Notebooks 2-3 years tops, then I gift or repurpose them. The tech advances so fast that unless there's a tangible benefit I don't over spec. Just look at the current Mac line up versus a year or two ago.
Goalposts naturally shift, equally as long as your HW/SW does the job that's all that really matters
Q-6
Agreed.
I figured this computer has a brilliant screen, a screamer of a processor and a great GPU, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB storage, I would not have any pressing need for anything new in a good 5 years for what I want to do with the computer in the time. The MacBook Pro 2011 (after upgrading to 256 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM) made me feel the same - no need to upgrade. I sold it only because it was going to lose macOS upgrades after 10.13 and because it was a ticking time bomb with its dGPU chip and to add insult to injury, the speakers suddenly decided to crackle and the battery was shot anyway for over a year.
If hardware is running without issues, then I will only feel I want to upgrade when macOS is not upgraded anymore on this machine.
I did not buy into the Face ID thing till last month. I knew the advantages, I knew I would like it, but my iPhone 7 and 8 were doing everything I wanted to do with them. Only now I decided to take the plunge because of the form factor of the 13 mini. I love everything about the 13 mini, but nothing that I need. It's all that I appreciate - the Face ID tech, the gestures, the OLED display. These are conveniences of life. The phone still works just like the iPhone 4S I started with when it comes to making calls. No improvement there. Dual SIM does not even have proper support in Contacts wherein you could have different library for Primary SIM and different Contacts library for Secondary. What gives! So, there are conveniences. I never bother with the camera, I have a DSLR. But, the 13 mini camera is wonderful indeed.
Same with the new MBP. My MBA 2017 worked fine, I could have attached a USD 400 monitor and called it a day. I didn't need retina. But, I made a choice to go with the 16" because if I did not buy this computer today, I would have bought it next year and that would be an issue since I have other plans with my finances in the coming years. But, having made the choice today, I love every minute with it. The text is crisp, and I can feel my eyes not getting as strained. Larger display has made my seating slightly more ergonomic as against the 13.3 Air.
So, I bought this machine knowing I will keep it till they stop upgrading macOS on it. That amounts to about USD 75 a month to use it for 5 years. That cost is going to get subsumed several times over with the money I will make using this machine.
If only Apple devices were priced fairly in my country, allowing me the luxury of replacing them every 2 years. Would love to do that! I used to change my PC components every 2-3 years, if I remember right. It was the first MacBook Pro in 2011 that made me not bother with anything. I like that. It is liberating, even, sometimes, when you are busy with life and not as interested in upgrading every 2-3 years as you might have been in your previous years. Wow I sound old. Should stop.
