passion since upgrading the internals. It is fast as hell and runs everything. It is my personal play machine and I don't do any heavy stuff. I think if I did more heavy tasks or I used it professionally I may think differently.

I play with the new ones at the store. Retina is nice and the form factor is sweet, but until this dies or can't run an OS, I am sticking with it.
 
I used to upgrade every ~2 years, but when I bought my mid-2015 MBP it was late in the product cycle because I didn't want the new USB-C Only models. The updates since then haven't been appealing at all -- the touch bar, for example, holds negative value for me. I would like to bump the CPU and graphics speed, but I suspect I'll be keeping this one for a few more years unless Apples addresses shortcomings like lack of ports on the newer models.
 
Between 2 and 5 years. My first MBP (a 2011 13”) got sold because I was tempted by retinas in 2013. That rMBP lasted me from 2013 to 2018. The keyboard and battery became flaky unfortunately, so I bit the bullet on an upgrade this year even though I’m ambivalent about current designs. I may upgrade sooner rather than later if Apple fixes these keyboards.
 
EugW said:
I did that one year. Decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. The worst part was wasting my time selling the old one every year on Kijiji. Selling to a store wasn’t worth it.
Click to expand...

Takes about 5 minutes to list a laptop on eBay, maybe another 5 minutes to box it up, and another couple to drop it at UPS. Never seemed to be a big deal.
 
Not a Macbook Pro. I still use my 2006 Macbook C2D on a daily basis. Browser support has gotten pretty spotty. I haven't decided if I'm going to install Elementary OS or Windows 10 on it for modern browser support and keep using it. It's still snappy enough for my needs with an SSD and 3GB RAM.

Although I may finally replace it this year.
 
OldSchoolMacGuy said:
Takes about 5 minutes to list a laptop on eBay, maybe another 5 minutes to box it up, and another couple to drop it at UPS. Never seemed to be a big deal.
Click to expand...

eBay scares me these days. Even when you have something in excellent condition, buyers will complain. They do not seem to understand the "used" part of buying a used computer.
 
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I'm like those crypto nuts, I HODL my Macbook Pro 2011 like it's the most valuable thing ever. It's like every iteration of the new Macbook Pro gets worse and worse since I wanted to upgrade.
 
Depends on the user- I still rock my 2009 Mac Pro for photography and heavy lifting, but day to day, and while on vacation my 2012 15inch retina macbook pro still does fine, and it's only got 8GB memory. Ride it till it dies
 
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