When do you consider your Mac outdated?

[musicpyrite]

I know some of you will say that a 233MHz iMac isn't outdated, but go with me for a second.


Basically, how often do you replace you Mac with a whole new one? (or do any kind of siginfigand updates, like upgrading a Cube from 400MHz to 1.3GHz)

 

[LeeTom]

I have typically upgraded about every year, but may wait 2 years this time.
For me, keeping the updates within warranty really makes things nice.

Lee Tom

 

[stoid]

My computer upgrade path....

Apple IIc - 1984
Macintosh LC II - 1992
Macintosh Performa 6320CD - 1996
733 Mhz Quicksilver G4 - 2001


Now I've moved out and am using my very own 15 inch PowerBook.

 

[vraxtus]

As often as I can... usually a year or two.

Sadly our little machines outdate quickly...

I went from an iBook 500 to a 1.8 G5 in two years... yeah that was a huge jump.

 

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says...every 3 years or so for me...and I alternate between my desktop/tower and laptop so usually every 18 months I am getting something new...but of course that depends on what is available and what is thought to be "immanent" ....oh yeah!

 

[afehrenbach]

Although it may seem like I may have made a few ( ) minor skips in my Macintosh History, each of the three Systems that I have owned have done what I needed them to do when I needed them to do it.
MY MACINTOSH HISTORY:
1st - 1 Mbyte, 800k Macintosh SE Desktop ( )
2nd - Macintosh Performa 6118CD Desktop ( )
3rd and Current - 233 MHz, 30 GB Macintosh Powerbook G3 Series Laptop (They're just too hard to let go of )

 

[wdlove]

Most of my purchases have been on a 3 - 4 year basis. I'm currently struggling with ambivalence myself. My current Power Mac G4 will be 4 years old on September 1st. It has never given me any hardware problems. Just some occasional software glitches.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I plan on replacing my iMac 3 years after I bought it (February 2004) - which means once February 2007 rolls around, it's time to get a new Mac. Why three years? I have AppleCare, that's why

 

[Jovian9]

12-24 months for our laptops and desktops
12 months for iPods

 

[caveman_uk]

I don't plan on updating until my applecare runs out - so that's Nov 2005 for the ibook and March 2006 for the powermac. The ibook is feeling it's age more at the moment though. I'm thinking of going for just a notebook next time - a really good one.

 

[FuzzyBallz]

When the system running the new software I'm using is lagging. I'm trying to decide if I should hold off on buying the new G5 Dual 2.0G until Tiger comes out or buy it now and worry about the OS later. Everything's still running smooth on my G4 Dual 1.25G.

 

[Daveman Deluxe]

My computer history:

Family computers:
Dec. 1995: Macintosh II
Oct. 1997: PowerBook 520
Mar. 1999: Power Mac 6100/60
Mar. 2001: iMac DV 400MHz, indigo
Oct. 2003: eMac 1 GHz

My computers:
May 2002: iBook 700
March 2004: 12" PowerBook 1 GHz

I plan to hang onto my PB for at least until I've finished my B.A., hopefully until I'm done with my M.A.T. I shouldn't have bought the PB though. I was expecting to get into video editing, but I never did, so I wasted $2000.

 

[iLikeMyiMac]

Usually every 3 years or when the processor speed of a current machine is triple that of my current one.

 

[jsw]

I upgrade at least when the current OS won't run on my system, but prefer to upgrade every two years or so.

 

[bousozoku]

I consider 3 years to be the maximum for running current applications on a PowerMac. 1.5 - 2.0 years on a laptop computer.

I have 3 machines which I consider still useful:

PowerComputing PowerCenter/225 with Mac OS 9.x
Apple PowerMac G3/800 with Mac OS X v10.3.5
Apple PowerMac dual G4/800 with Mac OS X v10.3.5

The PowerMac G3/800 was a G3/400 and was on the verge of being eliminated from software updates. (If you doubt that, look at the last QuickTime update.) I wouldn't consider such a machine to be useful since it doesn't fill a purpose that can't be done by something else I have. The PowerCenter is still around because I have a lot of SCSI-only equipment that works just fine.

An original iMac with 233 MHz G3 is pretty much done for anything but running old stuff. Even for web browsing, my dad's G3/350 is done because plug-ins and browsers haven't been updated for a while but content has been updated past that point.

The only thing you can do is to buy a processor upgrade, which probably would have been good two years ago, but isn't going to help much now.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I consider 3 years to be the maximum for running current applications on a PowerMac. 1.5 - 2.0 years on a laptop computer.

I have 3 machines which I consider still useful:

PowerComputing PowerCenter/225 with Mac OS 9.x
Apple PowerMac G3/800 with Mac OS X v10.3.5
Apple PowerMac dual G4/800 with Mac OS X v10.3.5

The PowerMac G3/800 was a G3/400 and was on the verge of being eliminated from software updates. (If you doubt that, look at the last QuickTime update.) I wouldn't consider such a machine to be useful since it doesn't fill a purpose that can't be done by something else I have. The PowerCenter is still around because I have a lot of SCSI-only equipment that works just fine.

An original iMac with 233 MHz G3 is pretty much done for anything but running old stuff. Even for web browsing, my dad's G3/350 is done because plug-ins and browsers haven't been updated for a while but content has been updated past that point.

The only thing you can do is to buy a processor upgrade, which probably would have been good two years ago, but isn't going to help much now.

How about a 1.25 GHz 17" iMac G4 (like the one I have), bousozoku?

 

[fregedegpo]

It's been difficult

I have owned two macs over the last 8 years. I've had my g4 for nearly four years now, but feel terrified to buy a g5 because... well, I've been told to get the second revision of the second model. But Apple's made it so diffucult with these looooooong waits and delays.

Generally, I think the rule of thumb is to use your computer so long as you are comfortable, and so long as new software doesn't date your computer too harshly.

 

[Phat_Pat]

when it falls over and becomes engulfed in flames.

actually im on my first mac (eMac 700) and just love it. Hoping to buy a new one soon.

 

[King Cobra]

I rarely try/need to think about my 0.5GHz Cube as outdated. It's a Cube. It can't be outdated until a better Cube comes along!

So, this is sort of a tough one for me. I mean, I got the thing when we had at least dual 733MHz going. So it already then wasn't the latest and greatest. Actually, I rarely even use the word "outdated" in my vocabulary, so I find things very difficult to determine as whether or not an old computer is outdated. So outdated seems like when something newer comes along that has all the capabilities of the previous model. But in my case, it's even tougher, because there was never a cube faster than 0.5GHz. So...while your dual 1GHz towers will one day become outdated, unless Apple redoes the Cube, my Cube will never be outdated.

 

[musicpyrite]

No King Cobra..... Perhaps 'outdated' wast the wrong word for me to use.

How often to you buy a computer because of it being to slow? (processor, need a computer with more than the max available ram, fsb, etc.)

and if you don't like this that one, the how about how often do you buy a computer?

 

[Abstract]

My computer is outdated when a new version comes out!

Okay, seriously, I'll use my 1 GHz 12" PB until it gets destroyed. I really don't see the need to upgrade every year, say from a rev B "all the way up" to a rev C 12" PB (whoa!) because it doesn't really seem important. I'll have the itch to upgrade when Apple decides to release a 12" or 13" widescreen and a dual core 2GHz G4. Until then, I wouldn't be too tempted. And even after temptation, I'd probably still wait until my AppleCare is over and done for.

 

[Porsche]

I think I'm going to upgrade this Christmas, which will be three years I've used this iBook G3/600. It's taken a beating throughout the years, but it has served (and continues to serve) me very well. Three years seems to be just the right time between machines. I think a 12" iBook G4/1 GHz would be perfect, but who knows what will be around come December?

 

[bousozoku]

How about a 1.25 GHz 17" iMac G4 (like the one I have), bousozoku?

That's great, filled with RAM. You can always upgrade the hard drive to something faster, if it isn't any hotter.

It may not play each of the newest games well, but for most things, I would think it to be very useful.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

That's great, filled with RAM. You can always upgrade the hard drive to something faster, if it isn't any hotter.

It may not play each of the newest games well, but for most things, I would think it to be very useful.

That's good to hear. I don't really have a desire to play the latest games anyway - this Mac's primary purpose when it's not being used is to run Folding@Home. If anything, I'd want a larger HD in my iMac, not necessarily a faster one.
EDIT: It's not like I'm going to run out of space anytime soon. I have over 60 GB free right now.

 

[King Cobra]

No King Cobra..... Perhaps 'outdated' wast the wrong word for me to use.

How often to you buy a computer because of it being to slow?

Heh, in that case, never. Because...well, [1] I don't need it, and [2] cost of other things gets in the way. though that was different when going from 233MHz iMac to 466MHz iBook.