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How long can last an iMac?
- Thread starter diegobgr
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My HD broke down after about 2 years. But I found it easy to install a new replacement HD and with proper backups your up-and-running in no time.
3 years, is a sh** for a 1500$ machine, IMO.
I hope it won't crash the day after Apple Care ends.
I think he means 3 years for sure... then would depend of the machine you gotsome 3,5 .... some 10 years
Well, I will get advanced 21,5". The one with 1 TB and 512 graphics card.
1500$/3 years = 40 $ per month. Its less then my monthly phone bill... On work we still have some 8+ years old Macs btw and they are in very good working condition.
I got a mid 2006 MacBook Pro and God only knows what it's been through during these years!
It's a Core2Duo 2,2GHz with just 2GB RAM, but I'm still working smoothly with Adobe CS4!
Just ordered the i7 iMac and waiting for it.
I expect it will last more than 5 years, considering I won't have to carry it around everywhere!
Will be the same for your 21,5", depending on what you use it for..
(sorry for my bad english)
- Replaced the screen (burnt pixel) the first week
- Replaced the keyboard after 2 years (someone spilled some wine on it) which invalidated the Apple Care
- Replaced the top and bottom case
- Replaced the whole mainboard and Apple didn't charge me anything because was a known GPU issue
It's a Core2Duo 2,2GHz with just 2GB RAM, but I'm still working smoothly with Adobe CS4!
Just ordered the i7 iMac and waiting for it.
I expect it will last more than 5 years, considering I won't have to carry it around everywhere!
Will be the same for your 21,5", depending on what you use it for..
(sorry for my bad english)
I still have and use a Core Duo iMac that is now almost 5 years old. It works fine for day to day usage.
most certainly! my original iMac is a good 11 years old and going perfectly fine for web/mail etc.
max out the RAM, and you will be fine!
+1 Here.
Still using my first generation iMac G5. It had a power supply and midplane board replaced under Applecare warranty after almost 3 years of being powered on 24/7 and being in use most of those hours.
I LOVE telling Windows folks (I still have Wintel machines here at home also), that my 5 year old iMac still boots up today as fast as it did when I took it out of the box. And that's after 2 major OSX upgrades that added more OS bells and whistles.
When I get a new machine, I will stick a fresh hard drive in with Leopard and donate it to a family member who doesn't do as much heavy lifting as I do with my computers.
I could stick an SSD in my iMac and inject a new speed bump into it., but my limiting factor at this time is the rapidly accelerating obsolescence of PPC based Macs. So I will have to upgrade soon to a newer Mac. I have certainly gotten my $1899 worth out of my current machine in the last 5 years.
Still using my first generation iMac G5. It had a power supply and midplane board replaced under Applecare warranty after almost 3 years of being powered on 24/7 and being in use most of those hours.
I LOVE telling Windows folks (I still have Wintel machines here at home also), that my 5 year old iMac still boots up today as fast as it did when I took it out of the box. And that's after 2 major OSX upgrades that added more OS bells and whistles.
When I get a new machine, I will stick a fresh hard drive in with Leopard and donate it to a family member who doesn't do as much heavy lifting as I do with my computers.
I could stick an SSD in my iMac and inject a new speed bump into it., but my limiting factor at this time is the rapidly accelerating obsolescence of PPC based Macs. So I will have to upgrade soon to a newer Mac. I have certainly gotten my $1899 worth out of my current machine in the last 5 years.
Same here, I used mine for photoshop work when I was back home, they were great machines.
You're right!
To update to a newer version of Windows you need to upgrade your hardware.
OsX, instead, gets the best from your "old" hardware!
I've had a few problem with my Mac G5 1.8Ghz. A strange internal problem, which I never figured out.
Most of my macs were in good condition and my current iMac has been the best so far. I've had it for almost 4 years now. Never had any issue with it.
My father still owns a Mac II Ci which is still working fine and that's almost 21 years old
Most of my macs were in good condition and my current iMac has been the best so far. I've had it for almost 4 years now. Never had any issue with it.
My father still owns a Mac II Ci which is still working fine and that's almost 21 years old
yes, macs can last a long, long time if nothing major happens to it. If I didn't get rid of my LC II, Power PC 7600, etc, they'd all be alive and kickin as we speak.
Your manufacturer's warranty expires in a year. If anything goes wrong that is a design or manufacturing fault, you are covered.
If you are a student, get the discounted AppleCare! That will give you an extended 3 years warranty (and phone support).
Over the 3 years, anything can go and you are not covered. Some computers will fail and some will be running in 6-7 years with no major problem. I have two eMacs (2003) that I recently took back from my garage and started using again. One of them is running Leopard, the other one is running Tiger (the best OS ever). I can hear some processor noise (or whatever that is) and the fans are loud. But they work and in basic tasks, they are surprisingly snappy. Meanwhile, I had terrible issues with a few C2D MBPs and MBAs.
Yours will be hopefully a computer that Apple will support for a long time. I remember that even in mid-2006, you could buy PPCs that could not run Snow Leopard. Those computers officially became a dinosaur in three years. I'm sure that they will run for many years to come, but in the meantime it's always nice to be able to do an OS upgrade in a few years.
Yours will do that I think, unless at one point the i3 dual cores will prove to be unsupported whereas the quad-core machines will be able to run a future OS. But that is just pure speculation and currently, you are better off to save your money, enjoy the entry-level that later you can upgrade and in three or four years sell and buy a new one. In three years, your mac should still worth around 35-50% of its original price.
If you are a student, get the discounted AppleCare! That will give you an extended 3 years warranty (and phone support).
Over the 3 years, anything can go and you are not covered. Some computers will fail and some will be running in 6-7 years with no major problem. I have two eMacs (2003) that I recently took back from my garage and started using again. One of them is running Leopard, the other one is running Tiger (the best OS ever). I can hear some processor noise (or whatever that is) and the fans are loud. But they work and in basic tasks, they are surprisingly snappy. Meanwhile, I had terrible issues with a few C2D MBPs and MBAs.
Yours will be hopefully a computer that Apple will support for a long time. I remember that even in mid-2006, you could buy PPCs that could not run Snow Leopard. Those computers officially became a dinosaur in three years. I'm sure that they will run for many years to come, but in the meantime it's always nice to be able to do an OS upgrade in a few years.
Yours will do that I think, unless at one point the i3 dual cores will prove to be unsupported whereas the quad-core machines will be able to run a future OS. But that is just pure speculation and currently, you are better off to save your money, enjoy the entry-level that later you can upgrade and in three or four years sell and buy a new one. In three years, your mac should still worth around 35-50% of its original price.
I really miss Tiger as well, it was the most stable version of OSX in my opinion.
Should last at least a decade! By which time it will be obsolete anyway.
If you're in the UK, the Sales of Goods Act should cover any major problems for about 5 years on a £1200 computer.
If you're in the UK, the Sales of Goods Act should cover any major problems for about 5 years on a £1200 computer.
How long will it last before spontaneous electrical failure? I think 10-20 years is a good number to give a Mac. My Mac Classic died a few months ago and my Mac Plus requires a good smack to get the video working when I boot it up. My G3's are still running strong, if you call a G3 strong.
Comparing a Mac to a PC for lifetime is like comparing a semi to a gocart.
Comparing a Mac to a PC for lifetime is like comparing a semi to a gocart.
Oh, come on!!! Many G5 had died already. There are better Macs but there are ones that are just average. What we also shouldn't forget is that Apple Inc is using the same parts as other PC manufacturers. What makes you think that the same parts in a MacBook Pro will last longer than in a Toshiba or Sony Vaio?
My parents have a business and they still use Dell Dimension 2400 machines for accountancy and similar tasks. Those machines run fine, even the processors can be replaced. They are also from 2003 (just as my eMacs that I previously mentioned) but whereas the eMacs have a 1.25GHz processor and a 40GB HDD, the Dells have 2.8 and 3GHz Pentium 4 with 160GB HDDs. As I said, the eMacs can run Tiger and Leopard, but they cannot run Snow Leopard, whereas the Dells can run Windows 7 (if the accountant gets bored with XP).
I like Macs and that's what I use (I never purchased a PC in my life), but some stereotypes are just completely unfounded.
Day 1 iMac G5
My iMac G5 1.8 20" was bought the day after it was announced in Paris expo 2004.
Within 6 months it needed mid-plane replacement due to faulty capacitors.
I maxed RAM to 2GB, upgraded to Leopard in 2008. I also replaced hard drive(5 minute job) to 640 GB.
I needed replacement power supply in 2009. While this repair Apple technicians managed to scratch the front bezel, which subsequently replaced.
All in all, it still does most things, most of the time. It is also refreshingly matte display.
Only problems are- safari crashes frequently, Can't handle videos efficiently, and generally slow.
I am planning to buy new i7 in next couple of months. I will still keep the PPC imac.
My iMac G5 1.8 20" was bought the day after it was announced in Paris expo 2004.
Within 6 months it needed mid-plane replacement due to faulty capacitors.
I maxed RAM to 2GB, upgraded to Leopard in 2008. I also replaced hard drive(5 minute job) to 640 GB.
I needed replacement power supply in 2009. While this repair Apple technicians managed to scratch the front bezel, which subsequently replaced.
All in all, it still does most things, most of the time. It is also refreshingly matte display.
Only problems are- safari crashes frequently, Can't handle videos efficiently, and generally slow.
I am planning to buy new i7 in next couple of months. I will still keep the PPC imac.
I'm typing this post on my early-2006 iMac...it's 4 1/2 years old and has received heavy daily use. It's been a flawless machine!
Bryan
Bryan