I would like Clippy to hover in 3d about nine inches from my face when he asks me a question.
...and then show pain when I reach out and swat him.
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Upgrading every year?
- Thread starter MilkMan4
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I would like Clippy to hover in 3d about nine inches from my face when he asks me a question.
...and then show pain when I reach out and swat him.
I bought the 11" in November, sold it and got a 13" in March, then sold that one and bought the new 13" on the day they came out.
The £130 it cost me to go from the old model to the new is well worth it for a machine I expect to keep for the next couple of years. The backlit keyboard and vastly improved processor have already proved their worth in the week or so I've had the new one.
I don't expect to upgrade again on the next model as a marginal spec bump (even a much better graphics option) wouldn't appeal. I saw the 2010 MacBook Air as a desirable stopgap and bought it knowing I'd upgrade sometime this year.
The £130 it cost me to go from the old model to the new is well worth it for a machine I expect to keep for the next couple of years. The backlit keyboard and vastly improved processor have already proved their worth in the week or so I've had the new one.
I don't expect to upgrade again on the next model as a marginal spec bump (even a much better graphics option) wouldn't appeal. I saw the 2010 MacBook Air as a desirable stopgap and bought it knowing I'd upgrade sometime this year.
I just came from a 2003 model old ibook g4 
(which was crashing every 30 mins), so everything on my new mba 13 has been amazing!
That said, I most likely won't wait that long to upgrade again. Especially since I've read that next years mba refresh is going to be a complete redesign!
(which was crashing every 30 mins), so everything on my new mba 13 has been amazing!That said, I most likely won't wait that long to upgrade again. Especially since I've read that next years mba refresh is going to be a complete redesign!
I upgrade every year. I sell my old ones to friends in Brazil for more then I paid. You think apple is expensive here.. everything is at least 60% more there.
For my needs the 2010 is just fine. I use Office, Parallels with Visio and various other work related Windows apps, watch movies on it, Photoshop CS5, and do your basic Internet stuff. I'll upgrade when they have a model with better graphics and comes with more memory, instead of just a processor upgrade.
Let me get this straight... You sell your OLD machines to your FRIENDS for MORE than what you paid?!
Jeeez... I'd like to know how you treat your enemies...
Let me get this straight... You sell your OLD machines to your FRIENDS for MORE than what you paid?!
Jeeez... I'd like to know how you treat your enemies...
He sells them Dells at a discount.
This.
I don't really see a point in upgrading every year. Most of the time the performance upgrade is minimal for what I do and part of the reason I like Mac's is because the build quality tends to be better and they generally last longer. I pay a little over a thousand for a new mac that last me a good 5 years with no issues and I feel as though the computer "paid for itself", a worthy investment. If I were to upgrade computers every year I think I would just buy PC's I can't see why I should pay over 1K for a computer that i'm going to replace in a year and as someone noted take a possible 36% loss.
It definitely appears this is the case.
I am a new Mac user, and I will be upgrading with every upgrade, and I don't care if my friends, and family think I'm crazy. I want the latest, and greatest, and I don't care if I loose a few hundred a year on getting it.
Playing games on a computer doesn't make it a toy. You are just using it to do something that it is already intended to do. Graphics cards are used for more than gaming on. Try using pro apps on an Intel 950GMA. If Apple released a new mac every 6 months would you upgrade that often? The majority of the time its pointless. The big changes only come every few years.
Yes I do it all the time for both my laptops, iPhones and iPads.
I sold my 2010 MBA two weeks before the refresh for €100 less than I paid. So for 8 months use it cost me €100 which is good value I think
My dekstop MacPro is the only computer I don't upgrade every year due to it's cost and resale value. I usually get 3 years out of a MacPro.
Usually anything worth upgrade is around 2 years which translate into 2 generation in between, that should be a significant in performance. Even for ipad and iphone each massive upgrade also are around 2 years. 1 year different technology should not be too far apart. I usually upgrade my gadget 2 years once.
We recently covered this in another post. It is not accurate to deduct the full three year cost of AppleCare if you are doing a yearly replacement. AppleCare has a 3 year life... so if you were keeping your computers... you would only buy AppleCare every 3 (or longer) years. Hence... at most you deduct 1/3 the cost of AppleCare from your "effective upgrade cost".
I am not arguing for or against the virtues of replacing every year... just that the accounting method you use has a flaw.
Back to the question of this topic. I typically upgrade my personal machine almost on every cycle. I then pass my ~ 1 year old computer on to other family members. There are 4 of us in my immediate family... so at a minimum, our computers will have at least a 4 year lifespan. Beyond our personal use... there are plenty of friends or extended family who would love to take our 4 year old computers.
/Jim
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Yeah, that is true. But I only gave numbers applicable to ME, so your point is already taken into account. I still pay around $100 more than Apple Care would have cost me. Apple Care is around $400. 1/3 of that + 100 is around 230. It all depends on how much I sell it for, I either have to add around $100 or $200 depending on how lucky I am at selling. Extreme cases I have to add $300.
And this is all calculating that I would keep my computer for 3 years if I didn't upgrade every year. Which for me is NOT an option, either 1 or 2 years, keeping it longer is no fun. That would mean the Apple Care / 2 + $100 is around $300, which is my average I have to add on top of my resale value.
So I have already calculated that
.Playing games on a computer certainly does not make it a toy, but the fact that you desire to upgrade your graphics card every year sure sounds like you use it as one. Nothing wrong with that (I love computer games too, but I have a windows 7 desktop for that) and I'm sure you run productivity apps and get work done on it too, but call me skeptical if you're really running "professional apps" that are pushing the limits of your gfx card. For example, I doubt anyone would be running professional apps on an intel gma 950 (2007) that would suddenly run to upgrade to the intel x3100 (2008) so their final cut pro would run better. (Only using final cut pro as an example, I have no idea what you qualify as a "professional app").
Also, your statement of big changes only happening every few years is a little misleading. "Big changes" are only coming every couple of years because of the time you took to upgrade, not necessarily because there was some huge breakthrough in technology.
different strategy
When it comes to computer, my strategy has been quite different. Instead of upgrading every year or so, the new computer that I buy is usually somewhat top of the line (ex. i7 instead of i5, 8 gigs of ram instead of 4, 2TB hard disk instead of 500 gig), this way I can run recent software, leapfrog 2 or 3 upgrades without feeling left behind...
When it comes to computer, my strategy has been quite different. Instead of upgrading every year or so, the new computer that I buy is usually somewhat top of the line (ex. i7 instead of i5, 8 gigs of ram instead of 4, 2TB hard disk instead of 500 gig), this way I can run recent software, leapfrog 2 or 3 upgrades without feeling left behind...
Exactly what I do -- I upgrade almost every refresh because if you take care of your current machine you can sell it for such a small loss (few hundred, if that).
I look at it this way...I can almost always sell my current machine and upgrade with a loss less than or equal to that of what AppleCare would have cost me to extend the warranty in the first place. Especially on the laptops.
Desktop - every 3 years
iPhone - every year
MBA - most every year, depends on the change
iPad - eh, I think I'll stop answering now...
Thankfully, I've been able to maintain the above without chaining my lifestyle or drastically affecting my retirement plan... Craigslist works pretty well for me.
iPhone - every year
MBA - most every year, depends on the change
iPad - eh, I think I'll stop answering now...
Thankfully, I've been able to maintain the above without chaining my lifestyle or drastically affecting my retirement plan... Craigslist works pretty well for me.
My upgrade path is very similar to yours... except that I pass on my old computers to other family members.
For the iMac... my wife and I have been sharing one since late 2009. I want to buy a 2nd one (with SSD) once the 2012 model is released... but then we will just stop sharing. She can keep the 2009 and I'll take the 2012. I think I'll be happy with a 2-3 year refresh cycle on the iMacs.
For the rest... MBA, iPad and iPhone... I've been upgrading every cycle and I doubt that I will change. The iPad's have been coming a bit too fast for my taste (32GB WiFi (3/10), 64GB 3G (4/10), 64GB 3G Gen2 (4/11)) That is three iPads in a ~1 year. However... the kids have been happy to get my hand-me-downs... so I'm Ok.
/Jim
Thats the trouble with our disposable society we live in, everybody has to keep up with the neighbours and have the newest things. Its pretty sad really but many of us are guilty to a certain degree i guess, but i'm surprised at the amount of Apple fans here that are like that, why buy a premium product thats designed to last and then get a new one every year??? Madness.