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will a MB last me 5 years?

X

x Shadow Dragon

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 21, 2007
102
0
topic says it all, i probably wont use it for gaming, but will it support most new Mac OS's?
My uses will be:
- iTunes
- Web surfing
- Mail
- AIM/iChat
- iMovie
- Homework (Probably NeoOffice)
- Very minimal gaming


So will it last 5 years?

EDIT- just so u know i make things last, the computer im on is from 2000, damn its slow
 
I doubt it will be so great in 5 years...but unless something happens (hard drive failure etc.) you will still be able accomplish those tasks - but will likely be a bit jealous of those running the new features on the programs you run (imagine having to run iTunes 3)
 
psychofreak said:
I doubt it will be so great in 5 years...but unless something happens (hard drive failure etc.) you will still be able accomplish those tasks - but will likely be a bit jealous of those running the new features on the programs you run (imagine having to run iTunes 3)
Click to expand...

i doubt it, im running on a comp from 2000 right now :)
 
I dunno, seems like stuff is moving along faster now. I can't imagine having a computer for more than a few years without getting a new one let alone 5 years.

but that said, my 7 year old iMac G3 does everything you list except iMovie and can still play Starcraft ;) so maybe it could.
 
Looking into my crystal ball I couldn't tell you whether you'd get 5 years out of a MB bought today, but it's likely you will be OK.

If what you want to use your computer for stays the same for the next 5 years then you won't have a problem, although if you think back 5 years and how things have changed then it's possible you will want to use your computer for different, more advanced things in the future.

The good thing is that Apple kit has a good resale value and so you can do well selling it in the future, and spending the difference on an upgrade.

bohrsatom
 
well, if you just use it for 5 years, it may not work, but if you buy a new battery, upgrade RAM, etc. it should
 
My biological psychology prof used a TiBook (circa 2001) with great success. I talked to her at the beginning of term about her computer, and she said she loves it, and it does everything she needs it to do. She even commented that she prefers the TiBook design to the new PB/MBP design.

I'd say you're good for 5 years, so long as your hard drive holds out.
 
It will work, but once you try a newer machine, you'll feel how slow the macbook really "will" be. If you like tech stuff and care about having the latest and greatest...it won't last five years. But the machine you're working on now "works", but from what I gather it's not a "pleasant" computing experience. I say it takes three years for a computer to truly be "outdated", but that's subjective.
 
x Shadow Dragon said:
okwell how much do u think it will sell for in three years?
Click to expand...
5 year old iBooks get ~$300, I guess you could base guesses around that. BUT, if massive changes come (3D, touch etc.) the price you get for old technology will be less...
 
psychofreak said:
5 year old iBooks get ~$300, I guess you could base guesses around that. BUT, if massive changes come (3D, touch etc.) the price you get for old technology will be less...
Click to expand...

i think i said 3 years but, 300$ would be a hunk of cash in my pocket for my next mac so it would be ok.
 
For the basic needs yes, but your needs may change over time. It will last you a good 3-4 years if you upgrade the RAM and whatnot.
 
Will it last five years? Yeah, I'd be surprised if it didn't. As already mentioned, the hard drive is probably the likely component thats going to fail. I expect my computer to last another 3 years (making it a total of 5). It's probably not going to be able to do what I want it to do though. I do like to run the latest operating system so that's going to be what gets me. Also, keep in mind that support's going to be limited for your computer when it's 5 years old. You won't be covered by apple care and software updates won't be coming out as often. Of course, in saying that you could upgrade your OS.
 
I'm sure it would - to put it in pespective, I've got a *PC* Celeron 1.33GHz with 256MB Ram from 2002 (which wasn't top of the line at the time) that still works as far as using the internet and playing videos. Now do I like it? Not too much as it is pretty slow...but there's no question it's very much usable. And I can only imagine that a MacBook with OSX would hold its own better over the same timeframe.
 
I don't game and use my comp for mainly email/photos/video/word processing

and my main home computer is a
Pentium 3 1ghz
128mb RAM
60 HDD
and i see no real plans to upgrade it anytime soon since XP runs just fine on it and it does everything i need it to

my laptop is a 12inch 1.5ghz pb and i plan to keep it till 2009-2010 so that will be just a little under 5 years...

i find technology to be very cool and unique, but there is nothing increasingly unique about the new computers imo to make me want to switch besides speed (but it's fast enough for me for what i do), and until something extremly innovative comes out i don't see me getting a new computer until my projected 2009-2010 timetable...

I hope whatever OS comes out after lepord is supported for my computer, cause if not, that may make a heavy choice on upgrading as well :)
 
iBookG4user said:
I don't think it will. It would be like using a 600MHz 12" iBook G3 with 128MB RAM and a 20GB hard drive right now.
Click to expand...
are you speaking from experience?
I'm running a PowerBook G4 667 MHz, 768 Ram, 30 GB HD, 15" widescreen, and I can perform all of those listed tasks with essentially no problems.
itunes, web browsers, word processing, etc. rarely use more than 10% of my cpu and less than 30 mb of ram, doing the most intensive of tasks you could do on those apps.
I think a MB will easily last you 5 years if taken care of.
 
Illicit said:
are you speaking from experience?
I'm running a PowerBook G4 667 MHz, 768 Ram, 30 GB HD, 15" widescreen, and I can perform all of those listed tasks with essentially no problems.
itunes, web browsers, word processing, etc. rarely use more than 10% of my cpu and less than 30 mb of ram, doing the most intensive of tasks you could do on those apps.
I think a MB will easily last you 5 years if taken care of.
Click to expand...

I was giving an example, as the computer I stated was released about 5 years ago. I could barely stand to use my 1.33GHz iBook G4 when I had it, it seemed so slow, and now my MacBook Pro is seeming slow as I get the money together for me to buy the new one. No computer could last me 2 years, let alone 5 years.
 
The reality is, if you're using a computer that's 5 years old you're probably hurting yourself more than anything else. I'd say plan to replace any computer you buy in 3.5 years or less if you wish to maintain a good computing experience.
 
x Shadow Dragon said:
topic says it all, i probably wont use it for gaming, but will it support most new Mac OS's?
My uses will be:
- iTunes
- Web surfing
- Mail
- AIM/iChat
- iMovie
- Homework (Probably NeoOffice)
- Very minimal gaming


So will it last 5 years?
Click to expand...
I think that if what you purchase today gives you acceptable performance then it will give you acceptable performance 5 years from now doing the same activities.

Personally, my PowerBook 15 still works fine for me and runs the latest version of Tiger. It's about 3.5 years old now. I expect it to last me a couple of more years...at least.

As some have said, technology seems to be moving faster these days. So will you be able to run the latest and greatest, probably not. But can you run what you wanted when you purchased the computer. Sure.

If you wonder about the viability of older computers, all you need to do is go to eBay and see how much older hardware is selling for, both PC and Mac. Obviously, there are folks out there who still use the older technology because it meets their needs.
 
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