I'm in the same boat. I want to get a 15" macbook pro. Mainly for more screen realestate. But I see no reason I need to ditch my current original core duo 2006 macbook.
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How long does a MacBook/MacBook Pro last?
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I'm in the same boat. I want to get a 15" macbook pro. Mainly for more screen realestate. But I see no reason I need to ditch my current original core duo 2006 macbook.
My MBP is 4 years old this week, and I'm looking to upgrade sometime this summer. Probably when Apple finally gets around to adding USB 3.0...
EDIT: I use mine for light programming, web design, and general usage. My biggest complaint is that the battery (even though it's still 80% of its capacity) only lasts about 3 hours, instead of the 7+ that newer machines get.
EDIT: I use mine for light programming, web design, and general usage. My biggest complaint is that the battery (even though it's still 80% of its capacity) only lasts about 3 hours, instead of the 7+ that newer machines get.
i ad my 2008 mbp for 2 years. I abused it like crazy. Dropped it many times. Everything ran perfectly from the day i bought it till the day i sold it.
As the others have said here, it's all a matter of how well you take care of it, and treat it. Also, if you're a person who likes having the latest stuff?
My son has a 2007 White MB Refurb. Runs as good as the day we bought it. Had a crack in the palm rest, but Apple replaced at no charge. They also noticed the battery wasn't good, and replaced that at no cost too.
What's funny is that we had a similar story to another poster on this thread. My son uses his daily, with no issues. He was at his friends house, and they got a new HP laptop. 14" I think? Anywho, way better specs, etc. The MB was snappier, and far more responsive. His buddy tried to lay it on; "Well this has Win 7/64 Bit, Ultimate, so it has more that it's doing. And the laptop has been on, and hasn't rebooted in a week." My son said, well...OS X is 64 Bit, has Garageband, and all that...and mine's been on 26 days without a restart. I just close the lid....
LOL...I loved it...and he's only 15! Sweet..!
My son has a 2007 White MB Refurb. Runs as good as the day we bought it. Had a crack in the palm rest, but Apple replaced at no charge. They also noticed the battery wasn't good, and replaced that at no cost too.
What's funny is that we had a similar story to another poster on this thread. My son uses his daily, with no issues. He was at his friends house, and they got a new HP laptop. 14" I think? Anywho, way better specs, etc. The MB was snappier, and far more responsive. His buddy tried to lay it on; "Well this has Win 7/64 Bit, Ultimate, so it has more that it's doing. And the laptop has been on, and hasn't rebooted in a week." My son said, well...OS X is 64 Bit, has Garageband, and all that...and mine's been on 26 days without a restart. I just close the lid....
LOL...I loved it...and he's only 15! Sweet..!
I decided to sign up to macrumours as i've just dropped off my laptop at the local applestore and I need to get this off my chest. I did a search for "how long should a macbook pro last" and this thread came up. I did the search because I've had my MBP for just under 5 years and I've had nothing but trouble with it. The first major issue, which was a hard drive failure within 16 months, was luckily covered by a (very expensive) Applecare plan but since it expired I've had a hard drive failure, two batteries die on me and this is the second time the logicboard has needed replacing which is a minimum £500 job not including tax. I've always taken great care of it, it hasn't taken any knocks or been carried around in sleep mode and yet this very expensive piece of equipment just keeps sucking more and more of my money. I'm thinking of chucking it in the river and getting a pc!
I think it is a case of reasonable expectation. A MacBook should last, in my opinion, for 3 years without issue. Within that time if anything goes wrong Apple should fix it.
If it breaks after 3 years I think so be it, then you have to weigh up the cost of fixing it or replacing it. Computers don't last forever, you should know that when you buy.
sorry to hear about your bad experience. my wife's black macbook is 4 years old and the only thing that went out was the dvd drive (which was replaced free of charge under the one year warranty). other than that, no problems. i upgraded the HD and memory.
my machine is almost two years old and it runs EXACTLY the way it did when I bought it.
seems like you should be a candidate for a free replacement machine
I think this poster has it right on the money. Life expectancy of a laptop is generally measured in duration of ownership prior to the first major (out of warranty) repair at which time you must decide whether the cost of repairing the laptop outweighs the cost of buying the latest and greatest version. In three years from your MBP purchase, the following two things are likely to be true:
1) Your MBP will be out of warranty
2) The latest MBP revision will be a considerable improvement over your current MBP
Beyond that, a lot rides on how you treat your laptop, some on how heavily you use it, and a little on luck. Sometimes the logic board goes up in smoke the day after the warranty expires. In other cases, the MBP keeps on trucking for years to come.
Another decision making tactic is to pretend you have a three year old MBP (look up the specs so you can get a feel for the technological advancement between then and now) and ask yourself what you would do if it needed a $1000 repair.
If I pay over £2000 for a laptop I don't think it's unreasonable to expect it to last more than five years. Whether or not it's obsolete or I choose to upgrade it is entirely irrelevant, that should be my choice and not something that's dependent on the construction quality of the product.
I found this site: http://whatconsumer.co.uk/faulty-laptop-rights/ which is very interesting and explains the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act UK with regards to laptops. I might head back to the Applestore and read it to them
I found this site: http://whatconsumer.co.uk/faulty-laptop-rights/ which is very interesting and explains the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act UK with regards to laptops. I might head back to the Applestore and read it to them
For the love of God don't just go in and start reading laws to people. They hate that and won't respond. Use it only as a last resort, or in a letter to Apple! The second reason is that reading an article from Which? isn't good practice, use the actual law. Find an up to date copy, try here. The most relevant sections are 14(2) and 48A-48C.
UK consumer rights are great. So talk to Apple. I normally don't bother with extended warranties (eg AppleCare) as the law will do. However, 5 years is a push. Try by all means.
(I'm a law student, but not a lawyer. This is not advice.)
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Ha ha yes you're right, I'll be as diplomatic as I can. But if my past dealings with Apple are anything to go by I don't think that approach will get me very far. Probable sequence of events: 1) reasonable request for a polite discussion about the possibility of getting a complimentary repair for all my troubles met by stonewall refusal and closing of "genius" ranks 2) polite request to speak to manager met with subtle "it won't do you any good" shrug of the shoulders and begrudging compliance 3) discussion with manager ends with apologetic inability to exercise managerial discretion unless 4) the holy weapons of official complaint and legal action are triumphantly held aloft like a flaming swords of justice!
That's how it pans out in my head anyway
Good thread. Just read about planned obsolescence hence the concern. Remarkable.
My first MBP 2007 had 3 faults (screen, HD, cd drive) and was replaced with a mid 2009 one through custom educational AppleCare agreement. The mid-2009 one I am using now never had a problem. Hope it will stay that way.
If you still have An HDD, get an SSD instead. It's about 10 TIMES faster than HDD and is a no-brainer.
My first MBP 2007 had 3 faults (screen, HD, cd drive) and was replaced with a mid 2009 one through custom educational AppleCare agreement. The mid-2009 one I am using now never had a problem. Hope it will stay that way.
If you still have An HDD, get an SSD instead. It's about 10 TIMES faster than HDD and is a no-brainer.
I bought mine in 2007
It will be 4 years old on October 12 2011. It is going strong. I am on it a lot, using iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. I take good care of my computer, and hope when I do need to replace it Apple isn't manufacturing with lower standards (built-in obsolescence) than when I bought this one.
It will be 4 years old on October 12 2011. It is going strong. I am on it a lot, using iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. I take good care of my computer, and hope when I do need to replace it Apple isn't manufacturing with lower standards (built-in obsolescence) than when I bought this one.
My 12" G4 PB is 7 years old and it's had 2 HDD failures, but that was due to the fact that putting it in sleep mode does NOT protect the HDD when carrying it around in a bag. It took 2 HDD failures for me to figure this out. The only other hardware problems I have is 1 dead pixel and the speakers cut in and out (but headphones work fine).
I bought my first Macbook in 2006 or 7. Its hard drive died after a couple of years, but other than that, it's been great. It was the base lower end white Macbook and I even did some light gaming on it and it's still going strong.
Decided to give that laptop to my wife (light computer user and she loves it) and bought a new 15 inch Macbook Pro. Love it and expect it to last for years and years.
Decided to give that laptop to my wife (light computer user and she loves it) and bought a new 15 inch Macbook Pro. Love it and expect it to last for years and years.
I've been using a 2000-2001 Powerbook G3 as a main computer. The first two years the screen needed to be replaced, then over the years the screen needs to be replaced about every 3 years. I've bought used parts off ebay because this was an easy computer to work on.
The battery and hard drive also last about 3 years.
I don't need a lap top as much anymore. So now I'm going to use a desk top as a primary computer and an inexpensive lap top.
I would say MBP would last 3-4 years, but could break anytime after the first year warranty and I wouldn't spend much to have it repaired because you can get a lemon just like any machine. If the screen goes out that could be over a grand, so there is a lot of risk.
The battery and hard drive also last about 3 years.
I don't need a lap top as much anymore. So now I'm going to use a desk top as a primary computer and an inexpensive lap top.
I would say MBP would last 3-4 years, but could break anytime after the first year warranty and I wouldn't spend much to have it repaired because you can get a lemon just like any machine. If the screen goes out that could be over a grand, so there is a lot of risk.
I have a four year old Macbook and it still works well considering I ...
1. dropped it on concrete from five feet.
2. spilled a lot of soda on the keyboard
3. used it in temperatures above 45C and below negative 20C.
4. used i in elevation over 12 000 feet.
I don't recommend doing any of those things but because it has survived through them all I will buy another one when this one dies.
1. dropped it on concrete from five feet.
2. spilled a lot of soda on the keyboard
3. used it in temperatures above 45C and below negative 20C.
4. used i in elevation over 12 000 feet.
I don't recommend doing any of those things but because it has survived through them all I will buy another one when this one dies.
My 2007 Macbook is still working perfectly! Only problem is the hard drive is only 60GB haha. I've had to replace the battery once, but I'm still getting a good 3-4 hours on it right now and its been a few years. Plus I take HORRIBLE care of this thing unintentionally. Its incredible how I've had no issues at all (minus the jamming of my CD drive but who uses those anymore lol)