Macbook Air lifespan

[gr8tfly]

Excellent example. But what do you think was the cause of the HD failure? I wonder if the SSDs will run into similar problems in five years? Seems like they shouldn't since they are to not moveable.

I don't think it was anything significant - sometimes, HDs just fail. Those are basically the same drives that are used in iPods (with HDs), and I don't think they really like high duty cycle usage - we ran it 24/7 for like a year and a half. Maybe that contributed to the failure. Or not.

As for SSD's, they should be less likely to fail when compared with a mechanical drive. Current SSDs are achieving relatively longer lives because of better wear leveling techniques and newer storage cell technologies. I haven't had the pleasure of using one, yet, so I don't have any personal experience with their longevity. I wouldn't worry too much about them though, when considering a new MBA.

 

[MillieWales]

Wow some of you don't have much faith in your laptops! I have just upgraded to an 11" Air from a 12" POwerBook G4 made in 2005, I was the 3rd owner and had it for nearly 3 years, heavy user as in photoshop and making videos - no, heavy user as in the machine was actually in use for in excess of 8 hours a day 5 days a week plus a few at the weekends - yes. Office apps, iTunes and watching films, iPLayer, Omnifocus, Safari, Mail, that little PowerBook got hot and the fans ran pretty much all day every day, but it never let me down. I was never rough with it but it was knocked about and I wasn't careful to protect it, everything was backed up and I was waiting for it to die so I could upgrade. In the end I ran out of patience, the little PowerBook is being handed on to a family member as a first laptop!

I think the Air will last longer, solid state hard drive means less moving parts, it runs cooler so fans are rarely on, and the aluminium plating on the PowerBook corroded, as the Air is solid metal it should hold up better.

I actually have a 2002 15" PowerBook too but I have that as a back-up machine just in case I couldn't get on the little 12", it was used heavily from 2002 until 2008, believe it or not I was happy to upgrade to a 12" G4 PB!

My brother uses a 1999 iMac day in day out, I gave it to him, he loves it, thinks its retro, I want to turn it into a fish tank and next time I visit him I may try to convince him again!

They don't have to last 3 years, I don't believe just working them a bit harder kills them quicker, and not many of you really use some of these intensive apps for 8 hours a day day in day out, though I don't doubt some of you do so hold back with the shouting and stamping, I'm not saying you are making it up

 

[wrinkster22]

Wow some of you don't have much faith in your laptops! I have just upgraded to an 11" Air from a 12" POwerBook G4 made in 2005, I was the 3rd owner and had it for nearly 3 years, heavy user as in photoshop and making videos - no, heavy user as in the machine was actually in use for in excess of 8 hours a day 5 days a week plus a few at the weekends - yes. Office apps, iTunes and watching films, iPLayer, Omnifocus, Safari, Mail, that little PowerBook got hot and the fans ran pretty much all day every day, but it never let me down. I was never rough with it but it was knocked about and I wasn't careful to protect it, everything was backed up and I was waiting for it to die so I could upgrade. In the end I ran out of patience, the little PowerBook is being handed on to a family member as a first laptop!

I think the Air will last longer, solid state hard drive means less moving parts, it runs cooler so fans are rarely on, and the aluminium plating on the PowerBook corroded, as the Air is solid metal it should hold up better.

I actually have a 2002 15" PowerBook too but I have that as a back-up machine just in case I couldn't get on the little 12", it was used heavily from 2002 until 2008, believe it or not I was happy to upgrade to a 12" G4 PB!

My brother uses a 1999 iMac day in day out, I gave it to him, he loves it, thinks its retro, I want to turn it into a fish tank and next time I visit him I may try to convince him again!

They don't have to last 3 years, I don't believe just working them a bit harder kills them quicker, and not many of you really use some of these intensive apps for 8 hours a day day in day out, though I don't doubt some of you do so hold back with the shouting and stamping, I'm not saying you are making it up

thanks four your info:

note if you plan on turning your brothers imac it into a fish tank keep in mind (i have several aquriams, don't know your fish keeping skill level) the size of the tank. A betta, with a small filter and heater would be ideal as there would be not to much maintenance)

 

[cara0910]

I agree with the others. Three years easy; five years really depends on what you mean by "not a heavy user." I'm typing this on a 5-year old iMac running 10.6 and the 2008 version of MS Office, and it's certainly more than fine for that sort of usage. My wife's 15" MBP is still going strong after four years, but she does not do any video editing on it. Neither, of course, is as snappy as the MBA 11 i7 I just picked up, but I would expect both to last for at least another year or two. Same for my old 17" MBP from early 2008, which I just gave to my niece. The build quality of Apple computers is first rate (and should be given their premium prices), so that's not been an issue for me. I'm not sure I'm going to install 10.7 on either of the older machines I still have, however. I suspect that if you go to the G4/5 board, plenty of folks there would tell you that their computers still run fine, albeit with software limitations. My brother-in-law still uses my old 12" MBP, which must be over 6 years old by now.

As far as dropping the computer, I suspect any laptop (Apple or otherwise) will break if you drop it just right, unless you get one of those milspec machines. The biggest concern I had with the MBA is that it is so slick and small, so I put a Wrapsol skin on it to give it some grip, and I use a case (BookBook case) when traveling with it. I've used Thinkpads at work for years, and those computers can take real abuse. I think that their composite/plastic cases actually help, because they have a a little give. I've traveled a ton with them, and just throw them into my briefcase without any cover or case, and have never had a problem. They refresh our computers every three years. They do show wear, and I'm not sure how the newer Lenovo versions will do, but I'd buy a Thinkpad laptop without hesitation if I had to get a Windows PC.

Personally, I think that the computer industry tries to make computers obsolete quicker by writing more and more demanding software that really isn't necessary for the vast majority of users, including me. But my needs are pretty limited.

Good luck. FWIW, I love my MBA 11, which is maxed out, and I hope/expect it to last a good four years.

I have a powerbook G4 15" that's SLOW, works for normal applications, but struggles with a 360p youtube vid.

I have a lenovo 3000 n100 that was built about a year later, and it's running linux very well. It is WAY faster than my G4.

The Lenovo is my main computer, but I like the software and OS on macs. I'm still torn between getting a thinkpad or mac for my next computer, because Thinkpads are so reliable. I would check out the x220 if you're interested in the MBA. It's spill-proof, fast, has a long battery life and you can put an IPS screen on it for graphics work if you do that. You'll have to use Windows or Linux, though!

But, more on topic, I would think this year's MBA will be good for about 3 years. After that, you'll probably want something faster. 5 years will definitely stretch it, and with technological change happening as fast as it does, I would not invest that much money in it expecting it to last for more than 3. I think one commenter was spot on when he said that because you can upgrade a MBP, I would go for that. The MBA is beautiful, though, and I would definitely not mind having it as my main computer

 

[jdechko]

How long a computer lasts is directly related to your personal needs. If you constantly update software and/or peripherals, then nearly any computer you buy won't last 5 years. By sticking with existing peripherals and software, a computer will last as long as the components inside do. In any case, technology advances, and you will eventually find yourself unable to upgrade past a certain point. But a 5-year-old computer runs 5-year-old software just as good today as it did the first day. And as the computer ages, the software will continue to run too.

There are probably people who are still running Tiger and PPC software. They are happy because their computer works. Lion and iLife 11 might be the latest things, but it's not going to cause old hardware and software to stop working.

 

[MillieWales]

There are probably people who are still running Tiger and PPC software. They are happy because their computer works.

Probably? I can guarantee it, in their millions I would say!

 

[bill-p]

I think 5 years is doable...

Provided you won't be swayed by the next upgrade that is 4-5 times faster, with much better screen, much more solid chassis but a lot lighter. That upgrade may likely happen during that 5-year period.

However, I think you can probably go until the next OSX update or so. And at the current rate, I'd say that'd take at least 3 years...

 

[petvas]

I would say each to their own. I want to have the latest and greatest, since computers and technology are my biggest hobbies. I cannot imagine myself using a 5 years old computer. Since money is of course an issue, I have come to the compromise of buying a desktop computer every three years, a laptop every two and phones/tablets every year...That way I always have devices which are relatively current and modern and that can run the latest OS without any problems. This is the biggest factor for me. If my Mac Pro can't run the next release of Mac OS X, then I would buy a newer model before the three year lifespan I have set. The same goes for every other device I own.
Of course other people use computers as tools mainly, so they don't care in having the latest and greatest. These people can use their computers much longer and that won't matter to them.

 

[awakenthedead]

I bought a new 13 inch air in early august for school. its the base model. my hope is to get 3-4 years out of it. I would be nice to have it last me through college but i have a feeling ill be getting a new one at the beginning of my senior year. i do everything from paper writing, to web surfing to light IT work and some programming. I wish id have gotten 8 gigs of ram not 4. with lion 4 seemed more then adequate, but with ML i dont think 8 realistically should be standard. but we will see. crossing my fingers i get the time i want out of it.

 

[twintin]

I used my Acer 8104 laptop for around 9 years before the right hinge broke and the bezel cracked (I still have it as a backup since it still works). If it wasn't for that I'll probably would never have bought my MBA 2012.

If MBA is half as good as my Acer I expect it to last for many years. Biggest problem is probably that OS updates will stop coming long before the hardware dies (that was never an issue with my Windows laptop).

 

[Poindexter333]

Now that we have SSD's- and might infer that they last longer than magnetic platter-type hard drives, (but can't swear to it) 5 years should be doable unless you're NASA. And of course you take care of your equipment. I've never been forced out of my existing hardware by software either.

I used my TiBook 667 for 8 years, and ran a decent-sized business from it- and never had a problem except for the drive and batteries. {And the hinge-- but that's another story }

There's the rub- every rotating hard drive will eventually fail, and every battery will lose the ability to hold a charge. Period. I've had one or 2 of nearly every level of Mac laptop since the PB100 and the batteries and drives eventually die. The same with my Rev. A MBA. Drive and battery. It withstood a couple of drops- with a just a bent corner. I finally upgraded to take advantage of the SSD.

I've never felt the need to upgrade at every new level, and I find the 2011 MBA doing as much as I'd ever need for my workflow (browsing, WP, music, a few movies, etc. Nothing heavy.)

There's no reason an MBA shouldn't last several years with careful handling- but I expect you will need to replace the battery somewhere around year 3 IMO. YMMV.

 

[colourfastt]

Now that we have SSD's- and might infer that they last longer than magnetic platter-type hard drives, (but can't swear to it) 5 years should be doable unless you're NASA. And of course you take care of your equipment. I've never been forced out of my existing hardware by software either.

I used my TiBook 667 for 8 years, and ran a decent-sized business from it- and never had a problem except for the drive and batteries. {And the hinge-- but that's another story }

There's the rub- every rotating hard drive will eventually fail, and every battery will lose the ability to hold a charge. Period. I've had one or 2 of nearly every level of Mac laptop since the PB100 and the batteries and drives eventually die. The same with my Rev. A MBA. Drive and battery. It withstood a couple of drops- with a just a bent corner. I finally upgraded to take advantage of the SSD.

I've never felt the need to upgrade at every new level, and I find the 2011 MBA doing as much as I'd ever need for my workflow (browsing, WP, music, a few movies, etc. Nothing heavy.)

There's no reason an MBA shouldn't last several years with careful handling- but I expect you will need to replace the battery somewhere around year 3 IMO. YMMV.

My Rev. C is 3 years old and the battery still has 92% capacity left (according to CoconutBattery); so I expect to get at least another 5 years of use from this battery.

 

[Poindexter333]

My Rev. C is 3 years old and the battery still has 92% capacity left (according to CoconutBattery); so I expect to get at least another 5 years of use from this battery.

Buy lottery tickets. I've never seen any laptop make it even 1 year with 92% - of actual usage/hours per charge- not a random number like "capacity." And my experience goes back to the PowerBook 100. Perhaps you never unplug your laptop- which would even be worse on battery life.

To imagine that one could get 8 years on one rechargeable battery is preposterous.

Rechargeable batteries have a finite number of cycles. Period.
Percent "health" has precious little statistical bearing on actual usage.

My particular MBA's battery "capacity" has shown anywhere from 98% to 80% and has not shown any impact nor affected the 4-5 hours of moderately heavy usage over the past year one bit. Only Apple's battery diagnostics have any real bearing. And they show my battery is bad and is to be swapped out under warranty.

 

[brilliantthings]

My MBA Late 2010's screen failed at 15 months. My fiancee's MBA Late 2010 logic board was fried at 19 months.

Awesome.

 

[mrsir2009]

There's no reason an MBA shouldn't last several years with careful handling- but I expect you will need to replace the battery somewhere around year 3 IMO. YMMV.

Not really - My MBP is getting on 3 years old and the battery is still good as new. My Dad's MBP is getting on 6 years old and the battery still holds a good 2-3 hours charge. And I've got an iBook lying around somewhere that still gets a couple of hours

 

[J&JPolangin]

My MBA says its 13 weeks old and the battery is at 96%...so if it depletes at the same rate, this battery should last ~6 years. FYI its an 11" MBA so we'll see how long the battery actually lasts

 

[Mrbobb]

I kept my last notebook for 10, yes TEN years, who says u have to replace every 18 month?

The famous words: IT DEPENDS what u do with it and what's your tolerance level and sometimes people just get tired of the ole hair and want a new Do!

Max out Ram if u looking for longevity, SSD can always upgrade later. That is, if it doesn't get into an accident first.

 

[heycal]

What's the current thinking on the longevity issue? My daughter's 11" mba 2011 needs to replaced (or fixed) after 1.5 years due to a coffee spill.

Is it worth getting a teenager an MBA? And is the Apple care Plan worth it for someone who's likely to treat it less gingerly than a grandma might? The plan doesn't cover things like drops and coffee spills, does it?

 

[rampancy]

Ok obviously you cant answer this question *exactly* but...
How long do you think your macbook air will last you by the looks of it. I plan on getting a maxed out MBA would it be unreasonable to expect it to last 5 years? Do you think it will be fine? I am not a heavy user but I am willing to speng the extra 100$ for the i7 upgrade if it will future proof my MBA. Also how durable is it? Anyone dropped it? thanks in advance
~Wrinks

I have the original 2010 11" MacBook Air (the low-end 2 GB RAM/64 GB SSD no less), and it's been a trooper of a machine. I've taken it on island hopping trips, overseas, on road trips...compared to other modern Mac laptops I've used (e.g. a 2006 MacBook and 2007 MacBook Pro) the MacBook Air's unibody design is the most resilient and toughest chassis I've ever seen in a laptop. If you are careful and have a little common sense about how you treat your hardware, I could easily see your MBA lasting you five years or even more. Despite its anemic processor, it's actually been a surprisingly capable light gaming rig too.

The problem I've had with my 2010 MacBook Air, in terms of longevity, is storage and RAM. Thankfully the newest revision of the MacBook Air has addressed that better.

----------

What's the current thinking on the longevity issue? My daughter's 11" mba 2011 needs to replaced (or fixed) after 1.5 years due to a coffee spill.

Is it worth getting a teenager an MBA? And is the Apple care Plan worth it for someone who's likely to treat it less gingerly than a grandma might? The plan doesn't cover things like drops and coffee spills, does it?

Look at it this way: would you trust your daughter with a $1000-1500 piece of hardware? How about a $3000 rMBP? AppleCare does many things, but it doesn't cover things that would clearly fall under the fault of the user - especially liquid damage.

 

[silvershamrock]

Assuming that you take good care of the computer, it should last for 5 years easily. Macs are built to last: I still have the LC475 that I got in the mid-1990s, and my sister only just retired the MacBook she got in 2007.

The real question is not whether the computer will last (it will), but whether you can resist the temptation to upgrade when the new models come out. That's the tougher question, IMO ...

The computers are pretty durable with respect to everyday wear. Any kind of misuse that would damage any other kind of laptop (liquid, heat, impact, compression, etc) will also damage this one. But they're pretty solid little machines. Mine has fallen off my lap (onto a carpeted floor, not hardwood or cement) a couple of times, and it's fine.

 

[Mrbobb]

Personally, I think that the computer industry tries to make computers obsolete quicker by writing more and more demanding software that really isn't necessary for the vast majority of users, including me. But my needs are pretty limited.

^This.

Am afraid your longevity control is limited by what the the software folks throw at us. Every new version of something is gonna ask for just a little more juice from your hardware. So suggest update software only as-needed. Honestly, how many of Office's features do you use everyday?

My last laptop went for 10 years, I don't know how, but increased video availability contents asked for more juice from my old un-turbo GPU that slowly killed it, and the coup d'etat was the browser and its plugins (a browser, it's not doing anything heavy is it?) was taking nearly 400 MB or my 500 MB maxed out Wintel. RIP.

Developers write apps on the latest hardware. Their bosses never tell them, "hey dude make sure this thing run decent on old hardware!" - Yeah right. There is nothing in it for them.

If you drop a bared Air on hard surface on the edge, it will dent, from the several posts I've seen here, but they still turn on!

 

[clyde2801]

What's the current thinking on the longevity issue? My daughter's 11" mba 2011 needs to replaced (or fixed) after 1.5 years due to a coffee spill.

Is it worth getting a teenager an MBA? And is the Apple care Plan worth it for someone who's likely to treat it less gingerly than a grandma might? The plan doesn't cover things like drops and coffee spills, does it?

No, only manufacturing and design defects, not accident, abuse or theft. I'd look into a square trade warranty.

And a good keyboard protector. It's saved my bacon on more than one occasion.

Finally, if the teenager has to replace it out of her own funds, I'd imagine she'd be a bit more careful with it.

Just sayin'....

 

[Chicane-UK]

I have no idea at this point. I do intend to watch the market for used Airs and see whether it's viable selling and upgrading to the most current model once every year or two.. I get a good discount with education, helping take some of the initial hit of depreciation off the product so I might be able to trade up for only a couple of hundred dollars every couple of years quite easily.

 

[clyde2801]

I have an aluminum macbook and a 15" unibody MBP from 2008. They are both fine for really light uses, but needed at the bare minimum an upgrade from the 2gb of ram that apple provided at the time, and at least faster more modern and faster hard drives if the computer wan't going to used as an always on desktop. The integrated nvidia 9400 graphics cards struggled to do any HD video viewing, the MBP was switched via control panel to the discrete Nvidia 8600 to keep up.

I imagine roughly the same with today's air five years from now.

 

[3lite]

For longevity full proof, at least 8 ram and 256 SSD. (For all Macbooks)