Why spend $2,500+ for only in 5 years of OS support?

[XboxEvolved]

Well considering it can be used for much longer. Also, a 2017 MBP will be in use to the very least, the end of 2023, so you are actually getting 6 years of use. In general, depending on the computer Apple seems to support them for 5-7 years with new OS updates, and another year or two of security updates. I think you'll be alright.

 

[rovostrov]

Celebrating 10 years with my Mid-2012! I just downloaded what might be the last security update it will receive. I'm planning to upgrade when this one bites the dust but I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will. it's been a great system! 😀

 

[G5isAlive]

My 2006 Acer laptop is closing to be 20 years old laptop, it still runs Linux just fine. It has 2GB DDR and 120GB original IDE hard drive.

We need company to support old platform much longer than 5 years or 10 years. A decade old laptop is still capable to do most of basic computer things. I am typing this on a 2011 MacBook Pro which I got for like 100 dollars and using Monterey Patcher.

I would say, Microsoft does good job support Windows for long period of time, thus Windows PC will have much longer software support than Mac would. The very fact that my old ThinkPad T430s with Intel Haswell Processor still receiving Windows 10 updates and will continue to be supported until 2025 is great. Where same period of Macs are stuck with Catalina with no hope for future software update is sad. You bet if Apple support Macs longer people will keep their Mac longer and thus less computer goes to landfill.

The fact that your 16 year old computer is up to some basic tasks is not the same as saying it is up to all modern tasks. How goes 4k video editing on it? of any sort? Heck does it run the latest version of Word? There will always be a push to new technology that allows us to do more than we can today. So these arguments on what people can do on their old computers is meaningless. Congrats to you, not for me. A lot has been made of resources, there is an intellectual and financial resource as well. As for software, I would rather Apple focus their efforts on bringing out new technology, not maintaining old.

And sorry, frankly I haven't heard of anyone getting rid of their old Macs over lack of software updates, unless they really just needed an excuse. Old Macs are still used. The land fills would not be saved by more security patches. And without new hardware, there is a limit on new feature updates.

 

[Aoligei]

The fact that your 16 year old computer is up to some basic tasks is not the same as saying it is up to all modern tasks. How goes 4k video editing on it? of any sort? Heck does it run the latest version of Word? There will always be a push to new technology that allows us to do more than we can today. So these arguments on what people can do on their old computers is meaningless. Congrats to you, not for me. A lot has been made of resources, there is an intellectual and financial resource as well. As for software, I would rather Apple focus their efforts on bringing out new technology, not maintaining old.

And sorry, frankly I haven't heard of anyone getting rid of their old Macs over lack of software updates, unless they really just needed an excuse. Old Macs are still used. The land fills would not be saved by more security patches. And without new hardware, there is a limit on new feature updates.

What is your point? Who is claiming old computer need to do 4K editing? And of course, you can run most updated Open Office or some short.

Who said keeping old computer updates equals not focus on bringing out new technology? Why does maintaining old and bring new technology has to be one and other?

If you like Apple not keeping maintaining old, then why don’t you advocate Apple abandon hardware one year after release? How about your iPhone 13 go outdated and no new software support when iPhone 14 release? Way to get new technology out of door isn’t?

And if you haven’t heard anyone getting rid of old Mac, doesn’t mean old pc or Mac do not go landfill. Landfill would saved if these old computer receive updates and be reused by someone else.

 

[The1Biz]

I learned my lesson after the 2005-2006 conversion to Intel. I got the last iBook (my first Mac!) that was PPC and saw how fast the transition was supposed to happen, and how it actually happened and how PPC languished once the white Intel Macbooks were around. Apple couldn't drop those fast enough with all the topcase chipping. I wouldn't doubt too the M1 will have a shorter support cycle than the future M series processors as it was the first. Apple seemed to have done this for the first of any generation product. It's like it is an expensive prototype. I bet like the whole Intel cycle, the M processor will go back to a longer support cycle as the transition is almost totally over (are there any Intel processors in the lineup?)

I do have a 2013 i3 Win machine that is on Windows 10. So it's supported to 2025, but it's honestly getting laggy even with just a browser despite an SSD and 16 GB RAM. So it probably will have 10+ years of life (I bought it for less than $300 new back then, so it was at the tail end of processor and machine series lifecycle anyway) but it is sucking at the end of its life. At almost 10 years it's really when I feel any computer gets old, unless it's for a parent and they only use it for very basic stuff. I'm going to put some type of Linux on it after Win 10 isn't supported. I only really use it sparingly and take it on vacation as I don't care what happens to it. I just basically need a browser.

As other people mentioned just because it's old too doesn't mean it's dead. My other half is still using a 2011 13" MacBook Pro and it fine with it, performance isn't horrible. If it works for your needs, just go with it.

I am glad I avoided the last decade of Intel machines anyway, they seemed like a mess. I went from a refurb 2008 15" Pro, to a mid 2012 13" Pro (there was no way I would buy that last generation of laptop keyboard, and it was the last machine you could upgrade yourself!).

 

[macsound1]

I just adopted an amazing new pup and was saddened when I went into the shelter to get her final shots done, only to see their office computer was a G5 iMac. But for them, it was just fine. They use a custom web portal for all their work and there was no slowdown whatsoever.

 

[hajime]

I would pay an extra price premium on top of what Apple already charges to have at least 10 year (but I dream of 15-25) year support or OS Upgrade paths.

It would be nice from this point forward in time, Where innovation and features are more regressive in their nature. Hardware is pretty mature, outside of architecture changes like Apple Silicon, we don't need to upgrade our hardware for most use cases anyway, Just developers (xcode, etc) and final cut/logic version upgrades force people onto the latest MacOS. I wish they didn't but that's just me.

I love my old Mid-2012 MacBook Pro Retina, Supported until 10.15 Catalina. (So 2020) thats 8 solid years of support! 10 if you consider recent security updates. And Promise has supported their Thunderbolt Pegasus storage device for 10 years as well. I think anything LESS than 10 years is wasteful at this premium market range, where products are expected to last an incredibly long amount of time. (And should.) For example, I would expect that a M2 MacBook Air would last 15 years at least hardware wise. But will software support it for that long? Maybe.

Can the batteries last that long?

 

[hajime]

I consider to buy a MacBook Pro 16" 2021 but it has been around for about a year. So 4 more years of support. If I wait for the upcoming M2 Pro or M2 Max MacBook Pro 16", I might get five years support. However, don’t know if they will be released this Fall or earlier next year. Hard to decide.

 

[unrigestered]

i have a question about ending support: do machines that don't get any more OS or point security releases at least still get further xprotect and MRT updates?