So how long do iMacs tend to last on average?

[gallo889]

Have an 8.5 year old iMac G5 from 2004 sees heavy use and has stabilized.

At one point, it needed intervention with a soldering iron to replace bad capacitors on the logic board -- a scandal in the electronics parts industry at the time, as one manufacturer used a bad formulation for the capacitors that worked their way into the iMac.

Also an even older 9 year old eMac that looks and acts like new, no problems (though lightly used over the years).

It appears they could both continue indefinately. The big issue was the jump to Intel CPU's gradually causing obsolescence as most new and updated web protocols were implemented that supported Intel only (Adobe Flash for example). A few things on the web don't work well anymore on the older machines because of this, but it's not bad even now.

Looking ahead, I'm wondering what's left to cause such a large break in the future ... the web is stabilizing and without a major CPU architecture change what new protocols that do come along should be adaptable to older machines. I suppose a Mac file system change could whammy things up a bit.

 

[gertruded]

Troll???

Check the OP's few posts and his very recent signup to the forums.

I say don't answer a troll question.

 

[aarond12]

Until a few years ago, my grandparents had an iMac G3 still fully functional. I put a larger, 80GB (!) hard drive in it before I gave it to them, but otherwise was still running Mac OS X 10.4.11 when we had to move them out of their house to a managed care facility. The iMac was donated, still fully functional after 11 years of service.

I have an iMac G4 running Ubuntu 12.10 at home. Still runs great. A bit sluggish, but a nice conversation piece.

 

[shenan1982]

I've had my PC desktop for 10 years and it still runs smoothly.

:O I just wanted to know all the prospects before I buy one.

It's not a question of how long they last, it's a question of how long do you want to continue using legacy technology. For most, the desire for larger hard drives, more RAM capacity, more features like better screen technology and faster processor are the driving factor in buying a new PC. Most people don't wait until their old Mac dies to buy a new one.

 

[seoskaura]

Check the OP's few posts and his very recent signup to the forums.

I say don't answer a troll question.

Wow, I'm not a troll. -.- Geesh. I'm not a Mac expert and I am trying to find good advice on trying to buy something.

Way to be a presumptuous, excuse me, ass.

But thanks to the rest of the posters. -.- Still trying to decide whether or not to wait it out for something refurbished or go for a 2012 iMac.

 

[HurtinMinorKey]

I plug in my ol' mac SE every couple of years and it still works...
But they don't make em like they used to.

 

[Dave26]

Still trying to decide whether or not to wait it out for something refurbished or go for a 2012 iMac.

I'm in the same situation, having spent a little over £2000 (with student discount) i want a machine that is going to last me 5 years or more. I think the problem is it doesn't matter how long you wait there will always be something that comes along to take its place (the next generation of computers). I took the plunge and ordered the following specs that i hope will last a good while to come

3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
•
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X8GB
•
3TB Fusion Drive
•
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
•
Apple Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad
•
Apple Wireless Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
•
Apple Battery Charger
•
Accessory Kit