How long are you keeping your machines for?

[WC7]

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.

Wow! I think we had that one, too ... but in our case the screen died. Didn't want to deal with a new logic board (not sure). That's what they said. But, I would like to add, I like to run the latest software with some protection against potential security issues ... so newer machines here .

 

[WC7]

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.

I liked that Trashcan, too. But decided not to buy used when Apple introduced the M computer. I did have the Cube a fantastic machine ... its monitor was amazing, too. Sadly, when we moved it went away ... I can't believe I let that happen. I mostly had every type of machine from the Jobs era ... most I would consider collectables now ... but I needed money back then ... so sold them ... oh, my clam shell iBooks (orange and aqua(?)) were another pair I should have kept.

 

[throAU]

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.

The 7,1 can take a LOT more RAM. Like.. a lot.

Half a terabyte would be nice for virtualisation stuff.

The 5,1 was a great machine in its day, but the CPUs are just simply too old now; they lack modern crypto acceleration, modern memory support, modern IO support, etc.

 

[Melbourne Park]

The 7,1 can take a LOT more RAM. Like.. a lot.

Half a terabyte would be nice for virtualisation stuff.

The 5,1 was a great machine in its day, but the CPUs are just simply too old now; they lack modern crypto acceleration, modern memory support, modern IO support, etc.

For many though, as others here have said, is the ongoing support issue. And Intel CPUs have not long to go. And besides Apple, software companies are increasingly only allowing software to work on current or last year's OS versions. For your case, these issues do not seem relevant with Apple. A used server PC can have lots of RAM though. Even standard PCs today can support 256 GB Ram. Not including GPU RAM which can add 128 GB as well when viewing Apple's memory integration. And PC RAM is cheap.

With Apple's M machines, RAM and drives are very costly. But the SSDs only have a finite life, and are very difficult to replace. And getting more RAM means the SSD is used much less ... So if one saves money and gets just what one needs with Apple M processors, IMO the machines may fail earlier. But then not to worry, because the software won't work either. So Apple is committed to shorter life cycles for their hardware.

I'd love a 7,1, right now. But I fear its longevity. For me, it would have to become a PC, and who knows, maybe in just two years ...

 

[NT1440]

Well, I feel dumb. I upgraded my 2015 13” MBP a few years back to 1TB. Thought that the constant battery drain was just a side effect given it’s a known issue for certain drives.

Flash forward to a week or two back back to one of the Apple silicon threads that hit on how Intel has never managed to get their low power features to work right. On a hunch I disabled Power Nap.

Battery now remains rock steady when the computer is turned off.

That’s all to say, it’s likely going to stay in commission for years more to come. I’m thinking about replacing the battery and giving it to a friend if I eventually move on to a 15” Air…

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

Well, my 2012 MacBook Air lasted me 12 years, so I'm hoping to get a decade out of my M3 Pro.

 

[throAU]

A used server PC can have lots of RAM though. Even standard PCs today can support 256 GB Ram. Not including GPU RAM which can add 128 GB as well when viewing Apple's memory integration. And PC RAM is cheap.

These days PC ram is the same as Mac RAM.

PC servers have loud annoying fans. I deal with them for #dayjob, and they belong in a server rack in a room far away from my ears.

Mac Pros do not.

 

[specialstyle]

With Apple silicone now available for three years, is it a feasible option to upgrade yearly or maybe every other year? The specs and design upgrades are minimal, so how long do you plan to stick with your current devices before considering an upgrade?

Depends what you need it for... if you're just upgrading to upgrade to the newest thing that's one thing. But I had my last MacBook for 14 years and it was FINE for what I needed it for until it wasn't. Also if you're using it for a business then that changes things, but otherwise...save the money IMO.

 

[Dadcelo]

Hoping this M3 Pro takes me through the next decade.

 

[ChrisA775]

Keep? Probably too long. Use every day is shorter, but still a long time as the hardware and software is viable for so long. I expect to get five years out of everything at the least. Always happy to get more than that out of them too. I'm sure there are lots more here who keep their machines and just replace the one directly in front of their eyeballs.

Old office. In a new spot now and no room for a human-sized tech diorama any more.

 

[edubfromktown]

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.

I've also been multi-platform... since the 80's heh

Rid my home of PC's 15+ years ago (other than two Dell work laptops that I use now).

The Cube was cool- I scored one off eBay with a 22" ADC display and had fun with it way back. Trashcan is tempting. I just keep an old 12" MacBook around to run older apps (refuse to install Rosetta on my M1 Studio Base Max or M3 MBP).

Over many years I've kept my machines <4 years. Back when trade-in's were favorable (and hawking on eBay had lower fees and brought in even more), I'd get a newer refurb from Apple (or snipe a used system) more frequently. The only new systems I've purchased were 10th gen i5 2020 MBP and Studio Base Max.

 

[MacHeritage]

Keep? Probably too long. Use every day is shorter, but still a long time as the hardware and software is viable for so long. I expect to get five years out of everything at the least. Always happy to get more than that out of them too. I'm sure there are lots more here who keep their machines and just replace the one directly in front of their eyeballs.

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Old office. In a new spot now and no room for a human-sized tech diorama any more.

Love that post. That old office looks the greatest! New ones looks totally geeked out.

 

[WC7]

I can't keep up with all these rumors ... new devices and new Macs. Looks like I will have a big hole in my pocket if they are true! New Watch, new iPhone, new iMac, and new Mac mini. ?? Am I missing anything else?

 

[Chuckeee]

I can't keep up with all these rumors ... new devices and new Macs. Looks like I will have a big hole in my pocket if they are true! New Watch, new iPhone, new iMac, and new Mac mini. ?? Am I missing anything else?

How about Summertime

 

[WC7]

Oh, I just saw that the AirPods Max are to be updated, too ... add that to my list.

 

[tim1000]

I keep them about a year that way I don't have to worry about battery capacity loss. When the batteries were removable I kept powerbooks 2 years.

 

[smirking]

I keep them about a year that way I don't have to worry about battery capacity loss. When the batteries were removable I kept powerbooks 2 years.

I don’t think you need to worry about battery capacity loss as much these days with the Silicon Macs. I murdered those batteries because I could drain them in 1-3 hours if I wasn’t careful. Now I’m doing anything anytime on my M1 Pro and I still get 5-8 hours even after 2.5 years.

On the later Intel machines, I was upgrading every 1.5 to 2.5 years because I’d upgrade to a new model whenever I sent my old one in for a battery replacement. I’d then sell my old one after it came back.

 

[jimmirehman]

I had my MacBook Air 11 Core2Duo for 10 years. I replaced it with my current MacBook Pro 12” M1 in 2020, still rocking it. The MacBook Air 11 still works btw

I had my iMac 27” i7 for 8 years until it died in 2017 and I replaced it with a used Mac Pro 5,1 that I still have today.

I only use the MacBook Pro M1 as a daily driver these days.

 

[tim1000]

How many folks have multiple MacBooks? I have a m3 macbook pro and am very aware of the current discounts on them posted on here. I assume most posting here already have a MacBook so are people buying second and third MacBook pros. I have multiple iPads but have never understood how to use multiple Mac’s in my workflow as i always just use one and other collects dust.

 

[Acronyc]

How many folks have multiple MacBooks? I have a m3 macbook pro and am very aware of the current discounts on them posted on here. I assume most posting here already have a MacBook so are people buying second and third MacBook pros. I have multiple iPads but have never understood how to use multiple Mac’s in my workflow as i always just use one and other collects dust.

I have a 2021 M1 Max 14-inch MBP. I love it, but it sits on my desk 95% of the time.

About 1.5 years ago I got tired of taking my expensive Mac around with me, so I bought a refurb M1 Air (made sure to get 16GB of RAM for it). I don't need the power of my M1 Max on the go, and the Air is much better for me when traveling. So now I have two MacBooks.

When it comes time to upgrade my MBP, I'll probably get a desktop (Mac Studio or equivalent if available) instead of a MacBook.

 

[WC7]

I have a 2021 M1 Max 14-inch MBP. I love it, but it sits on my desk 95% of the time.

About 1.5 years ago I got tired of taking my expensive Mac around with me, so I bought a refurb M1 Air (made sure to get 16GB of RAM for it). I don't need the power of my M1 Max on the go, and the Air is much better for me when traveling. So now I have two MacBooks.

When it comes time to upgrade my MBP, I'll probably get a desktop (Mac Studio or equivalent if available) instead of a MacBook.

I'm staying with my iMac at home (or, trading for the newer M4 iMac later.). I will probably get an iPad for travel.

 

[rwh63]

So far, since fall of 2011!

 

[redheeler]

How about Summertime

Exactly, how can someone be so obsessed with Apple...stop and smell the flowers.

 

[Baja63]

I went all in on the M1. I bought an M1 Pro MBP with 32GB of ram and a Mac Studio Max with 32GB. Usually, I wait longer to upgrade but I have to admit I'm very tempted by the M4 series of chips. It feel like a it's a reset of the product line just as the M1 series was. I have two homes and I use the M1 Pro MBP as my main system at my secondary place and my Mac Studio Max at my main house. I got the M4 iPad Pro 13" and everything about it is so premium. I'm really on the fence about running the table and upgrading both of my main systems to M4 systems.

 

[WC7]

I went all in on the M1. I bought an M1 Pro MBP with 32GB of ram and a Mac Studio Max with 32GB. Usually, I wait longer to upgrade but I have to admit I'm very tempted by the M4 series of chips. It feel like a it's a reset of the product line just as the M1 series was. I have two homes and I use the M1 Pro MBP as my main system at my secondary place and my Mac Studio Max at my main house. I got the M4 iPad Pro 13" and everything about it is so premium. I'm really on the fence about running the table and upgrading both of my main systems to M4 systems.

I would sell ... one house and buy stock in Apple! ... plus those M4s.