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Will I Outlive My iMAC?

S

StevieB

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 26, 2008
47
0
I suspect I will, but as a newbie to the forum (and also as a lifelong PC guy) ready to make the plunge/pull the trigger on a new IMAC 24" . . . I am curious as to the durability of the IMAC vs other desktops.

I realize that most people that post on this forum are early-adopters and will want to stay on the leading edge of technology . . . which means they probably won't be keeping their iMAC for even the full duration of the three years of Apple Care.

But then there are people like me . . . who probably will keep it for along time. In fact, it might be my last computer you never know!.

So . . is the iIMAC built to last?
 
Its consumer grade electronics & technology might pass you buy if you hold on to the old stuff too long (says the guy ((me)) that has a G3 thats going on 10 years old) :rolleyes:
 
I can't speak for the current generation, but I have a previous generation iMac that is two and a half years old. I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. I've had macs since 1987, and very few of them have ever broken down. I usually replace them when I absolutely must have the latest technology, not because they're actually worn out. I recently sold a Titanium Powerbook from 2001 that was still in excellent working condition.
 
If you are younger than 70 my guess is probably not. Three years on the other hand is likely. Apple would not offer applecare if macs tended to break before 3 years it would not be good business practice.
 
My G5 iMac is now three years old. I am rationalizing that it is easier to buy a new one than it is to carry it back from Thailand the next time I visit. The in-laws get a great computer and I have an excuse to upgrade.

If I had it in the US, I don't really think I could bring myself to upgrading, as it does what I ask of it. Last time I checked, you don't need the newest technology to watch movies, browse the net and perform light duty work. I bet that over 95% of people don't need to buy computers more often than 3-7 years. Only professional users and hard core gamers need(or should I say think they need or really really want), the latest and greatest.

I am looking forward to Snow Leopard. I think it will be a game changer in computing power.

Best of luck with your new computer. Sorry about the long rant, I just woke up and the caffeine is still soaking in.
 
The only problem with the iMac is that when the computer is old the screen is still probably fine, but you would have to upgrade the whole lot.

I think if the MacMini is updated and includes the new mini display port I would get that with the new apple display. That way you can update one and not the other in a few years time for much less cash.
 
My main home computer is a 2002 G4 17" Swivel arm iMac (800Mhz PPC processor). To be honest it is a tad slow and I'm itching to get a new iMac - however it is still absolutely fine for light work and I'm happy to hold onto it for a little longer until the iMac gets a substantial upgrade (hopefully Nehalem chips 3rd quarter of 2009?). However, I do use much more modern Macs at work which probably explains my patience in waiting for a new iMac.

7 / 8 years use for any computer is pretty darn good going and in my mind justifies the premium price you pay for a Mac.

spcdust
 
i have an imac g3 that was bought on the first day it came out, and it still is running great. i haven't upgraded it past jaguar but still, great
 
It will likely start to fail within about 5 years - notably the hard drive and the superdrive will probably go first since their mechanical. They can be easily replaced though (by yourself). A gamer is usually happy for about two years on macs, a 'pro' user is usually happy with their machine for about three years, your average consumer is usually happy for about five years and your get-every-penny-out-of-this-thing user can usually stretch it to ten years. I'd expect about 50% of computers to have at least something fail within five years though and probably about 80% within ten years.
 
Spanky Deluxe said:
It will likely start to fail within about 5 years - notably the hard drive and the superdrive will probably go first since their mechanical. They can be easily replaced though (by yourself). A gamer is usually happy for about two years on macs, a 'pro' user is usually happy with their machine for about three years, your average consumer is usually happy for about five years and your get-every-penny-out-of-this-thing user can usually stretch it to ten years. I'd expect about 50% of computers to have at least something fail within five years though and probably about 80% within ten years.
Click to expand...

I've never had a hard drive fail. Optical drives occasionally do fail but usually by then your computer is so old that you're not installing any new software on it anyways. Typically for me if something fails it's a mouse or a keyboard or some other external device like a printer.
 
ditzy said:
If you are younger than 70 my guess is probably not. Three years on the other hand is likely. Apple would not offer applecare if macs tended to break before 3 years it would not be good business practice.
Click to expand...

Given the price of Apple-care, it would probably still pay off for Apple, even if 25% of the hardware breaks down within the first 3 years and has to be replaced by a completely new device.
 
i know i'll be using my imac for at least 4 years from the date of purchase. it's logic board gone bad 3 times within a period of 2 months so i requested for a replacement. now my warranty is reset back to 1 year and i'm getting applecare for it.

my previous gateway lasted for 7 years. only the optical drive failed and power supply got struck by lightning once. replacement was cheap anyway. i'm hoping to squeeze at least 6 years from my imac. then maybe i'll custom build my own machine and install mac os:D
 
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