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What is the life time of an Aluminum iMac?
- Thread starter mifka
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I say you buy a really good version now, near the top of the class and in a few years, I betcha your iMac will still be serving you well.
A real world example: at work we have a Power Mac Dual G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) we purchased in October 2002, at the same time I started working there. It was our department's first Mac, with dual 1.25GHz processors and 1GB of RAM.
The only hardware upgrade we've given it is an additional 200GB hard drive, though we are going to attach a much larger external firewire drive to it soon.
Now, it's nearing the end of January 2008. It's running Leopard and still going strong. Maybe it's not as fast as the 24" Aluminum iMac now sitting next to it, but still rises to the occasion whenever we have it doing audio or image/photo editing work, and it still gets the occasional DVD video project whenever the iMac is busy doing something else.
Contrast that to our PCs: that Power Mac has stayed around while the office has gone through three complete PC upgrade cycles. Though within the past year, our Mac spending has increased significantly, and they're replacing workstations that were typically equipped with PCs in the past. Our end-product is based on a UNIX platform, and it took our IT staff and top brass a long time to recognize that, hey, the guys using Macs are having an easier time of things.
Anyway, our Power Mac doesn't look like it wants to die any time soon. Its CRT display is starting to look fuzzy, but we're going to replace it with a flat panel LCD. We plan on keeping it around at least until the next major release of OS X comes out (probably longer if by chance the hardware is still supported).
Bottom line: a well-equipped Mac will last you a long time. There's this hypersensitivity in the Mac world to always have the latest and greatest, but just because Apple releases something new several times a year does NOT make your existing hardware immediately obsolete. Maybe it won't look as stylish and trendy, but it'll still be plenty useful and will serve you well for a good while.
The only hardware upgrade we've given it is an additional 200GB hard drive, though we are going to attach a much larger external firewire drive to it soon.
Now, it's nearing the end of January 2008. It's running Leopard and still going strong. Maybe it's not as fast as the 24" Aluminum iMac now sitting next to it, but still rises to the occasion whenever we have it doing audio or image/photo editing work, and it still gets the occasional DVD video project whenever the iMac is busy doing something else.
Contrast that to our PCs: that Power Mac has stayed around while the office has gone through three complete PC upgrade cycles. Though within the past year, our Mac spending has increased significantly, and they're replacing workstations that were typically equipped with PCs in the past. Our end-product is based on a UNIX platform, and it took our IT staff and top brass a long time to recognize that, hey, the guys using Macs are having an easier time of things.
Anyway, our Power Mac doesn't look like it wants to die any time soon. Its CRT display is starting to look fuzzy, but we're going to replace it with a flat panel LCD. We plan on keeping it around at least until the next major release of OS X comes out (probably longer if by chance the hardware is still supported).
Bottom line: a well-equipped Mac will last you a long time. There's this hypersensitivity in the Mac world to always have the latest and greatest, but just because Apple releases something new several times a year does NOT make your existing hardware immediately obsolete. Maybe it won't look as stylish and trendy, but it'll still be plenty useful and will serve you well for a good while.
Sorry to resurrect the thread but I have a 17" iLamp that is going on 5 years now. It is finally starting to break down though. The CD burner is going bad and its not the quickest computer in the house BUT its the most stable (Its also the only Mac in the house). Even my brand new Dell (its a work computer) is not as stable. I think that you can rely on your iMac lasting as long as you need it to last.
The secret
The secret to getting any electronics to last a long time is simple. Treat it with care, keep it cool <25 Deg.C Ambient, free from dust and after all that pray the Design Engineer has selected good quality Electrolytic capacitors and derated everything correctly. Easy eh?
We bought a Mission 486 in 1987, cost £4000 then, but was quality kit and is still being used now as a piece of test equipment.
The secret to getting any electronics to last a long time is simple. Treat it with care, keep it cool <25 Deg.C Ambient, free from dust and after all that pray the Design Engineer has selected good quality Electrolytic capacitors and derated everything correctly. Easy eh?
We bought a Mission 486 in 1987, cost £4000 then, but was quality kit and is still being used now as a piece of test equipment.
Well...
Let's think about it...how old is the first aluminum iMac? Two years maybe? I'd say at least that long...
But I agree with the other posters. I have a circa 2001 powermac running strong as a file server and occasional work station. Upgraded hard drives and added ram and pci cards (more usb and firewire ports), but that's it.
Let's think about it...how old is the first aluminum iMac? Two years maybe? I'd say at least that long...
But I agree with the other posters. I have a circa 2001 powermac running strong as a file server and occasional work station. Upgraded hard drives and added ram and pci cards (more usb and firewire ports), but that's it.
Old Macs never die, they just fade away...
... or maybe that is sailors..
Anyway, I find that many of my old Macs simply assume different uses. I have an iMac lamp that is used daily by my wife (browsing, financial, word processing, etc.) and works like a champion. It is five years old, going on six.
I now have 2 Cubes, both working well, although one has a dead DVD drive. The other is in flawless condition, I use it as a media server. Both are six years old.
My iBook G4 is five years old, works like a champion, it is my road warrior.
My iMac 2.16 C2D is barely six months old (refurb), but it runs awesome. I cannot imagine why it would stop working in 3 years, although in all likelihood I will get a Mac Pro (in some incarnation) in about 2 years and keep it until it blows up.
It will be interesting to hear what people have done with their circa 2006-2008 Macs in about three years, what with Apple's emphasis on recycling. Seriously, does anyone just TRASH their old Mac? I gave my old computers I don't use to a local school...
... or maybe that is sailors..
Anyway, I find that many of my old Macs simply assume different uses. I have an iMac lamp that is used daily by my wife (browsing, financial, word processing, etc.) and works like a champion. It is five years old, going on six.
I now have 2 Cubes, both working well, although one has a dead DVD drive. The other is in flawless condition, I use it as a media server. Both are six years old.
My iBook G4 is five years old, works like a champion, it is my road warrior.
My iMac 2.16 C2D is barely six months old (refurb), but it runs awesome. I cannot imagine why it would stop working in 3 years, although in all likelihood I will get a Mac Pro (in some incarnation) in about 2 years and keep it until it blows up.
It will be interesting to hear what people have done with their circa 2006-2008 Macs in about three years, what with Apple's emphasis on recycling. Seriously, does anyone just TRASH their old Mac? I gave my old computers I don't use to a local school...
I think a better method would be to buy iMacs on the less expensive side and upgrade more often as the cpu/gpu improvements come along. At least that would be my recommendation. I agree with Xfujinon. As time passes, my older macs just serve different uses.
eh, well, I bought a 2.4ghz 20" because it can handle 4GB RAM. 2.4ghz is pretty big and Apple has only just dropped support for pretty much anything under high speed G4. This is technology 5+ years old.
I would guess that my iMac will last at least 5 years until it can't run the newest Apple OS - and that's just until it can't run the newest Apple OS - not until it packs up. I'm guessing I'll get a good seven years of use until it possibly packs up - maybe even more. Of course I will want to get a faster computer by then. Heck, chances are I won't even upgrade past 10.7 but I will still be able to use it. Just depends on how much I want to use the new, fancy stuff - and if I did, I would buy a Macbook or something and keep my iMac as my "special" computer as it's my first Mac and it will always be special to me.
It really depends on how well you treat it and how much you can resist the new things. I am honestly going to be disappointed when Apple updates it's iMacs and makes them faster. Not because I don't love my iMac but because it's not the newest anymore. Of course, I won't try and find an excuse to get a new one. That's just stupid. But hey, it's the future and I doubt the current iMacs will last less than 10 years. They're quality machines.
I would guess that my iMac will last at least 5 years until it can't run the newest Apple OS - and that's just until it can't run the newest Apple OS - not until it packs up. I'm guessing I'll get a good seven years of use until it possibly packs up - maybe even more. Of course I will want to get a faster computer by then. Heck, chances are I won't even upgrade past 10.7 but I will still be able to use it. Just depends on how much I want to use the new, fancy stuff - and if I did, I would buy a Macbook or something and keep my iMac as my "special" computer as it's my first Mac and it will always be special to me.
It really depends on how well you treat it and how much you can resist the new things. I am honestly going to be disappointed when Apple updates it's iMacs and makes them faster. Not because I don't love my iMac but because it's not the newest anymore. Of course, I won't try and find an excuse to get a new one. That's just stupid. But hey, it's the future and I doubt the current iMacs will last less than 10 years. They're quality machines.
I'm typing this on a G3 iMac "Snow", circa 2001, running 10.4.11. It runs rings around my kids low budget PC's of a year ago. I think it's a safe bet an iMac will be around a long time.
The fluorescent bulb and the hard drives seem to be consumables these days, likely you will need to have either one replaced if you keep it for years.
As far as the life of the machine, it should last until it becomes painfully slow with the newer OS and applications.
As far as the life of the machine, it should last until it becomes painfully slow with the newer OS and applications.
While hardware does speed up & get more powerful, the OS can also determines the speed of your machine and OSX is quick. 3 or 4 year old Mac will continue to run as it did day one.
You wont be forced to upgrade until software requirements exceed your hardware.
You wont be forced to upgrade until software requirements exceed your hardware.
[Apple Build Quality] > [Most Competition]
One thing I like about all the Mac hardware is the great resale value they have even after 2 or 3 years of servitude. G4 Mac Mini's still net about 60-80% of their original cost on Ebay. The same cannot be said of PC's as they tend to lose their value much faster, unless you get a quality PC like an Alienware laptop or desktop. This information alone gives great insight on how economical and efficient Mac hardware can be.
One thing I like about all the Mac hardware is the great resale value they have even after 2 or 3 years of servitude. G4 Mac Mini's still net about 60-80% of their original cost on Ebay. The same cannot be said of PC's as they tend to lose their value much faster, unless you get a quality PC like an Alienware laptop or desktop. This information alone gives great insight on how economical and efficient Mac hardware can be.
The lifespan of any computer deepens on three critical features:
1. quality
2. usage
3. maintenance
iMac's are usually well put together, even if some parts aren't so great, so quality usually isn't an issue.
Usage is the primary factor. If you use your computer 18 hrs out of the day, never turn it off or let it sleep, and use it for intense processor/memory and HD heavy usage, you computer will last 3-4 years before kicking the bucket.
1. quality
2. usage
3. maintenance
iMac's are usually well put together, even if some parts aren't so great, so quality usually isn't an issue.
Usage is the primary factor. If you use your computer 18 hrs out of the day, never turn it off or let it sleep, and use it for intense processor/memory and HD heavy usage, you computer will last 3-4 years before kicking the bucket.