Why are so many people using out of date Macbooks?

[Shirasaki]

So the moral of the story is: if it ain’t break, don’t fix it.
and, never judge. This post is a perfect example of why those folks using perceived “insecure” device is not an issue to them at all.

 

[OneBar]

Oh god, not another of these threads. We've had "why do people use Office?" and "why do people use Safari"? What's next: "Why do people use iPod socks?"

...

Live your own life, and let others lead their own.

I'd rock a pair of iPod socks, jussayin....

 

[msackey]

Oh god, not another of these threads. We've had "why do people use Office?" and "why do people use Safari"? What's next: "Why do people use iPod socks?"

LOL. I agree but... (see below)

Do you see someone driving in an F150 and wonder why they're not driving a Ferrari?

When I see someone driving an F-150, I don't think why they aren't driving a Ferrari. The first thing is an eye roll, then I think why do Americans like big, fat, and bulky? Yes, there are legitimate uses for an F-150, but for most people and most of the time, these kinds of trucks are bought for vanity and masculinity issues, not because they actually need it as a workhorse. What actual workhorse is kept in such a clean and waxed condition?

I don't know, but an image or analogy I have thought about is like this: a big, masculine, muscled up man who goes to the gym everyday and wears those shirts that make their muscles pop even more. So far, nothing wrong. But then, when it comes to actually doing work that's not gym work, they can't do it. Oh don't want to strain my leg because tomorrow is leg day. Oh I can't help you lift that thing because tomorrow is arm day. I don't know. It's all very sissy. Being sissy is fine, but it's very strange when the image they try to project is a macho masculine man. Macho in the projection, but sissy behind it? Deserves an eye roll.

It's like the Wizard of Oz. Behind that curtain is nothing that impressive, but in front of that curtain there's that whole projection to make you feel timid. It's like Americans have forgotten a lesson of Wizard of Oz. You're not supposed to admire or want to be what's in front of the curtain. You're supposed to realize that the curtain is a COVER UP: that what is in front of it is FAKE and that behind it is the REAL thing. But Americans got enamored with what's in front of the curtain. Lesson lost. Deserves yet another eye roll.

LOL

Sorry, I'm going on and on. That's what I think about when I see these decked up, waxed up pickup trucks that clearly are trying to project macho but underneath it all is just a whimpering thing.

And of course, worse is that these trucks when used this way is just making the road more dangerous for those of us who drive compact cars, and these trucks are heavy polluters.

Ok, back to our regular programming of "why is anyone still using Office and Safari?".... LOL

 

[JustAnExpat]

Honestly, my question goes a step further and asks why people use MacBooks, period...

I've seen Windows laptops with around the same performance and more RAM (Core i7, 16GB RAM) for 300 dollars less than the bare minimum MacBook with M1

If your issue is using Windows as an OS, you could just install a new operating system like Linux.

And the quality is terrible. I have a machine like that, made by Infinix. The quality is far below Apple's. Some of the problems includeL
- A USB A port that's upside down.
- Web cam that's grainy
- Wifi is weak whenever the fan comes on because of interference
- 6 hours of battery life vs. 16 hours for a MacBook Air.
- No thumb print security system

So I'd like to see a quality machine that's 300 "dollars" (USD I guess?) less then what Apple has, and has the same specs as well.

 

[Spock]

I have seen students at the university I work at still using poly carbonate MacBooks...

 

[Queen6]

You seem to be a victim of a severe case of 'keeping up with the Joneses'.
Treatment is hard, but doable. The first step is to admit that you have it.

Is just a prime example of Apple's marketing in action and those that blindly follow. Apple want's to sell as much product as possible, it's marketing strategy and ever evolving obsolescence by design are just tools in the box...

Q-6

 

[DanteHicks79]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks. I see so many people with MacBooks from 2012 that have the light in the back with a out of day OS yet they are using an iPhone 14 or newer. I just don't understand why they don't at least upgrade to a M1 MacBook Air for $800. If they can afford a new iPhone they can afford to update there out of date, insecure laptop.

Why does it bother you, is the real question here 🤔🤔

 

[wonderings]

LOL. I agree but... (see below)



When I see someone driving an F-150, I don't think why they aren't driving a Ferrari. The first thing is an eye roll, then I think why do Americans like big, fat, and bulky? Yes, there are legitimate uses for an F-150, but for most people and most of the time, these kinds of trucks are bought for vanity and masculinity issues, not because they actually need it as a workhorse. What actual workhorse is kept in such a clean and waxed condition?

I don't know, but an image or analogy I have thought about is like this: a big, masculine, muscled up man who goes to the gym everyday and wears those shirts that make their muscles pop even more. So far, nothing wrong. But then, when it comes to actually doing work that's not gym work, they can't do it. Oh don't want to strain my leg because tomorrow is leg day. Oh I can't help you lift that thing because tomorrow is arm day. I don't know. It's all very sissy. Being sissy is fine, but it's very strange when the image they try to project is a macho masculine man. Macho in the projection, but sissy behind it? Deserves an eye roll.

It's like the Wizard of Oz. Behind that curtain is nothing that impressive, but in front of that curtain there's that whole projection to make you feel timid. It's like Americans have forgotten a lesson of Wizard of Oz. You're not supposed to admire or want to be what's in front of the curtain. You're supposed to realize that the curtain is a COVER UP: that what is in front of it is FAKE and that behind it is the REAL thing. But Americans got enamored with what's in front of the curtain. Lesson lost. Deserves yet another eye roll.

LOL

Sorry, I'm going on and on. That's what I think about when I see these decked up, waxed up pickup trucks that clearly are trying to project macho but underneath it all is just a whimpering thing.

And of course, worse is that these trucks when used this way is just making the road more dangerous for those of us who drive compact cars, and these trucks are heavy polluters.

Ok, back to our regular programming of "why is anyone still using Office and Safari?".... LOL

Why even bother assuming why people buy anything? Not sure why it bothers people or why they even care. If someone has an F-150 truck who is anyone to say they don't actually need it? They are most likely in a place financially where they can afford it, so why do people love to comment on what they should or should not buy? They get what they like. Why anyone thinks they must be show boating says more about their insecurity than the assumptions they are making on another persons spending habits.

 

[TracerAnalog]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks. I see so many people with MacBooks from 2012 that have the light in the back with a out of day OS yet they are using an iPhone 14 or newer. I just don't understand why they don't at least upgrade to a M1 MacBook Air for $800. If they can afford a new iPhone they can afford to update there out of date, insecure laptop.

I have an older laptop... care to fund me $800 for a new one? 🤣

 

[ArcaneDevice]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks. I see so many people with MacBooks from 2012 that have the light in the back with a out of day OS yet they are using an iPhone 14 or newer. I just don't understand why they don't at least upgrade to a M1 MacBook Air for $800. If they can afford a new iPhone they can afford to update there out of date, insecure laptop.

I'm using a 2012 MacBook Pro. Why would I move to a laptop with zero upgradeability that has less connectivity and processing power that the majority of the public will never need? I can just spend $800 on much more interesting things and tech gear.

And why do you assume any laptop you see is insecure? I'm running Monterey on my 2012 MBP. You don't have to get suckered into Apple marketing to just use the latest OS.

 

[teknikal90]

My daily driver for office work is a 2019 MacBook Pro.
Something nice about just using it and not caring if it gets scratched or dinged.

 

[msackey]

Why even bother assuming why people buy anything? Not sure why it bothers people or why they even care. If someone has an F-150 truck who is anyone to say they don't actually need it? They are most likely in a place financially where they can afford it, so why do people love to comment on what they should or should not buy? They get what they like. Why anyone thinks they must be show boating says more about their insecurity than the assumptions they are making on another persons spending habits.

Because in general, we can see that the American market isn't buying F-150 for use as a workhorse. The road is more dangerous for everyone else as vehicles (not just F-150) are getting bigger and bigger unnecessarily. When it affects safety, that makes it an issue for everyone else.

An old MacBook isn't affecting other people.

Sometimes, I comically wonder if in a few years Americans will start buying actual Mack truck cabs as their regular ride. They won't be hauling the trailer. They'll just be driving the cab portion, because, yeah, they need it to haul some lumber or go sporting during the weekend. The size of current popular pickup trucks used as a daily rider is getting to that point of comedy.

 

[floral]

And the quality is terrible. I have a machine like that, made by Infinix. The quality is far below Apple's. Some of the problems includeL
- A USB A port that's upside down.
- Web cam that's grainy
- Wifi is weak whenever the fan comes on because of interference
- 6 hours of battery life vs. 16 hours for a MacBook Air.
- No thumb print security system

So I'd like to see a quality machine that's 300 "dollars" (USD I guess?) less then what Apple has, and has the same specs as well.

Oh, sorry, I forgot to include a few things.

I'm from the US, and I never heard of an Infinix laptop. I was referring to HP laptops, which I found to be a lot more quality and reliable to use.

 

[Apple$]

My mom bought a M1 MacBook Air almost 2 years ago, and she still uses her 2011/2012 MacBook Air while the M1 Air collects dust. 🤷‍♂️

 

[kc9hzn]

I'm guessing, unlike the average MacRumors forum member, these people view a computer as simply an appliance and as long as it still gets the job done for them, they see no reason to update.

Back in the late 2000s, I often would see older white plastic iBooks, 12” PowerBooks, and occasionally even older Mac OS Classic laptops (I reckon that the modern equivalent to the last one would be someone still rocking a 12” PowerBook today). I think you’re spot on, it does the job they need it to. (After all, a Mac OS Classic PowerBook would’ve just been as useless on the Internet in 2007 as it is today.)

 

[Weaselboy]

Back in the late 2000s, I often would see older white plastic iBooks

Those things were tanks. Both my daughter and niece had one. I upgraded RAM and put an SSD in them, and they worked out quite well.

 

[contacos]

I bought a new M1 Pro MacBook Pro in 2021 and honestly, I feel like my previous MacBook Pro from 2012 would still be enough for what I do. My BF still uses it and it still works great. Only speaks for the machine!

 

[ChrisA]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks. I see so many people with MacBooks from 2012 that have the light in the back with a out of day OS yet they are using an iPhone 14 or newer. I just don't understand why they don't at least upgrade to a M1 MacBook Air for $800. If they can afford a new iPhone they can afford to update there out of date, insecure laptop.

Why would you replace a Mac that works? You say "only $800" but the federal minimum wage is less than $8. They would have to work for 100 hours to earn enough money to buy an $800 computer. If you work part-time that means working for five weeks and putting every dime into the new computer, not even buying food.

It is a little better here in California where the minimum wage is just over $16 per hour but still they would have to work for weeks and not even buy food.

Even when you move away from students, the majority of the population can not afford $800. A Mac is a luxury item. You can get a serviceable notebook PC for half the cost of a Mac. This is why PC vastly outsell Macs, not becaause people like them, but because they cost far less.

On the other hand, the older Macs do just fine and get the job done. For example, I have a new M2-Pro Mini I use. I also have a 2009 Mac Mini with 4GB RAM. Last night I was reading some papers on control theory and robotics. These are PDF files and I used the 2009 Mac. The 20" screen is still very good and the old Mac works just as well as the new Mac for many things. I gave my older 2011 MBP to my daughter to use in school for the few things it does better than her iPad. She used it to write some papers and it still runs MS Word just fine. In fact for writing the old Mac is not the bottleneck. it is the human operator who has to think.

Finally, I recently bought a 2014 Mini. It runs headless (no monitor attached) and has a couple of light-weight servers running on it. I paid less than $200 for it.

 

[DigitalAR]

My mom bought a M1 MacBook Air almost 2 years ago, and she still uses her 2011/2012 MacBook Air while the M1 Air collects dust. 🤷‍♂️

Why is that? Genuinely curious

 

[CraigJDuffy]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks. I see so many people with MacBooks from 2012 that have the light in the back with an out of day OS yet they are using an iPhone 14 or newer. I just don't understand why they don't at least upgrade to a M1 MacBook Air for $800. If they can afford a new iPhone they can afford to update there out of date, insecure laptop.

Easy answer. They bought the computer outright and have their phone on contract which renews with a new phone every couple of years. Also people are more sensitive to things like battery life on their phone.

 

[montuori]

If your issue is using Windows as an OS, you could just install a new operating system like Linux.

I can't bill clients for time spent configuring the OS. MacOS just works. I don't sweat the money spent on tools but time is unrecoverable.

 

[TokyoKiller]

Because Macs last longer in general and if there is no need to replace it why drop $1000 for something that's working for you?

 

[KeithBN]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks. I see so many people with MacBooks from 2012 that have the light in the back with an out of day OS yet they are using an iPhone 14 or newer. I just don't understand why they don't at least upgrade to a M1 MacBook Air for $800. If they can afford a new iPhone they can afford to update there out of date, insecure laptop.

Why do you care?
How does their choice of hardware affect you in any way?
Seems like a very snobbish and highly judgmental attitude to adopt over something which has zero impact on your life.

You’d positively hate it if you met me -

Mac Pro (2013)
iPad 5 (2017)
Apple Watch Series 5 (2019)
iPhone 13 Pro (2021)
Plus iPad 2 (2011) and iPad Air (2013) as backup devices for some applications.
My MacBook Pro (2013) I no longer use, but my other half uses it as their main machine.

I suppose you are going to condemn me for not having the latest and greatest but I don’t care - they all do what I need without holding me up, so why spend money on upgrading just because some random online thinks I should.

So again I ask - why does what others do bother you so much?

 

[Frazzles]

Opencore legacy patcher

 

[rehkram]

I walk the streets and see them in cafe's and the parks.

Really? You still walk the streets? Why aren't you riding the latest hot new electric bicycle?