How long will it last?

[espi]

I've only just stopped using my 12 year old PowerMac G4 Graphite as my main machine - and that's not because it doesn't work any more: it works just as well as the day I got it - better, in fact, 'cos it's got an upgraded 1.4GHz processor in there. I've had to give up using it because it can't run Snow Leopard. Otherwise, it's still a fine machine.

 

[baggss]

Every Mac I've owned has been used for at least 5 years, only one of them actually died to the point that I HAD to replace it.

Mac Classic 2; ???-1996
Performa 6400; 1996-2001
PowerMac G4; 2001-2006
iBook G4; 2004-2010
PowerMac G5; 2006-2011 (MB died)
iMac i3; 2011-???

I got the Mac Classic 2 from an old job for $10 and it still works, I booted it about 2 months ago. It's sitting in storage. I gave the the Performa 6400 away to a thrift shop, the PowerMac G4 was gutted for parts and sent to my sister in law (the parts) and the body was given to a local Mac store for $20. Sold the iBook G4 to a buddy of mine who is still using it today and the PowerMac G5 is in parts in my garage since it needed a new board and wasn't worth the price to fix. I expect my iMac i3 to last me through 2015 unless I decide to go the MacPro route again (which I doubt at this point).

 

[vank66]

How long will it last

My Imac is going on 4yrs. Still runs like new. Van

 

[bigmanofds]

I know that, as a Mac user, I shouldn't say this but if your Windows PC is full of bloatware, spam, crap, blah blah blah .... who's fault is that?
I'm not a lover of Windows based computers but I have to have 3 of them running here to do my job. I'm based at home and all 3 machines are running XP Pro (SP3). 2 of them are Compaqs from about 2002 and the other is a netbook from around 2008.
Both Compaqs put in about 10 hours each day on the web doing various jobs and doing them almost as well as they did on Day 1.
How has this miracle come about? I hear you ask.
Simple. NOTHING gets downloaded and used without passing an up to date AV programme (I use the free version of Avast) + an Antimalwarebytes scan + a Superantispyware scan. And when I say "Nothing", I mean Nothing. Not even e-mails from family and friends because you never know where THEY got the info that they are sending that they think is perfectly safe to send.
Also, I have a prog that I run every 3 days on all of them.
This prog shuts down from the web and then fires up a new connection. It then connects to the Avast website and downloads the latest updates before doing a full scan of the computer. It then goes to the Antimalware website, downloads any updates and does a full scan of the system. Next is a defrag and then the computer shuts itself down.
Bloated? ..... No.
Full of malware, worms, trojans, viruses etc? ... No.
Working well even after 9 or 10 years? ..... Absolutely.

Like I said, I'm no great lover of Windows machines but I think it's more a case of not liking the way the software creators work rather than having a downer on the hardware.

With apologies for the rant.
Steve

Do you have to do all of that with a Mac? However on my Window’s PC, I have a paid AV program running twice a week. The program almost makes my system non-usable when running and I still get viruses. My computer is 4 years old and it has really been more of 4 years of maintaining it, as oppose to just using it. I will be happy with any computer if I can just take that part out of it. Also, I’m looking to have a desktop that can go about 4 years with the same original parts. I have replace so many parts on this machine that I possibly could have purchase another one.

 

[5tevie]

Do you have to do all of that with a Mac?

I don't HAVE to, but I do it to make sure that no virus passes from my Mac Mini (as in the sig below) to one of the Windows XP machines on the same home network.
I know and accept that it's overkill but it only takes a few seconds to run the scans on an e-mail attachment or something similar. As for the main 3 day scan, that's just a case of clicking on an icon and leaving it to do its thing. No need to wait for it to complete the jobs it does.
The problem is, and I mean no offence here, until you have lost a few years worth of work through a virus as I did about 8 years ago, you probably won't understand how anal some folk can get about AV stuff.

BTW, for your own peace of mind, try to find an independent review that says that a Paid For version of an AV programme is better than the Free version from the same company. That's for home use rather than business use.
What I mean by that is that in most cases, you won't find one which basically means that paying for AV is a waste of money.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[bigmanofds]

Do you have to do all of that with a Mac?

I don't HAVE to, but I do it to make sure that no virus passes from my Mac Mini (as in the sig below) to one of the Windows XP machines on the same home network.
I know and accept that it's overkill but it only takes a few seconds to run the scans on an e-mail attachment or something similar. As for the main 3 day scan, that's just a case of clicking on an icon and leaving it to do its thing. No need to wait for it to complete the jobs it does.
The problem is, and I mean no offence here, until you have lost a few years worth of work through a virus as I did about 8 years ago, you probably won't understand how anal some folk can get about AV stuff.

BTW, for your own peace of mind, try to find an independent review that says that a Paid For version of an AV programme is better than the Free version from the same company. That's for home use rather than business use.
What I mean by that is that in most cases, you won't find one which basically means that paying for AV is a waste of money.

Cheers,
Steve

No offense taken and I don’t want to come across as being offensive to you. By not owning a Mac, I am glad to converse with a Mac owner which will help me in my decision on which Mac to buy or not to buy a Mac at all. I have not lost data to viruses but I have had to deal with erratic and sub par performance and I had free and paid AV programs. So I am a believer that a paid program could be a waste. Most people here state that with a Mac as oppose to a PC there is a less likelihood of a virus, longevity, and less maintenance that are justifications for the cost. You seem to have a different opinion…or am I misunderstanding you?

 

[Printerman]

I used to own an eMac, which I bought new I used it nearly every day. I’ve since sold it to a friend, who has also been using it as a main computer. It is still running great.

 

[eliehass]

My dad has a Mac Pro (or the previous equivalent) with dual G5 processors. It's been running great for 9 years, no issues. It's still a fine machine, running OS 10.5

I have a MBP that has has been chugging along nicely for 4 years with a few issues, but all were covered under warranty, so it's still fine.

My wife has a 3 year old MacBook that hasn't had an issue yet.

All in all, I am more than impressed with the quality of apples products. I'm currently using an 8 month old iMac, and I'm hoping that it will last me for many more years!

 

[Young Spade]

I just sold a BlackBook from 07. Ran amazingly well. No problems, still got 4 hours of battery life. Of course, you can upgrade the internals to keep the machine running fresh (more RAM, new HDD) after a few years, however I would keep it on a TC or something to make sure no data is ever lost.