How often to upgrade MBP?

[seven7seven]

I got my 13" MBP june of 09.
Thinking about upgrading this june w/ the student/ipod promo and selling my old machine.

How often do you guys normally upgrade?

Economically is this a good idea as well? In terms of deflation of my machine/cost of replacement.

 

[ECUpirate44]

I typically upgrade every 3-4 years, but I have latest and greatest syndrome so I'm always tempted to upgrade more often than I need to.

 

[Epsilon88]

Upgrade when you feel that the laptop is no longer meeting your needs in terms of speed, features or compatibility, or perhaps when your Applecare runs out. Buying a new computer once every 1.5 years doesn't make economic sense, because you're paying a premium to buy that item new on a regular basis and will sell for considerably less used. However, if you wait too long, then your work may become inefficient due to an out-dated system.

I don't see why you'd need to upgrade your laptop now, other than simply having the "latest and greatest".

 

[Jswoosh]

Yeah in the past I've upgraded every 3 years or so. I have an 07 MBP right now. I was thinking of buying the new one that is supposedly coming out tomorrow but I think I'm going to wait for the new imacs because I need a much larger screen for what I've been and want to do.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I am definitely a "latest and greatest" desirer.

However, I also understand economic reality and workflow effect.

My notebook purchases have been:

1995 (used)
1998 (used)
2000 (new)
2003 (factory refurbished version of then-new model)
2006 (new - MBP on launch day)
20?? (maybe never?)

I just got an iPad for my day-to-day mobile computing that has turned my notebook into a desktop. (Or, more precisely, has turned my laptop into my wife's laptop, and her laptop into my desktop.) I had been planning on getting a MacBook Air, but I basically stumbled into the iPad, and have decided that it does 99% of what I need a mobile for. For $500 savings, I can skip that last 1%.

I figure I'll buy a Mac Mini server when the Mini gets updated next to be my new desktop computer. (I upgrade my desktops SIGNIFICANTLY more frequently than my notebooks - largely self-built PCs, but with a few Macs thrown in over the years.)

 

[Santabean2000]

One character I know upgrades every time, sells the previous model and takes a small hit each year. Economically works out very well as resell value is high. And has benefit of nearly always being under warranty.

Only down side is that it's a pain in the a** updating software licenses. Also hassle of trying to sell too I guess.

Not really for me. I just want a machine that rolls beautifully, and if it still does the job then it'll stay.

I had a 12" PB which I ran into the ground over 5+ years. Eventually it was beyond a joke and it was duly rolled over.

Its prob better environmentally too not to upgrade too often.

I think the sweet spot for home users is around the 3 1/2 - 4 yr mark.

 

[gangzoom]

One of the things I've found with my Macs is that you really don't need to upgrade all that often (unless you want top gaming performance, but than again PCs are much cheaper than macs for this)..My current lap top is 3 years old, and have no plans of upgrading for a while (runs office, photoshop, lightroom), my previous laptop lasted me 5 1/2 years and only sold it after it literally fell apart (and still got £300 for it ...my current desktop MacPro is 6 years old, and my dad still uses our old G4 which must be 10 years old

So unless you really need the top specs, i would save your money for the next iphone

 

[motulist]

I've been thinking about this same question since I have a MBP that's approximately 5 months old and the new MBPs are coming out today. I like to treat my laptops kinda rough and customize them slightly to fit my needs, so the resale value on it would probably be significantly less than someone who treats their laptops with kid gloves just so they can resell it.

 

[opera57]

I upgrade whenever I feel like it.. like the new quad MBP is sooo tempting, but there is nothing wrong with the one I have, but then again, the new one will be so much faster! So there is quite a dilemma. Saying that I usually change every 2-3 years so that I can have Applecare on my machine.

 

[Vantage Point]

Assuming what you have is 'good enough' then perhaps every 2-3 refreshes.

If you invest in Apple Care then it makes sense to sell within 2.5 years so the buyer inherits the remaining AC time and feels comfortable about the purchase knowing any problems will not cost. This creates resale value which is completely lost after 3 years.

I bought my current MBP in Nov 2010. So sometime in 2012 I may upgrade. Right now I am very happy with my performance. By 2012 I can easily see models being able to handle 16GB RAM and even having devices out that can actually use the new Lightpeak/Thunderbolt. (Thunderbolt is a terrible name - thunder is sound and sound travels slow at about 768 miles/HOUR while light travels at 186,000 miles/SECOND)

 

[reebzor]

I try to upgrade my macs every two years or so. I feel as though a 2yr old mac still holds enough resale value to justify a new purchase. Holding onto it any longer than that makes the upgrade not as economically feasible, yet upgrading too soon usually seems not worth it for the spec increase.

That being said, I certainly plan on getting rid of my 09 13" in favor of something a little more powerful within the next couple of months

 

[jmazzamj]

I suffer from the latest and greatest syndrome too.

I use to sell my MBP just before the update so I can get most of its value.

Lately I have found a local reseller that often offers 20% off of any electronics (up to € 1000, though), latest Macs included, so the hit is minimum or I can even get my money back!!

As long as software goes, SuperDuper and Time Machine are my friends, that has always worked out for me as long as I update my HD with the latest delta update.