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nlivo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 18, 2007
914
3
Ballarat, Australia
just wondering what the average time people have their macs until they replace it with a new one....i know some people have them for ages and some just keep refrshing but whats about the average time.....i have had my iMac G5 (iSight) since November 2005 so its nearly 2 years old. It feels like i have been a mac guy my whole life but its only been 2 years.
 

Scarlet Fever

macrumors 68040
Jul 22, 2005
3,262
0
Bookshop!
My folks don't replace computers, they just buy a new one and continue using the old one. They have a MacBook Pro, I have a MacBook, and my sister uses the 2001 Powerbook. We're thinking of getting an iMac, though, because we need some desktop power and a big display. We just figure it isn't worth chucking something that still works fine.
 

oduinnin

macrumors regular
Aug 3, 2007
139
0
Planet Earth
Really old ...

I had my first Mac, a Performa 600CD for about 4-1/2 years. Then, I had a Power Mac 7300 for about 3 years. Next, a Power Mac G4/466 (Digital Audio) for about 6-1/2 years. This really old G4 is what I'm now replacing with a new iMac 24" 2.8GHz, 750GB HD, 4GB RAM. :cool:
Mac's got legs!

P.S. I also have a MacBook Pro, which is 1-1/2 years old, but still fells new to me.
 

goatrealm

macrumors newbie
Aug 18, 2007
10
0
Eight seconds into the future
ages

bought a powermac G4/400 back in the summer of 2000. it died (moment of silence) in march this year, and now a shiny new imac is on its way.

the jump from OS 9.2 to 10.4 won't be too strange, though--i got to play around with OS 10 after i bought an ibook g4 for my wife and a mac mini for my parents.

prior to the G4, i bought a mac clone around 1997 or 1998. the clone's hard drive was about 4GB, and soon i'll be playing with a computer with almost that much RAM. how times change :cool:

before the mac clone i got a performa in 1995.

so a performa, a mac clone, and a G4 lasted me almost 12 years. i'm so ready for an upgrade :D
 

nlivo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 18, 2007
914
3
Ballarat, Australia
My folks don't replace computers, they just buy a new one and continue using the old one. They have a MacBook Pro, I have a MacBook, and my sister uses the 2001 Powerbook. We're thinking of getting an iMac, though, because we need some desktop power and a big display. We just figure it isn't worth chucking something that still works fine.

i doubt we'll be replacing it we'll probably just move it to another room or something. i completely agree with you about giving them the chuck.
 

flyinmac

macrumors 68040
Sep 2, 2006
3,579
2,465
United States
just wondering what the average time people have their macs until they replace it with a new one....i know some people have them for ages and some just keep refrshing but whats about the average time.....i have had my iMac G5 (iSight) since November 2005 so its nearly 2 years old. It feels like i have been a mac guy my whole life but its only been 2 years.


I had my PowerMac G3 266-DT (Desktop) for about 5 years.

I got an iBook G3 SE 333 MHz to use for a while in addition to the PowerMac G3. I kept the iBook for about 3 or 4 years. I used it for a couple of years after selling the PowerMac G3.

I sold the iBook G3 when I purchased the very first iMac G5 17-inch that was available. The iMac G5 was sold about 6 months later due to my frustration with it spending all it's time in the shop (I rarely got to actually use it).

I replaced it with a PC and a Mac Mini G4 1.25 GHz. I've still got both the PC and the Mac Mini G4.

I did get another iMac G5 (second revision) 20-inch 2.0 GHz about a year after selling the first iMac G5. I kept it about 3 months. It also spent all it's time in the shop.

So, I'm still using my Mac Mini G4 1.25 GHz now. But, my new Mac Pro will arrive tomorrow :D

My daughter (3 years old) has a 333 MHz iMac G3 that she does all her stuff on. She's amazing for a 3 year old. I got that machine second-hand a couple of years ago.

My wife has an iBook G4 1.33 GHz that see has been using for about 2 years (approximately two years).

So, some have had a good time with us, and the G5's came and went as fast as I could get rid of them.

As mentioned by the others, the machine's I've kept will just get shuffled around.

The G3 iMac will move down to the daughter who's on the way (not born yet). She'll get it as soon as she learns that she has fingers and can beat on a keyboard (about when I gave it to my other daughter).

The Mac Mini G4 will go to my 3 year old daughter.

The new Mac Pro will replace the Mac Mini and PC on my desk.

My wife will keep using her iBook G4.
 

zap2

macrumors 604
Mar 8, 2005
7,252
8
Washington D.C
depends...on how money is, other things I want. I'm sure I'd be fine using my iMac G5.

But I replaced it with a Mac Mini about 14months ago...I was planning on replacing the Mini this summer, but even with the C2D upgrades, it seems poinless.

I'm still using my iBook G4, as I have very basic needs on the go.
 

iToaster

macrumors 68000
May 3, 2007
1,742
0
In front of my MacBook Pro
Well, there's two things to consider, usable life and actual life. On average, a Mac should have a usable life of 4 years, more or less. I still know of G3 iMacs that run perfectly today and are pushing 8 years. My MBP I intend to have until college in 3 years, but will keep it forever, just upgrade with another MBP or whatever Apple calls them then.
 

CBAviator

macrumors 6502
Jun 10, 2007
299
0
Nederland
I typically like to hang on to my computer 4-5 years before upgrading. I got this laptop that I'm typing on right after I graduated high school. I just graduated college in May and am now awaiting my new iMac in the mail (hopefully tomorrow!).
 
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