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iphone joe

Suspended
Original poster
Feb 10, 2011
275
22
NY
How many years do you wait until you replace your Macbook's? Do buy the latest and greatest or do you keep them until they die?
 
When I need to upgrade and it no longer does the job. Currently my 15" 2012 cMBP handles most things I need it to and I wouldn't ever consider getting rid of it unless it's completely broken.

I'd rather it was faster of course, especially with the bottlenecked SATA SSD -- those delicious 2GB/s PCI-e read speeds in the current gen would really help with loading AUs in LPX -- but it's still a solid machine.
 
My 2010 MBPro still does everything that I need it to do.
No "replacement" is necessary, yet.
 
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Used to get one every 3 years. My current one is a 2013 MacBook Air that has roughly the same performance as my previous 2010 MacBook Pro. Just lighter and smaller.

I don't think I'll be upgrading again anytime soon though.
 
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3 years last time but the changes between the 2010 13 inch pro and the late 2013 13 inch pro were worth the upgrade. This one should do me another couple of years it hasn't skipped a beat in three years.
 
I stretch it until its redesigned and I buy the first gen and keep it until it's refreshed again.
 
2010 base MBP still works well for me (though I bought it second-hand). Upgraded with a SSD and it's plenty fast. I'll most likely get a new one with the 2017 or 2018 refreshes. I trust this 2010 will be good for another 2 years at least. Technology leaps aren't as big as they used to be year to year.
 
Usually every three years the technology has progressed enough for me to make sense to get a new computer
 
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I lasted about 4 and half years, though I opted for a Surface Book instead of a MBP. The MBP could possibly last longer if I opt to put a new battery in it. Right now the laptop works well, but the battery doesn't last long enough for me to use it effectively.
 
My MBP is from 2011 and I have no intention of replacing anytime soon. She's still a monster.

I also have a white Macbook from 2008 that works quite well with a SSD. Rarely bust it out though as I've become accustomed to the multi-touch trackpad on my MBP and the 2008 Macbook is stuck on Lion.
 
My first ever MacBook was a refurb white 2006 model, my current MacBook is a refurb 2015 model which I got this week, so took me 10 years. :p
 
Speaking of which...Generally speaking what is the wait/turnaround on an Apple event vs. when I can walk in and get new product. Like many, in desperate need of new laptop and don't really pay attention until I am shopping.
 
Speaking of which...Generally speaking what is the wait/turnaround on an Apple event vs. when I can walk in and get new product. Like many, in desperate need of new laptop and don't really pay attention until I am shopping.
- New Macs are typically available for purchase on the same day they're announced.
 
I generally get the itch every 3 years or so... Although I bought a mid-2014 15" Pro right after the 2015 models came out (got an amazing deal from B&H Photo) and I'd like to hold onto it for four years at least. Also, my wife is still using a 2011 iMac for her photo business, so it's her turn as soon as the 27" retina iMacs are refreshed. She's long overdue, but her current machine gets the job done surprisingly well especially after an upgrade to SSD storage. Night and day difference...

Also, it's a distinct possibility that my 4-plus year plan for my machine will go straight out the window when the new Pros are finally unveiled... Let's see what Apple can do to sway me!
 
It's a work device for me, so probably quicker than I would if it were my own, but still only when it's lacking something or beginning to fail. My 2010 model was a mess by the end of 3 years (second display was failing, short of space, and a small water spill on the keyboard was causing a few problems). My current (2013) model is ageing a bit (display has smeary patterns when light at some angles, needs a bigger disk, battery life is adequate but less than it was) but is still usable. So I'm currently watching to see what the updates are when they arrive, but don't need to jump on a first generation product if there's any sign of it behaving like a first generation product.
 
When I need to upgrade and it no longer does the job. Currently my 15" 2012 cMBP handles most things I need it to and I wouldn't ever consider getting rid of it unless it's completely broken.

I'd rather it was faster of course, especially with the bottlenecked SATA SSD -- those delicious 2GB/s PCI-e read speeds in the current gen would really help with loading AUs in LPX -- but it's still a solid machine.

^ this.

Previously, I'd move when I couldn't tolerate performance after maxing out 'unofficially supported' RAM running VMs + Dev and sysadmin tools, but I tried to keep to a ~3-4 year cycle..assuming there was something of merit in the newer system.

This time around, I'm still on my CTO 2011 cMBP, 16GB, 1TB SSD + second HD, with the only reason for 'upgrade' being lack of USB3 and crap battery life on a replacement battery.

To date, there hasn't been any compelling reason TO "upgrade" - compared to current(ok-2015, currently for sale) models, CPU performance gains from then to now amount to 25% or less, no path to move to 32GB, so while I'd LOVE to like the new/eventually-released MBP, I'm waiting to see if they offer 32GB RAM or anything else as a truly compelling sign that 'it's time to "upgrade"'. We'll see.
 
2007 white MacBook then sold it in 2011 for a MacBook Pro. The 2011 is still going strong after SSD upgrade and 1TB in optical bay. Will be upgrading the SSD to Samsung 850 Evo 500gb today.
 
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