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On average, how often do you guys buy a new computer?
- Thread starter Misskitty
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When I had a PC, every 2.5 years. Mac is 3.5 going strong.
Those retina MBP are really tempting, though...
Those retina MBP are really tempting, though...
On average, I've been buying about one computer a year for the last decade, but not all for me, and not all for the same purpose. This year, for example, I bought my wife a new MacBook Air, which serves as her primary computer. Last year, I bought a Mac Mini to use in a Recording Studio. The year before that, it was another Mac Mini to use as an entertainment center.
My primary computer is a 2008 MacBook Pro. As much as I would love to splurge on a new MBP to replace it, the old boy just won't die.
My primary computer is a 2008 MacBook Pro. As much as I would love to splurge on a new MBP to replace it, the old boy just won't die.
I have never bought a computer before 
so never...
I do not have own a computer of my own
I'm kinda of excluded from this poll lol
so never...I do not have own a computer of my own
I'm kinda of excluded from this poll lol
So when was your last Mac? What kind was it?
My current is a late 2013 rMBP. The last one was a 2011 MBA
Same here since my last update, which was actually over 6 years ago. Computers are still getting faster, but each update isn't a night and day difference like it used to be. Waiting awhile between computers isn't all that bad of a thing anymore.
Though when I do update, I go all out, and get the best I can. FUTURE PROOF!
I bought my Macs in 2003, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2006 and 2011. If I had infinite money then I'd have bought a 5k iMac, but at this point it's looking like I'm going to wait for one more cycle.
Of the machines above, I shouldn't have grabbed either the 2005 or the first 2006 - the 2005 was an iMac G5 and the Intel transition was just around the corner, and the 2006 was almost an impulse buy after going Intel. I really only needed one of those machines!
Yup. I'm definitely slowing down too, as the performance gap is getting smaller all the time.
Of the machines above, I shouldn't have grabbed either the 2005 or the first 2006 - the 2005 was an iMac G5 and the Intel transition was just around the corner, and the 2006 was almost an impulse buy after going Intel. I really only needed one of those machines!
Yup. I'm definitely slowing down too, as the performance gap is getting smaller all the time.
I don't feel the need to do so as much as I used to. Technology is moving faster, but it's more on the software side now rather than the hardware side. Most people only need so much clock speed and so much RAM to do the things that they want to do, so newer software no longer needs to drop support for older hardware as fast because the specs aren't good enough. My MBP lasted be for five years and still runs fine, and I think this MBA I'll use for even longer.
It's not unreasonable to expect your computer to run just as well years later as it did the day you bought it. The only exception would be for games, but with these new, super efficient graphic APIs coming out, and developers mostly building their games around current gen console tech (which is astoundingly good graphically), even that's starting to plateau.
You mentioned the retina iMac? That's the computer I'm upgrading to. With the i7 and the high end GPU, I expect it to last me at least 4 years. The only thing I'm not fully speccing out is the ram, and I can upgrade that later if I want.
Desktop CPUs are seeing, maybe, a 15% increase year over year with each generation, with all the emphasis these days being put on battery life and integrated GPUs. Since I'm not getting a laptop, that's not anything I have to worry about. If things keep up at the pace they're going, CPUs will be twice as fast in 6 years, and...hey, I'll worry about it then.
My most recent computer purchase was in 2011 with a 27" iMac. I have a 20" iMac that is my daily driver that was purchased in August 2007. I have a 15" MPB that is my only laptop that was purchased in January 2008.
So not very often for me.
So not very often for me.
Bolded items are my present devices
Here is my computer purchase timeline
1) 2003: emac / 1ghz g4 / 512mb ram / 80gig hdd
2) 2006: Black macbook 13in / 2ghz core duo / 2 gig ram / 80 gig hdd
3) 2010: White macbook 13in / 2.26 ghz core 2 duo / 8 gig ram / 250 gig hdd
4) 2012: Macbook Pro 13in / 2.5 ghz core i5 / 16 gig ram/ 500 gig ssd
Only reason I got the 2010 machine was that the 2006mb couldn't take more than 2 gig ram and needed more for work purposes.
I am still using my 2012 cmbp and no plans to upgrade anytime soon
For fun, here is my iPhone/ipod/ipad purchases
1) 2005: 60gig video ipod 5th gen (stolen in 2007)
2) 2007: 16gig first gen iPod touch
3) 2008: 16gig iphone 3g (bought new)
4) 2010: 32gig iphone 4 (bought new)
5) 2011: 16gig ipad 2 (died on me in 2013)
6) 2012: 32gig iphone 4s (bought off CL used)
7) 2013: 32gig Nexus 7 (as my iPad died)
8) 2014: 32gig iphone 5s (bought off CL used)
Meanwhile my car purchase history is much more stable
1) 2001: Bought a 1990 Toyota Celica GT-S
2) 2011: Bought a 2011 Subaru Impreza (Sold the Celica shortly after)
Here is my computer purchase timeline
1) 2003: emac / 1ghz g4 / 512mb ram / 80gig hdd
2) 2006: Black macbook 13in / 2ghz core duo / 2 gig ram / 80 gig hdd
3) 2010: White macbook 13in / 2.26 ghz core 2 duo / 8 gig ram / 250 gig hdd
4) 2012: Macbook Pro 13in / 2.5 ghz core i5 / 16 gig ram/ 500 gig ssd
Only reason I got the 2010 machine was that the 2006mb couldn't take more than 2 gig ram and needed more for work purposes.
I am still using my 2012 cmbp and no plans to upgrade anytime soon
For fun, here is my iPhone/ipod/ipad purchases
1) 2005: 60gig video ipod 5th gen (stolen in 2007)
2) 2007: 16gig first gen iPod touch
3) 2008: 16gig iphone 3g (bought new)
4) 2010: 32gig iphone 4 (bought new)
5) 2011: 16gig ipad 2 (died on me in 2013)
6) 2012: 32gig iphone 4s (bought off CL used)
7) 2013: 32gig Nexus 7 (as my iPad died)
8) 2014: 32gig iphone 5s (bought off CL used)
Meanwhile my car purchase history is much more stable
1) 2001: Bought a 1990 Toyota Celica GT-S
2) 2011: Bought a 2011 Subaru Impreza (Sold the Celica shortly after)
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2007: Cheap Acer.
2008: Gaming laptop!
2010: 15" MacBook Pro.
2012: New 15" MacBook Pro, old one was stolen.
2013: Traded for MacBook Air.
2014: Sold MacBook Air and bought a 15" rMBP in HK. Should last for a while.
iPhone goes from 4S to 5 to 5S to 6 Plus. Can't remember the years, but probably annually. Likewise, iPad goes from 1 to 2 to 3 to rMini.
It's strange how you once deeply wished to have something, and now you're so privileged to have all of it.
2008: Gaming laptop!
2010: 15" MacBook Pro.
2012: New 15" MacBook Pro, old one was stolen.
2013: Traded for MacBook Air.
2014: Sold MacBook Air and bought a 15" rMBP in HK. Should last for a while.
iPhone goes from 4S to 5 to 5S to 6 Plus. Can't remember the years, but probably annually. Likewise, iPad goes from 1 to 2 to 3 to rMini.
It's strange how you once deeply wished to have something, and now you're so privileged to have all of it.
Depends, based mostly on 3 factors:
How much did I spend in the first place. My Mac II was relatively underused and heavy duty and $$$ so I kept that going well into the 90s.
How well it holds up. My Lombard PB worked hard and blew a daughter card and I still repaired it until the Pismo PB was ready.
How good the new options are. The Pismo did well past the ti PBs but that first aluminum G4 was something else. And the aluminum didn't leave my side until the unibodies were calling my name.
I still have my first imac (08) and mini (10). The mini is still more than enough for htpc/server duty but the imac is overdue for retirement. That new imac is just the ticket.
So once every 4.5 years, on average.
How much did I spend in the first place. My Mac II was relatively underused and heavy duty and $$$ so I kept that going well into the 90s.
How well it holds up. My Lombard PB worked hard and blew a daughter card and I still repaired it until the Pismo PB was ready.
How good the new options are. The Pismo did well past the ti PBs but that first aluminum G4 was something else. And the aluminum didn't leave my side until the unibodies were calling my name.
I still have my first imac (08) and mini (10). The mini is still more than enough for htpc/server duty but the imac is overdue for retirement. That new imac is just the ticket.
So once every 4.5 years, on average.
I initially went with the 3-year plan starting from 1992. But at that time, I was completely novice to it outside of the Apple IIe that I had. My parents bought an IBM 486SX/20 at that time, and I kept on that until we bought an Acer Aspire with a Pentium 100 in 1995. From then, I started to build my own, and did it roughly every 2 years up to today.
I did buy my MBA in mid-2011, which I was worried about how long it would last and stay fast, compared to the PCs I was building. However, compared to the last 2 PC builds I've made (one mid high-end, one budget Hackintosh), it has amazingly held up well, to the point where I'm not going to build another PC again. I may replace my MBA another year from now, which puts me at 4 years, but right now, after taking it from Lion to Mavericks to Yosemite, it still screams.
BL.
I did buy my MBA in mid-2011, which I was worried about how long it would last and stay fast, compared to the PCs I was building. However, compared to the last 2 PC builds I've made (one mid high-end, one budget Hackintosh), it has amazingly held up well, to the point where I'm not going to build another PC again. I may replace my MBA another year from now, which puts me at 4 years, but right now, after taking it from Lion to Mavericks to Yosemite, it still screams.
BL.
Considering technology has stalled for computers since Sandybridge, OSes finally wanting to become optimized(less RAM overhead) you could see a surge of more Macs/PCs lasting 5yrs or until they had a serious breakdown(logicboard/mobo). Keep in mind the tablets have reduced some of the usual computer tasks(ex: sofa browsing).
In my opinion 3-4yrs is fairly close to what I've done. I only replace early if something can be justified as a time saver, for myself it was USB 3.0 as most off-the-shelf external drives switched to it by 2010/2011 and FW800 wasn't easy to find locally--$30 premium for enclosures is insane. I also replaced my mums' PC with a USB 3.0 equipped notebook, it made life easier for backups.
...awkwardly I still have a 6yr old workstation
In my opinion 3-4yrs is fairly close to what I've done. I only replace early if something can be justified as a time saver, for myself it was USB 3.0 as most off-the-shelf external drives switched to it by 2010/2011 and FW800 wasn't easy to find locally--$30 premium for enclosures is insane. I also replaced my mums' PC with a USB 3.0 equipped notebook, it made life easier for backups.
...awkwardly I still have a 6yr old workstation
I'm terrible at keeping systems, have been selling them and getting something else every year. In the past few years:
iMac 21.5"
Compaq CQ5320F (still own, used for hosting VMs)
MacBook Pro 13"
Lenovo Y500
Custom Gaming PC
Acer Netbook
Mac Mini
MacBook Air 13"
iMac 27" (current)
Really plan on keeping the iMac for some time, as I believe I've finally settled. I loved the MacBook Air, but was never taking it anywhere. Definitely the best laptop I've ever owned.
iMac 21.5"
Compaq CQ5320F (still own, used for hosting VMs)
MacBook Pro 13"
Lenovo Y500
Custom Gaming PC
Acer Netbook
Mac Mini
MacBook Air 13"
iMac 27" (current)
Really plan on keeping the iMac for some time, as I believe I've finally settled. I loved the MacBook Air, but was never taking it anywhere. Definitely the best laptop I've ever owned.
Before having a kid? About every two years since 1997.
After having a kid (2.5 years ago)? Haven't purchased a single computer-related thing, except for upgrading my phone. My laptop is over 5 years old at this point.
After having a kid (2.5 years ago)? Haven't purchased a single computer-related thing, except for upgrading my phone. My laptop is over 5 years old at this point.
The poll has a case thats not exclusive to the others, i.e., When it Breaks.
If I have equipment failure, I replace it immediately, as my profession relies on computers - however, if its working (or the failing component is easily replaced) I like to try to get about 3 years out of a machine.
If were on a tech cycle where theres a major modular/replacement component that will significantly extend the life (for example: SSD), then a machine might last even further.
Funny enough, every one of my Winders© notebooks were replaced early due to some kind of failure, often times, a physical issue (cracks, busted hinges, power connector loosening from the MB, etc).
Right now were using a 2010 MBP 13, with 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD, and a 2011 MBP 15 with 16GB and a 512GB SSD. Both machines have more than enough horsepower to get the job done (mine is used for fairly heavy duty development including running multiple VMs) and neither (er, knock-on-wood) have any problems, defects, or are showing signs of breaking.
We were walking around the Town Center yesterday - nice open air shopping center, and the weather was beautiful - anyway, popped into the Apple store to check out the 5K iMac. Goddam, that display is fantastic. No doubt about it, if I was at all considering a desktop, that would be my next machine (maybe even sooner than my usual upgrade cycle).
Yeah, the same here. If I cant perform my tasks with reasonable performance, and theres not some way to upgrade my existing machine (thats a reasonable cost vs. selling and buying new), then Ill consider a new machine, but that hasnt come up for me yet, machines seem to break or just keep running as Id expect and are upgradable (like a TB hub to add some USB 3.0 ).
If I have equipment failure, I replace it immediately, as my profession relies on computers - however, if its working (or the failing component is easily replaced) I like to try to get about 3 years out of a machine.
If were on a tech cycle where theres a major modular/replacement component that will significantly extend the life (for example: SSD), then a machine might last even further.
Funny enough, every one of my Winders© notebooks were replaced early due to some kind of failure, often times, a physical issue (cracks, busted hinges, power connector loosening from the MB, etc).
Right now were using a 2010 MBP 13, with 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD, and a 2011 MBP 15 with 16GB and a 512GB SSD. Both machines have more than enough horsepower to get the job done (mine is used for fairly heavy duty development including running multiple VMs) and neither (er, knock-on-wood) have any problems, defects, or are showing signs of breaking.
We were walking around the Town Center yesterday - nice open air shopping center, and the weather was beautiful - anyway, popped into the Apple store to check out the 5K iMac. Goddam, that display is fantastic. No doubt about it, if I was at all considering a desktop, that would be my next machine (maybe even sooner than my usual upgrade cycle).
Yeah, the same here. If I cant perform my tasks with reasonable performance, and theres not some way to upgrade my existing machine (thats a reasonable cost vs. selling and buying new), then Ill consider a new machine, but that hasnt come up for me yet, machines seem to break or just keep running as Id expect and are upgradable (like a TB hub to add some USB 3.0 ).
If you're talking about a brand new computer, the answer for me is never. I don't see any advantage to paying full price for a new one. Plus, the only operating systems I'm interested in running work better on older hardware anyway.
If you mean a "new to me" computer, then I buy a somewhat disturbing amount of cheap laptops. I just bought a ThinkPad T60 to use as a daily driver to replace my PowerBook, which will now go into semi-retirement. I also have an old Gateway MX8738 and a few desktops that have been around for years too.
I really love old laptops that were top of the line when they were new. The build quality is generally fantastic and I get great satisfaction from putting something to good use that someone else considered worthless. My PowerBook and T60 were both between $1600 and $2K new. I paid under $100 combined for them both, replacement parts are cheap, and they do everything I want. Plus, if they ever get stolen ( though it's unlikely anyone would steal a computer that old) or irreparably damaged, I'll just buy another one.
If you mean a "new to me" computer, then I buy a somewhat disturbing amount of cheap laptops. I just bought a ThinkPad T60 to use as a daily driver to replace my PowerBook, which will now go into semi-retirement. I also have an old Gateway MX8738 and a few desktops that have been around for years too.
I really love old laptops that were top of the line when they were new. The build quality is generally fantastic and I get great satisfaction from putting something to good use that someone else considered worthless. My PowerBook and T60 were both between $1600 and $2K new. I paid under $100 combined for them both, replacement parts are cheap, and they do everything I want. Plus, if they ever get stolen ( though it's unlikely anyone would steal a computer that old) or irreparably damaged, I'll just buy another one.