12-30-2007, 12:54 PM

whats the average life of a macbook? i herd its about 3 to 4 years..is that good? i dont know much about this..

what will most likely brake/fail or needs to be replace?

my macbook is about a month old now is buying apple care worth the money?

thanks

12-30-2007, 01:37 PM

Depends on how well you look after it and how you use it (take it in the road etc.) If you look after it there is no reason why it shouldn't last many many years. Most people keep their computer for 3-4 years then upgrade, even when they do upgrade it's not because the old computer is broken they just need a newer more capable machine. Wait till the last few months before extending the warranty since you can take out an extra warranty any time during the first 12 months.

12-30-2007, 01:50 PM

Usually a mac will last years and years, and the Apple OS typically supports machines that are 5 years old or more

The first thing to go will be the battery (replaceable) then the screen (unlikely)

12-30-2007, 03:17 PM

well im gussing it should last me 4 to 5 years i take god care of it..
also macbooks are still new..dose any one here have a old ibook that still runs fine and how old is it and any major work that need to be done?

12-30-2007, 05:56 PM

if your only doing email and surfing, computers have reached a time hardware wise where it will last a lifetime.

software on the other hand, im sure thatll be dragging in five years time

12-30-2007, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by ricecook

well im gussing it should last me 4 to 5 years i take god care of it..
also macbooks are still new..dose any one here have a old ibook that still runs fine and how old is it and any major work that need to be done?

I haven't got a mac book but a G4 desktop built in 2001, bought in 2003 and still going strong.

I also own an old mac se30 from 1989 that still works

12-30-2007, 06:29 PM

well i had a 2nd hand ibook g4 for about 6 months and then sold it and my friend had it for 2month before dropping it and the hard drive going swapped it out and its still going to day.

i had a macbook for 5moths split a lot of tea on it and it died so just ordered a pro hoping for a longer life on this one.

basically it comes down to how you treat them but most computers last a long time if looked after can last for ever its just do you want to be running some thing that much more that 5 years old.

12-30-2007, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by proxy

well i had a 2nd hand ibook g4 for about 6 months and then sold it and my friend had it for 2month before dropping it and the hard drive going swapped it out and its still going to day.

i had a macbook for 5moths split a lot of tea on it and it died so just ordered a pro hoping for a longer life on this one.

basically it comes down to how you treat them but most computers last a long time if looked after can last for ever its just do you want to be running some thing that much more that 5 years old.

i cant imagine PRO reacting to tea any better

01-02-2008, 07:56 AM

It should last for many years but like all electronic products it could break at any time so if this is a concern of yours it may be worth taking out extra cover.

All you can do is look after your mac and hope that the good build quality and workmanship see you through until your next upgrade.

11-28-2008, 02:08 PM

I had a mac mini that was used, worked great, sold it to a fellow MacForum user, which he passed it on again. that thing is 5+ years old.

I have a macbook 1st gen 1.83ghz, on my second hard drive, need a new battery, but other then that it works awesome. i hope i get atleast another 5years out of this one..

11-28-2008, 10:12 PM

it's like any other product, and apple has done like erery other company. Expected failure rates are studied and predicted, and the cost of replacing them is statistically calculated into the price. All they have done is add additional option to buy more warranty, which also has been statistically figured into the cost of the applecare. They sell as many as possible and that means the most reasonable price sensible to the company sales, with no expectation of losses in the cost of warranties. You are basically buying insurance. You will note, by the way, that they do not gamble past that year mark. Too hard for them to calculate or to keep parts for or service. Also, 3 years is a reasonable time for a manufacturer to hope you'd replace with a newer model.

11-28-2008, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by ricecook

well im gussing it should last me 4 to 5 years i take god care of it..
also macbooks are still new..dose any one here have a old ibook that still runs fine and how old is it and any major work that need to be done?

I have an iBook G4 1.2 and my wife has an iBook G4 933 both run great and are running Leopard. I have only upgraded them not becuase of a broken part, but because Leopard runs better with more memory. I did install a new hard drive in my 1.2 a 160GB!!! Anyhow, they both are great computers my 1.2 was introduced in Oct of 2005 and the 933 was about a year or half a year before that.

01-12-2011, 01:05 AM

i bought my macbook 3 1/2 years ago, bought the retailer's 2 year extended warranty, which ran out 6 months ago. i have had nothing but problems with my macbook, throughout the time i've used it (thank goodness i bought the extended warranty!). i am learning from Apple certified reps, that a macbook typically lasts about 5 years. i am now having new problems with my macbook, and am trying to decide if i should just buy a new laptop (instead of pouring more $$ into this "older" laptop) and if that new laptop should be a pc instead of a mac. my apple experience has not been a good one, and apple has not offered anything to soften this blow for me (i've talked to them twice this week, including to a senior supervisor). even though my current problem is likely related to my past problems (repaired under both apple and retailer warranties), it's just unfortunate they say - and their quote to fix the problem is $100.00 more than my local apple certified techie shop!

01-12-2011, 03:44 AM

As some have already said, there's several factors involved in answering this question.

By far the biggest one is how carefully and thoughtfully you handle it. Presuming it doesn't have any factor defects, a well-cared-for Mac should last longer than you need it to.

But given the enormous flux of hardware, software and the internet, most people feel the need for an updated computer after about three to four years, and most manufacturers don't really support machines older than five or six years, so that works out about right.

I still have an original iPhone -- bought first day of issue 3.5 years ago. Still works perfectly. I'm typing this to you on a 2007 Blackbook, about the same age. Still works as well or better than the day I got it (larger HD and more RAM, plus an up-to-date OS). My wife does most of her work on a 2006 Mac Mini. Again, working perfectly.

I'm very likely to upgrade to a 15" MacBook Pro pretty soon and perhaps an iPhone 5 whenever that comes out ... but not because I have to, just because I need to stay closer to the top of the technology curve in my work.

01-12-2011, 03:56 AM

My macbook is a few years old. Also have my ibook g4 1.33ghz original everything except i upgraded it to 1.5gigs ram and its still ticking 7 years later. Battery is at 879 cycles and still holds 4 hours charge. i'd say they outlast any pc laptop by far. my ibook has been thru **** and back and still keeps chuggin along. My macbookpro has also gone thru the grease and grime of my old mechanic job 2 years old now and still strong as an ox.

I'd recommend to anyone wanting a laptop that works great for years trouble free!