Please help! I want to keep my rMBP for minimum 8 yrs, will the i7, 16gb be enough?

[Fishrrman]

[[ Adjust your expectations.]]

Wise comment above.

8 years could be "stretching it", insofar as the longetivity of a laptop is concerned. Not that the computer will still work -- it may continue to function well. But it's more than whether the laptop "functions" by itself. The question is, will it continue to work with the apps and the internet content that will exist eight years from today?

Having written that, I'll mention that I kept my PowerMac g4 tower going for NINE years before I retired it. So, such things -are- possible. But after nine years, the old Mac was definitely "long in the tooth", particularly where the internent was concerned.

If you're buying today, I would consider 5 years to be a "functional life expectancy" of any Apple laptop sold. It may continue to work well past that point, and you could easily see six, seven or even eight years of life out of it. A friend of mine is still using an old white iBook laptop, which still runs acceptably after an internal hard drive upgrade.

But do your buying with slightly "adjusted expectations" as gtmac advised above. Figure about 5 years, and anything after that will be icing on the cake.

 

[NewishMacGuy]

This would be a good idea if the OP was trying to last 4-5 years on the cheap, but 8 years "flawlessly" (not really possible anyway) is even harder with a cMBP.

That's debatable.

The rMBP is not upgradeable, the cMPB is, and there's no significant difference in processing power between the last cMBPs and the new rMBPs. In 5 years if you need 32GB in the rmbp to take you through the next 3, you'll have your arse hanging out. With the cMBP you'll likely be able to slap in a couple of 16GB RAM cards. Need a 2TB drive in 2019? Likely not an issue to find a cheap SATA III compatible 2TB SSD in a couple years' time. I'd guess, however, that the rMBP blade upgrade will cost you a firstborn child (if it's even available).

The rMBP was definitely not designed for longevity - but rather for the "planned obsolescence" method of boosting Apple's forward share price.

>

 

[marivaux]

That's debatable.

The rMBP is not upgradeable, the cMPB is, and there's no significant difference in processing power between the last cMBPs and the new rMBPs. In 5 years if you need 32GB in the rmbp to take you through the next 3, you'll have your arse hanging out. With the cMBP you'll likely be able to slap in a couple of 16GB RAM cards. Need a 2TB drive in 2019? Likely not an issue to find a cheap SATA III compatible 2TB SSD in a couple years' time. I'd guess, however, that the rMBP blade upgrade will cost you a firstborn child (if it's even available).

The rMBP was definitely not designed for longevity - but rather for the "planned obsolescence" method of boosting Apple's forward share price.

>

Er....maybe. I agree with you about the planned obsolesence thing, but is anyone really going to make 16GB RAM cards for the 13" cMPB, and would it even support them? Plus--since there are about to be a lot of people with rMBPs in the next few eyars--I'm guessing that there will be more SSD options (granted, probably more expensive). It might be more annoying to not have a hi-res screen in a few years than it would be to pay a little more for an SSD replacement. Hard to know, though.

I sort of disagree with some of the above posters, depending on who you are. Old computers are useful for a lot of things, especially if you don't always need to do the latest thing. You shouldn't _expect_ to have your computer for eight years, but--speaking of planned obsolesence--it's not a bad idea (and less wasteful) to buy a computer that will be useful for a long while.

 

[xVeinx]

Yeah, I figured after 4 years or so I wouldn't get OS X updates anymore but that is fine as OS updates tend to bog down a computer over time.

But as long as I'm ok with keeping the OS as is you think the i7 and 16gb are enough to last 8 years?

I'm just worried because I got a PC before and over time it couldn't keep up because I didn't get the top-of-the-line model + I can't stand having to look for a new computer (hence why I only want to upgrade every 8-10 years).

Honesty, my roommate has had good luck with his Macbook Pros, and they typically last 5+ years for him. He never upgrades the OS mind you either (he's still on SL). That said, the SSD may start to have issues after 5-6 years. They don't have the track record that HDs do, and a there are a fair few who begin to have issues after 5 or so years from what I've seen. 8 years is a long time for any electronics, and I think that may be a bit too ambitious, no offense. 5+ years though should be very possible/doable...