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How long is a MBP suppose to last?

T

tubeexperience

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 17, 2016
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In late 2012, I bought my Late 2011 MacBook Pro 17". Anyway, lately it has been plagued by the dGPU issue. Apple keeps insisting that it's a software issue until the dGPU completely fails and the MBP won't boot.

Apple replaced my logic board with a refurbished unit (a failed unit that has been repaired) that is starting to experience a few issues. Guess what? Apple is going back to insisting that it's a software issue.

I am annoyed that Apple is giving Band-Aid fixes that basically kicks the can down the road.

Anyway, some users here on MR insist that Apple (that sold me a very expensive lemon) don't owe me anything since my laptop is now old (in their opinion).

So... in your opinion, how long do you think a MacBook Pro is suppose last?

In my case, I am basically being forced to upgrade, not because my MBP is obsolete, but because of the design flaw in the product.
 
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A machine with a dGPU is always going to be prone to more issues compared to machines that has integrated graphics. However, I would still expect the machine to last a minimum of 3/4 years.
 
I'd be pretty annoyed if a £/$1000 machine only lasted 3/4 years. I have a 2011 MBA with 350 charge cycles that is spotless, running fast and faultless on EL Capitan.


image.jpeg
 
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I expect a lot from my notebooks - I still have a 12" PowerBook G4 in active service in my classroom, and that little guy has been at it with very little downtime since 2005. My main notebook is a 2011 11" Air, and my secondary is a 2012 13" rMBP. I expect that the Air will be with me for many years to come, and will probably replace the PowerBook at some point in the next couple years, with the rMBP taking over the role as my primary notebook. I generally expect around 4-5 years of active primary service, then another couple of secondary service. Anything beyond the primary is gravy :)
 
Interesting to see so many threads on Mac's longevity today.. My 15" ( Hi-Res screen ) 2011 non Retina MBP was/is a real workhorse and with about 600 battery cycles..the health was still at around 95%. I gave it to my cousin who's still using it to date! No issues, other than a few cosmetic scratches..

My 15" 2012 rMBP was/is also a gem. Still going strong ( relegated to another family member ) with about 700+ cycles and battery health at around 91%. Luckily, it came with the Samsung screen with no burn in issues!

The current Mac is the late 2013 13 and 15" rMBP (bought around the same time when released) and both going super strong, as of today in 2016!

No OS X desktop experience, so can't comment on those!

Bottomline, the MBPs are super reliable and last a long time :cool:
 
tubeexperience said:
In late 2012, I bought my Late 2011 MacBook Pro 17". Anyway, lately it has been plagued by the dGPU issue. Apple keeps insisting that it's a software issue until the dGPU completely fails and the MBP won't boot.

Apple replaced my logic board with a refurbished unit (a failed unit that has been repaired) that is starting to experience a few issues. Guess what? Apple is going back to insisting that it's a software issue.

I am annoyed that Apple is giving Band-Aid fixes that basically kicks the can down the road.

Anyway, some users here on MR insist that Apple (that sold me a very expensive lemon) don't owe me anything since my laptop is now old (in their opinion).
Click to expand...

Maybe those people are tired of hearing you complain about the same thing over and over.

So... in your opinion, how long do you think a MacBook Pro is suppose last?
Click to expand...

I was going to say 3-5 years, but 4 is a good compromise. Anything beyond that and you're really at the point of diminishing returns.

In my case, I am basically being forced to upgrade, not because my MBP is obsolete, but because of the design flaw in the product.
Click to expand...

Your MBP was obsolete as soon as you bought it. That's how the market works. Technology is constantly changing.
 
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I am in the same boat with my 2011 17". Finally had mine crap out a couple months ago for the first time and Apple replaced the board (with refurbished I imagine), working great again (for now)!

I don't see why "years" has anything to do with it (unless new software will no longer run on it). I would think it is more a matter of "hours", "load", "restarts", "charging cycles", etc. All I know is that it is the first Apple product I have ever bought the past 25 years that died on me out of tens-of-thousands of dollars spent on Apple hardware. First Apple product I have ever owned that I would not feel honest selling to someone else on eBay since it has this known issue.
 
My 17" Mid 2010 is running fairly smoothly with every day heavy use and two drops. Just the right speaker isn't playing along any longer since a couple of days (I'll blame it on Boom).
 
T5BRICK said:
Your MBP was obsolete as soon as you bought it. That's how the market works. Technology is constantly changing.
Click to expand...
It can still easily run the latest version of OS X as well as Adobe CC. That's not obsolete by any means.

simonsi said:
Its coming up 5yrs old, dGPU or not its into the lap of the gods how long any electronics might last at that point.
Click to expand...

It's actually 3.5 years old and I do think that normally electronics become obsolete before they fail.

choreo said:
I am in the same boat with my 2011 17". Finally had mine crap out a couple months ago for the first time and Apple replaced the board (with refurbished I imagine), working great again (for now)!

I don't see why "years" has anything to do with it (unless new software will no longer run on it). I would think it is more a matter of "hours", "load", "restarts", "charging cycles", etc. All I know is that it is the first Apple product I have ever bought the past 25 years that died on me out of tens-of-thousands of dollars spent on Apple hardware. First Apple product I have ever owned that I would not feel honest selling to someone else on eBay since it has this known issue.
Click to expand...

I find it outrageous that the laptop is failing despite having a very coddled life.

I am doubtful that Photoshop and Illustrator put much stress on the dGPU.
 
I has my Mid-2010 13" MacBook Pro for 5 years. It was still working but it was really slow. Decided to get an mid 2015 15" MacBook Pro with dGPU
 
My 2012 rMBP is going strong at 4 years. I may consider replacing it in 2017 but I'm kind of doubtful on that. Only a catastrophic failure would now motivate me to buy a new laptop (knocks on wood so that doesn't happen :) )
 
There is no appropriate answer here tech devices last as long as they last and that can be wildly different from one of the same laptops to the next, one may die after a few days while another is still chugging along 12 years later.

Apple guarantee them for 3 years so the answer is that after 3 years the rates of failure are more than Apple are willing to cover.
 
One of my friends is running a 2009 MacBook Pro still and she seems pretty happy with it, so evidently quite a while.

With that said, unfortunately the 2011 MacBook Pros have these AMD graphics chips which quite honestly suck and fail prematurely.

Still, I'm pretty optimistic that my retina macbook pro is going to last a long time.
 
OP wrote:
"In my case, I am basically being forced to upgrade, not because my MBP is obsolete, but because of the design flaw in the product."

Sometimes, the only thing to do is write off a bad product, and move on.
Such is the case with the 2011 15" and 17" MacBook Pro.

Apple had a bad design with that one. I wouldn't go so far to say it was a "knowingly" bad design (in that they didn't realize the problem when they first put it to market), but the design fault was one that manifested over time.

At least (after a long delay) Apple acknowledged the problem and tried to make amends by the logic-board swap-out program.

A strictly personal observation:
With MacBooks, it seems that the "longest-lasting" examples are the "more basic models" WITHOUT discrete GPU's. Perhaps this has something to do with the extra internally-generated heat where discrete GPUs are involved. Perhaps this is also complicated by Apple's obsessive compulsion towards "thin-ness", which probably hinders cooling of the internals.

I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro 13" that runs BETTER THAN NEW after I installed an SSD. I expect at least another year or two out of it.

You've been posting here for weeks and weeks about your experience with the problematic 2011 MBPro.

My advice:
Use it for as long as it lasts, then move on.

There's really not much else you can do at this point.
 
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tubeexperience said:
It can still easily run the latest version of OS X as well as Adobe CC. That's not obsolete by any means.
Click to expand...

Obsolete does not mean that it doesn't work anymore.

By definition, it means:
no longer produced or used; out of date.

Now you'll probably go to one extreme on that and claim that the definition says "No longer produced or used" and talk about how you use yours.

I'm looking at the first part "no longer produced" or the "out of date" part. Apple no longer makes 2011 MacBook Pros. As with any technology, it was out of date before you bought it because technology is constantly changing.

It's pretty clear to me that you posted asking a question when you already have made up your mind. So what is your point? Did you really just want to talk about how horrible and terrible Apple is for selling you a computer with a "design flaw"? It sucks that your 4 year old computer is broken. I'd be annoyed too. But complaining on here isn't going to accomplish what you're trying to accomplish. Vote with your wallet. Buy something else next time.
 
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Fishrrman said:
OP wrote:
"In my case, I am basically being forced to upgrade, not because my MBP is obsolete, but because of the design flaw in the product."

Sometimes, the only thing to do is write off a bad product, and move on.
Such is the case with the 2011 15" and 17" MacBook Pro.

Apple had a bad design with that one. I wouldn't go so far to say it was a "knowingly" bad design (in that they didn't realize the problem when they first put it to market), but the design fault was one that manifested over time.

At least (after a long delay) Apple acknowledged the problem and tried to make amends by the logic-board swap-out program.

A strictly personal observation:
With MacBooks, it seems that the "longest-lasting" examples are the "more basic models" WITHOUT discrete GPU's. Perhaps this has something to do with the extra internally-generated heat where discrete GPUs are involved. Perhaps this is also complicated by Apple's obsessive compulsion towards "thin-ness", which probably hinders cooling of the internals.

I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro 13" that runs BETTER THAN NEW after I installed an SSD. I expect at least another year or two out of it.

You've been posting here for weeks and weeks about your experience with the problematic 2011 MBPro.

My advice:
Use it for as long as it lasts, then move on.

There's really not much else you can do at this point.
Click to expand...

I do wonder if Apple is as sick and tired of me as I am sick and tired of it.

I don't think Apple appreciates me bringing the same laptop into the Apple Store for service every other week.
 
I am a casual user on my late 2009.. it went well until late 2013 and then I upgraded the RAM and replaced the HDD with SSD.
Without coding and video/photo editing, it still meet my needs.
But I will buy this new one for sure... rumored coming Q4 this year.
 
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