How long are you keeping your machines for?

[unobtainium]

Still enjoying my M1 MBP although recently one key stopped responding when tapped in one of the corners…compressed air hasn’t helped so far. And AC+ is over. Other than that, it’s running great. I will probably upgrade when OLED or a thinner design (or ideally both..) come along.

Edit: never mind, I do still have AppleCare, time to get that fixed!

 

[MrGimper]

Had an intel 16" i9 with 64GB RAM and 2TB. Was an Apple Refurb I bought in May 2020. Obvs became obsolete quickly with the launch of the M1. However I continued to use that machine until about a week ago when I replaced it with this M3 Max that is also an Apple Refurb. So 4 years for the previous machine and I'd probably say the same for this.

I mean, I'm still using an i7 2014 retina iMac which is running Sonoma via OCLP. The i9 may replace that. Don't really know

 

[Tajhad]

Presently a M1 Pro , 16 inch MacBook Pro with 1 TB and 32G ram. Bought 2 yrs ago, but plan to keep for at least 6 or 7 yrs. My last one lasted 9 yrs. I tend to spec them up a little ( to handle Photoshop/ Lightroom) so they then can last. My old machine is still running except battery life is poor. If I could write it off on tax I would replace every 3 years, but the machines will remain capable and trouble free for much longer.

 

[joeblow7777]

When I buy a laptop, I figure 4-5 years minimum to have gotten my money's worth.

 

[WC7]

Now, it seems, just for one year! Will likely trade-in my M3 iMac for an M4 iMac (when available). AND will buy the new M4 Mac mini mini (rumored) when it is released. AI in general is driving my decision. That is if I have enough money.

 

[smirking]

AI in general is driving my decision. That is if I have enough money.

Having worked closely with AI many years ago, I'd advise you to wait until it fully arrives before you make any purchasing decisions based on it. AI has a long history of coming tantalizingly close and then falling far short of expectations.

The last mile problem in AI is difficult to close. People start getting interested when it does mediocre things very well. Then they get excited when it does moderately skilled things well, but they expect the progress from then to be linear. It isn't. The way AI works is that later versions can actually be worse than earlier ones and commonly a LOT worse.

Unless you have money to burn... don't burn your money buying into AI before it's proven.

 

[Populus]

Now, it seems, just for one year! Will likely trade-in my M3 iMac for an M4 iMac (when available). AND will buy the new M4 Mac mini mini (rumored) when it is released. AI in general is driving my decision. That is if I have enough money.

I think the M3 gen is as capable as the M2 gen regarding Apple Intelligence. So I would hold on your M3 iMac, at least for the next few years with Apple Intelligence in mind.

The way AI works is that later versions can actually be worse than earlier ones and commonly a LOT worse.

Yes, it is known that sometimes newer models are worse than the previous ones… but I thought this was done on purpose, because the limitations the companies are increasingly building on this models.

 

[WC7]

Having worked closely with AI many years ago, I'd advise you to wait until it fully arrives before you make any purchasing decisions based on it. AI has a long history of coming tantalizingly close and then falling far short of expectations.

The last mile problem in AI is difficult to close. People start getting interested when it does mediocre things very well. Then they get excited when it does moderately skilled things well, but they expect the progress from then to be linear. It isn't. The way AI works is that later versions can actually be worse than earlier ones and commonly a LOT worse.

Unless you have money to burn... don't burn your money buying into AI before it's proven.

Thank you. I did look at the sample writing cases, I think it was in the Pages app, so I was intrigued just to look at the low level stuff. I think that is where my basic expectations lie. Plus, I am trading in my phone, too. So to keep everything on the same 'page'. I know the AI is in the early innings ... but my timeframe may be short ... I just want a taste the future.

 

[WC7]

I think the M3 gen is as capable as the M2 gen regarding Apple Intelligence. So I would hold on your M3 iMac, at least for the next few years with Apple Intelligence in mind.


Yes, it is known that sometimes newer models are worse than the previous ones… but I thought this was done on purpose, because the limitations the companies are increasingly building on this models.

Yes, may hold off, if I kick off beforehand! Not so haha. I did try some of those ML training cases Apple put on their developer site ... but, graphically, I want to try some other things.

 

[WC7]

At about 74 you don't want to wait too long.

 

[smirking]

Yes, it is known that sometimes newer models are worse than the previous ones… but I thought this was done on purpose, because the limitations the companies are increasingly building on this models.

That could be the case and be part of the explanation, but you can actually observe this tendency in full effect when you demand any AI bot to give you highly specific answers to esoteric questions. If you ask it something that it's unlikely to know, it will hallucinate and make up total BS that sounds good.

To anyone who hasn't worked closely with AI before, this doesn't sound like a problem. It's so close. It's probably a year away from being mind blowing. AI solutions have perpetually been "so close" to being viable for many years. That's because we make the mistake of seeing AI's progress as being linear.

We make this error because we're understanding machine intelligence as being similar to human intelligence. It's nothing like human intelligence. For one, we're really good at navigating ambiguity. This allows us to give meaningful answers to questions we don't fully understand, but when a machine is in that situation, you'll either get complete gibberish or such a vague answer that it's not even worth asking.

I'm not saying AI isn't already producing some valuable tools. I'm using it in limited fashion and it's been very helpful, but there is no way to know if we're on the doorstep or 10 years away from truly changing everything. You will be buying a lot of expensive laptops if you jump everytime someone puts an exclamation point after the letters "AI".

 

[smirking]

but my timeframe may be short ... I just want a taste the future.

Oh well, in that case, dive in, explore, and experience with your eyes wide open! It's amazing and fun as long as you're not dependent upon it in a make or break way.

 

[Beau10]

Having worked closely with AI many years ago, I'd advise you to wait until it fully arrives before you make any purchasing decisions based on it. AI has a long history of coming tantalizingly close and then falling far short of expectations.

The last mile problem in AI is difficult to close. People start getting interested when it does mediocre things very well. Then they get excited when it does moderately skilled things well, but they expect the progress from then to be linear. It isn't. The way AI works is that later versions can actually be worse than earlier ones and commonly a LOT worse.

Unless you have money to burn... don't burn your money buying into AI before it's proven.

I'd also add to this, that I'd expect improvements in hardware capabilities to scale a bit stronger post M4. It's been less than 2 years since ChatGPT shook things up. The NP might be a bit stronger than it otherwise would have been in the M4 and newer devices are coming with a bit more memory, but that's really it.

 

[SnoFlo]

I normally keep my Apple laptops for about three or four years. I think I will upgrade the M3 Max when the Pro gets a redesign: at least, if it's a good redesign.

 

[throAU]

I think of the laptop lifetime as 6 years. I keep it for 3 years, then sell it for half price and buy a new one for more or less the same money.
This way, if laptops cost X, instead of paying X every 6 years, I pay X/2 every 3 years. So I get to renew my machine twice more often. And I don't need to invest in battery replacements etc.

This is the way.

• You keep in warranty
• You still get decent resale
• If you've planned for 3 years - then if something like the butterfly keyboard fiasco happens you can choose to defer your upgrade rather than be forced into buying something you really don't want

I plan on 3-4 years, if i need to i can generally push it to 5. Much beyond 5 years machines really start to show their age with lack of support for new encryption acceleration/media codec support, battery is flogged, etc. Spending money on battery replacements/repairs on an out of warranty 3+ year old machine is dead/wasted money in my opinion. You're tipping money into a machine that just isn't worth spending the money on. Unless you need it for specific reasons (e.g., processor compatibility, macos compatibility, etc.).

I'm due to upgrade from my m1 pro, just waiting for the m4 pro to drop.

 

[Melbourne Park]

This is the way.

• You keep in warranty
• You still get decent resale
• If you've planned for 3 years - then if something like the butterfly keyboard fiasco happens you can choose to defer your upgrade rather than be forced into buying something you really don't want

I plan on 3-4 years, if i need to i can generally push it to 5. Much beyond 5 years machines really start to show their age with lack of support for new encryption acceleration/media codec support, battery is flogged, etc. ...

I'm due to upgrade from my m1 pro, just waiting for the m4 pro to drop.

Time to cross the 6,1 off your list then, as it was introduced before Christmas in 2013, over a decade ago.

 

[throAU]

Time to cross the 6,1 off your list then, as it was introduced before Christmas in 2013, over a decade ago.

Yeah, thats a collectible/art piece, not a system i'm using as a high end thing purchased new.

 

[WC7]

I guess at this point in my life I am on that bleeding edge (ironic: afraid of blood). So I am buying ... trading in my previous generation.

I want to have a little faster Apple AI capability ... even if it is early in this current AI evolution.

My grandson is 2 1/2 and his large language model is rapidly developing. Young children have 10x the number of synapses of an adult (these are pruned after training their LLM).

 

[Mac Hammer Fan]

I still use occasionally my Mac Pro's from 2009. However I have a Mac Studio M1 as main computer and a MacBook M2 16" as laptop.

 

[Calaveras]

Mac Pro had its 10th birthday earlier this year.
14" MBP is 2 years old going strong.
I try to get at least 5 years out of my Macs.

 

[Melbourne Park]

I returned my 16" Macbook pro - M3Max 38 GB/1TB reduced core ... not enough drive or RAM. Also it felt very bulky compared to my previous gen Macbook Pro (quad core intel i7 with a separate but weak GPU). 0.5 TB HD. 16 GB RAM.

Tried to import some video via Firewire on a classic mac pro. Not able due to metal GPU I reckon.

Pulled from a cupboard some old macbooks. Chose the 2011 Macbook Pro 13". 128 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM. Wouldn't start - plugged in power. Started, but system sick. Installed new System - wouldn't re-start. SSD was sick (ie gone).
$60 for Crucial 1TB drive
$36 for battery
$24 for 16 GB Ram
Amazon delivered 2 of the three - another few days for the battery. Installed all in 30 minutes.

Now its a Macbook Pro:
13.3" screen
16 GB RAM
1TB SSD
Better battery life than today's new iPad. With:
DVD burner
An excellent back lit keyboard - far superior to any current Macbook Pro
No marks at all on the thing, anywhere
The keyboard sits in a recess so it cannot mark the display when its folded.
- Thunderbolt port
- 2 x USB Type A port (type 2)
- Ethernet Port (Gigabit)
- Sound in/out port
- Security locking slot
- SD card slot
- Firewire 2 port
- Magsafe charging

It's flying and its old. And its downloading the videos. And displaying them on the 75" micro lense OLED ( a one click setup which is much simpler to do with High Sierra than today's OS). I could not have done that with any of today's Macbooks. They're RAM and Drives are locked in. And SSDs do not last forever. My Macbook 2011 (retried in 2014 I think) is evidence of that, its SSD could not be recovered.

Make things to last. Its the responsible way to live. Such technology should next go to people who can use it further, and not be crunched up at high energy recycling and distribution costs.

And throAU You've gone PC!! So Apple lost you for the hard stuff? I think so from your GPUs etc.

 

[throAU]

And @ throAU You've gone PC!! So Apple lost you for the hard stuff? I think so from your GPUs etc.

I've been multi-platform since the late 90s.

Previously dos/windows/linux
Since 2006 Windows/macOS/Linux
Since last weekend no more windows.

The PC in sig almost entirely 100% for gaming (doubles as VM test lab), anything work related or "important personal life related" (e.g. finances) i mostly use my mac(s) for. But i may not replace it depending on how well heroic game launcher runs on the Mac and how Wine develops.

I've got 3 PCs in the house though, 2 running Fedora 40 and one running TrueNAS scale.

The Trashcan i only bought a few months ago because i like the look of them. It IS nice having a reasonably high end MacOS machine though with heaps of RAM, think the main use I'll have for it is Ableton/Logic/GarageBand and maybe running old MacOS stuff that runs poorly on Apple Silicon. But its mostly for decoration, i think of it as a modern day g4 cube.

I may end up with a 7,1 for similar reasons when they drop in price a little. But not because i need one, i just like collecting hardware.

 

[Melbourne Park]

....

The Trashcan i only bought a few months ago because i like the look of them. It IS nice having a reasonably high end MacOS machine though with heaps of RAM, think the main use I'll have for it is Ableton/Logic/GarageBand and maybe running old MacOS stuff that runs poorly on Apple Silicon. But its mostly for decoration, i think of it as a modern day g4 cube.

I may end up with a 7,1 for similar reasons when they drop in price a little. But not because i need one, i just like collecting hardware.

7,1 is lovely and cheap now. 5,1 though can run the same stuff thanks to Opencore. They are a lot cheaper! And as well built IMO.

I reckon the equivalent of the Trashcan in today's Apple, is not here yet. Not long to go though ... the new Mac Mini - if they call it that ... I doubt they'll call it the Mac Tiny somehow ... Apple currently seems hell bent on making everything smaller. Which means of course, it's cheaper to make. But small means it's not going to be serviceable.

 

[Digital Dude]

I don’t upgrade as often as I used to. As long as my current gear performs well and meets my needs, I’m happy to stick with it. I’m still using an iPhone 12 Max and an Apple Watch Series 6. I recently upgraded from an M1 to an M2 iPad, but I still have an older Apple TV and several original HomePods. Honestly, I just can’t afford to upgrade as frequently anymore. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Jay-Jacob]

I don’t upgrade as often as I used to. As long as my current gear performs well and meets my needs, I’m happy to stick with it. I’m still using an iPhone 12 Max and an Apple Watch Series 6. I recently upgraded from an M1 to an M2 iPad, but I still have an older Apple TV and several original HomePods. Honestly, I just can’t afford to upgrade as frequently anymore. 🤷‍♂️

Same for me. I used to upgrade my iPhone about 2 years and iPad about 4 years and now my upgrade cycle is lot longer. I update my iMac 2013 21.5 inch (cannot update OS anymore) to M1 studio and display when it was released, finally earlier this year I upgrade my iPad Pro 9.7 (cannot be updated anymore to new iPadOS) to new iPad Pro M4 (I was planning get iPad Air but in end couldn't resist OLED display). I am still on my iPhone 12 mini at moment and I need upgrade my Apple Watch 4 cos battery getting poor now.

EDIT: I am still on Apple TV HD. I only will upgrade eventually whenever I upgrade my TV, at moment my TV is HD 1080p, not 4K. No point upgrade Apple TV 4K or whatever it be called in future versions if I don't have 4K TV.