Laptop Lifespan

[leimin]

So, how many years does your laptop usually last before you break it or replace it? And yes this includes laptop other than mbp. I had an acer before and I replaced it after 3.5 years of use. Then I have the macbook pro now 1 year old and I don't plan on replacing it anytime soon

 

[leman]

I never had a laptop break down on me. I usually replace it after 1-2 years.

P.S. Change your nickname I was here first!

 

[borgqueens]

I plan on getting the next rMPB and counting on having it for the next 5 years maby more but wowed 1-2 years because of my history with notebooks running windows. Thanks God I have a MBP atm

 

[maxosx]

Apples planned obsolescence will force you to replace it prematurely.

That's because they will stop supporting it when they feel like it. Usually after a few years.

Conversely if you don't mind not being supported or running the most current OS, the computer is long lasting. I still use my pristine 2002 PowerBook G4 for writing and research on the web. Other than replacing the battery, nothing's gone wrong with it. That's how long they last with proper care and good computing practices.

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I plan on getting the next rMPB and counting on having it for the next 5 years maby more but wowed 1-2 years because of my history with notebooks running windows. Thanks God I have a MBP atm

You must have had cheap notebooks.

My ThinkPads last just as long as my Macs.

 

[joewillmott]

My Windows laptops used to break so badly within a year that it would've been cheaper to replace them. After a few years of buying a new laptop every 9-10 months I got a MBA last May... and still have it!

It does have its' issues; the wifi needs to be turned off/on every hour or two, the battery life is dwindling, I had to get a replacement charger and occasionally the fan makes a really loud noise like it's slashing up the internals.

It still works but when the Haswell rMBP is released I think I will upgrade. Possibly.

 

[Mr. Dee]

My Acer

I have an Acer going nearly 8 years now. Got it in December 2006. It had factory installed 2 GBs of RAM. Got a 4 GBs of RAM for from a friend, used it ever since. Originally came with Vista Ultimate 64 bit, ran it up until Windows 7 was released and upgraded to the Windows 8 Dev Preview in 2011 and eventually the final release.

Throughout my use with Windows 8, things start falling a part such as wireless stopped working, but everything works good otherwise.

In April, I got a new HP laptop, I thought I could keep it, but found out I have to return it. One evening, I decided to try and fix the wireless, so I pulled out the battery and did some general checks like remove the memory modules. Eventually I gave up and put everything back together. When I reinstalled the memory and battery and tried to start the system, it would not start.

This eventually turned out to be a case of the memory installed in the wrong slots, fixed that and booted. Windows would not load. Eventually, it started after some time. This is the way it has been ever since. Sometimes it boots, sometimes it does not. I don't know if the contacts have been damaged or what, but it boots on occasion. Sometimes I have to start it when I come from work, leave it for a while, turn it off, then turn it on again, then it boots to Windows 8.

Its still functional, I watched Oblivion (2013) on it yesterday evening, great screen too 1600 x 900, good performance, but because I had to change to 1 GB of RAM its not as fast as it use to be. I notice it gives not ends of problem with the 2 original sticks I got from my friend, but will boot on occasion with the 1 GB (2 512 sticks) I got from my brother.

Taking into consideration I have gotten good 7 years out of it, I can't complain. Personally, probably won't be going back into a laptop later this year, but a Tablet instead.

If you take care of your laptop, whether its a Apple or Windows based system, it will serve you a long time. If you have it for a long time, like I have and things start to fall apart such as the wireless, don't bother go tinker, you might make things worst. Just let it take its own time until it croaks.

 

[devilcm3]

i think my mac can last longer than 3 years.......if not because of my urge to switch

 

[sofianito]

Apples planned obsolescence will force you to replace it prematurely.

That's because they will stop supporting it when they feel like it. Usually after a few years.

Not to mention the new retina design goes against the modularity patterns that apply to any science field such as electronics, computer science, architecture,...etc. They basically introduced the buy and throw in 3 years pattern (expect less if you don't purchase the applecare). If anything goes wrong after AC ends, the best thing you could do is to recycle it because it would not be worth to repair it...

 

[maflynn]

Apples planned obsolescence will force you to replace it prematurely.

I disagree - there's still a lot of users on the 12" Powerbook laptops, I also see the C2D white/black MacBooks being used. My 2010 MBP which my wife has is still going strong.

I've used IBM, HP and Dell laptops for work, and by far they're straining as they get close to 3 years. In my office, its not unusual to see a 2 year old laptop fail and need to be replaced/repaired.

I think one of the strengths Apple has is the ability for the computers to remain current for a very long time.

 

[sofianito]

I disagree - there's still a lot of users on the 12" Powerbook laptops, I also see the C2D white/black MacBooks being used. My 2010 MBP which my wife has is still going strong.

I've used IBM, HP and Dell laptops for work, and by far they're straining as they get close to 3 years. In my office, its not unusual to see a 2 year old laptop fail and need to be replaced/repaired.

I think one of the strengths Apple has is the ability for the computers to remain current for a very long time.

There is a psychological and behavioral aspect you are not taking into account: when someone purchases an expensive laptop with his own money, he is much more careful, but when it is provided by a company, people tend to be careless. Some people even do silly things to get their laptop replaced by their company before time...

 

[gngan]

This is a bad poll. My2 Sony vaio lasted 2-3 years before it broke while my mac lasted 4 years before I want to change. There's a difference between wanting to change and forced to change.

 

[thermodynamic]

[/COLOR]

Apples planned obsolescence will force you to replace it prematurely.

That's because they will stop supporting it when they feel like it. Usually after a few years.

Conversely if you don't mind not being supported or running the most current OS, the computer is long lasting. I still use my pristine 2002 PowerBook G4 for writing and research on the web. Other than replacing the battery, nothing's gone wrong with it. That's how long they last with proper care and good computing practices.

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I can't agree.

Apart from Lion's removal of Rosetta, allowing universal apps - I lost the ability to run 2 apps as a result - I've had no need to forcibly upgrade. All Intel apps run just great, though both Apple and Adobe play the "One upgraded their end so the other should, which means you just need to spend more money." But if you want to be in business you have to keep up. And there's no real way to get a lifelong license anymore; one just rents... software at least, wait for hardware to follow - and add to landfills that much more quickly. But I digress.

As long as my 2011 MBP doesn't do the same thing so many others' have reported*, I should be fine for a few years. It does get very hot under load, which WILL lower its overall lifespan (sorry, having been in hardware for over 20 years, you cannot spin the laws of physics. Large quantities of heat lower electronics' lifespans, and 32nm technology is pretty delicate if not properly engineered. Proper engineering means you stay under 70C under full load, if you're going to do anything for any fair period of time.)


* and based on what people have said it is a hardware timebomb waiting to go off (not the underpowered AC brick that gets scalding to the touch but the dedicated GPU that fails over time, with people upset that they have to spend $300+ for a new system board or disable the AMD GPU before the integrated Intel GPU konks out...)

 

[leman]

Given how dramatically the performance of the computers changes within generations, longevity of a laptop is really the last question in my book. Old computers have their niche uses of course, but I wouldn't want to own a 3 years old laptop as my main computer. Even for basic tasks like email checking, web browsing and text processing, the current Air will provide a better user experience then the most expensive 2009 MBP... computers are tools and articles of daily use - but many people here seem to treat them as pets or members of their family. Hence, I don't get all this 'disposable computers' talk - because ultimately, this is what computers are and always were. Desktops are just as disposable as the laptops here - if you want maximal performance and newest features you have to buy new mainboard/CPU/GPU/RAM/drives every two-three years. The only 'permanent' part are the case and the display

 

[kant]

I'm typing on the laptop in my sig connected to a Dell 2005fpw.

They're both getting a bit long in the tooth though. I ordered the 2012 2.7/8g/1t cMBP from MacMall last week. As long as I'm ordering an SSD for it, I might get a small ssd for this one.

So this is a bit over 5 years old. Still works fine. Runs Mountain Lion. Haven't looked at the minimum specs for Maverick so I may be forced to stay with ML.

But you said "pcs included" so I voted 2-3.

 

[fatlardo]

I've had an hp that died after the 3 years. An Asus that died within the 3 year but sold after it was fixed under warranty. Seems like Asus n HP last around 3 years.

 

[leman]

I've had an hp that died after the 3 years. An Asus that died within the 3 year but sold after it was fixed under warranty. Seems like Asus n HP last around 3 years.

You should write a book on statistics, it will really sell well given your ingenious methods to perform safe estimations based on one-sample populations

 

[Pinkie Pie]

I've only owned one laptop and I'm typing on it right now. Before getting my MB, I was demolishing desktop PCs at a rate of one every two years ... oops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[sofianito]

I've only owned one laptop and I'm typing on it right now. Before getting my MB, I was demolishing desktop PCs at a rate of one every two years ... oops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nice smiley

 

[maxosx]

Conversely if you don't mind not being supported or running the most current OS, the computer is long lasting. I still use my pristine 2002 PowerBook G4 for writing and research on the web. Other than replacing the battery, nothing's gone wrong with it. That's how long they last with proper care

I disagree - there's still a lot of users on the 12" Powerbook laptops, I also see the C2D white/black MacBooks being used. My 2010 MBP which my wife has is still going strong.

I've used IBM, HP and Dell laptops for work, and by far they're straining as they get close to 3 years. In my office, its not unusual to see a 2 year old laptop fail and need to be replaced/repaired.

I think one of the strengths Apple has is the ability for the computers to remain current for a very long time.

You stopped reading my post after the first or second sentence, see above.

I'm enjoying the classic look and incredibly long lasting PowerBook G4, I bought upon its release in November of 2002.

If that's not a vote of confidence in Apple I don't know what is

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I can't agree.

You can't agree that I'm enjoying my 2002 PowerBook G4?

Why not ?

 

[leman]

I'm enjoying the classic look and incredibly long lasting PowerBook G4, I bought upon its release in November of 2002.

If that's not a vote of confidence in Apple I don't know what is

My department owed 6 PowerBooks G4. Last of them failed in 2010. Again, anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. There is no statistical data to suggest that the PB was longer-lasting than any MBP model. And the multiple quality issues of PB G4 are well documented.

 

[maxosx]

My department owed 6 PowerBooks G4. Last of them failed in 2010. Again, anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. There is no statistical data to suggest that the PB was longer-lasting than any MBP model. And the multiple quality issues of PB G4 are well documented.

I'm not sure what your point is. I buy a new MBP every year. They've been great.

I simply mentioned the stellar experience I had, in response to the question asked by the OP. Once in a while I get a really good Mac like my 2002 PowerBook G4 Ti. Some of which I keep just for fun. If you remember your Mac history you'll remember that many users had the hinges fail on Ti's. Mine are like new because I was careful. It's all a matter of choices.

But I always buy a new 15" top of the line Mac laptop each year for two primary reasons. 1) Because I can use all the power available for the work I do. 2) I happen to enjoy getting a new laptop at each release.

I've bought nearly every new PowerBook & MBP Apple has released since 1991. Therefore I've had a fair amount of experience with the brand.

Faults? It's a computer & none are perfect. That's to be expected. They're the tools I work with, not the objects I admire based on style.

 

[maflynn]

You stopped reading my post after the first or second sentence, see above.

I didn't stop reading it, but rather refuting that there is planned obsolescence, i.e., design of the laptop prevents usage after a couple of years. True Apple stops supporting machines after x years (I think 6 but I actually forget). Support and designing in short comings is two different things.

 

[maxosx]

I didn't stop reading it, but rather refuting that there is planned obsolescence, i.e., design of the laptop prevents usage after a couple of years. True Apple stops supporting machines after x years (I think 6 but I actually forget). Support and designing in short comings is two different things.

In retrospect I didn't do a very good job of conveying my point. I should have said if you prefer running the latest version of the OS, then your Mac is subject to Apples timeline. That's not a knock on them as business is business. Apple has a vested interest in selling both hardware and software.

In the end everything works out, I certainly prefer my Macs over any of the other choices

 

[maflynn]

I should have said if you prefer running the latest version of the OS, then your Mac is subject to Apples timeline

That statement is 100% accurate. Apple does push you to new hardware by way of dropping support in OSX of older machines even if those machines are fully capable of running OSX.

 

[Vanilla35]

I've had my Sony laptop for just under 5 years now. Still no problems whatsoever. It's the only computer I use, and being in college, I use it heavily. Cost me $600 when I got it. 15in. i3 processor 4gb ram

[/COLOR]

It does get very hot under load, which WILL lower its overall lifespan (sorry, having been in hardware for over 20 years, you cannot spin the laws of physics. Large quantities of heat lower electronics' lifespans, and 32nm technology is pretty delicate if not properly engineered. Proper engineering means you stay under 70C under full load, if you're going to do anything for any fair period of time.)

THANK YOU, for being one of the only people to acknowledge this. It seems like all the apple fan boys on this forum are completely oblivious to their own brainwashed minds. I read all the time "Oh your MBP is at 103 degrees Celsius? That's totally fine, it doesn't shut off till 105 so obviously it can't hurt your computer

Noobs

Computers are tools and articles of daily use - but many people here seem to treat them as pets or members of their family.

Not trying to bash you or anything, but my opinion is to the contrary. I completely treat my electronics like pets. Not in a weird way, but I treat them very well, and am careful (not just about nicks and stuff) with the way I handle them. I guess you could say I'm sympathetic to my tech. I don't repeatedly press the same button, I don't plug in a device, take it out real quick, then put it back in. I don't close the lid of my computer and lift it up to put it in my backpack even though it's not completely in sleep mode yet. I wait those extra seconds to make sure the computer processes, till it gets to sleep, till it registers the device, etc. I give my computer at least 30-45 seconds to load up processes after a boot up. Idk if it's just coincidence, but being gentle with devices, I've never once in my entire life had a device malfunction or break on me. Never had a speaker blow out, cell phone stop working, etc, in my 21 years of life. But maybe it's all coming down the pipe, lol.

Given how dramatically the performance of the computers changes within generations, longevity of a laptop is really the last question in my book. Old computers have their niche uses of course, but I wouldn't want to own a 3 years old laptop as my main computer.

I disagree with this. For those who use their computer to the max every day, where you would notice the maximum threshold of one generation's performance to the next, I can see this being true. But for everyone else, I don't think so. I just cleaned up my laptop with a new utility program, uninstalled a couple games I don't play anymore, and honestly my computer feels 90% as fast as it was when I first bought it many years ago. It's not a slow computer, so it's not a problem. Not sure if OSx gets bogged down, but cleaning out the OS may change your mind about these things. Lots of people just ignore it, or attribute the slowing of their computer to it's age and decaying hardware performance. Even on Mac, the system can develop quite a bit of clutter, and will slow down significantly.