Hello, I'm thinking about getting my first mac. I have been staring at the refurb blackbook but am wondering how long I should expect it to last and what the resell value my be. I know macs have a better resell value than PC's but I'm just wondering cause I know a new macbook will come out and I will have to have it (thank's a lot apple). Anyways I hope this doesn't sound stupid, just curious. Thanks
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Blackbook... How Long Will It Last ?
- Thread starter ipodtouchy333
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^ That is a good sign. I know apple doesn't make crap so as long as it lasts longer than my PC I don't care
This is by no means an advertisement, but I'm currently selling my old Powerbook 12" which was originally $1700... After the auction ends, I'm hoping for approx $800, so if you compare the fact that a mac depreciates at that rate vs. just about any 4-5 yr old PC (which will fetch just under $100), that tells you something.
I think in general, you can expect to get at minimum 5 years out of an Apple computer without it even really slowing down. Heck, we still have our Performa 6300CD that we purchased back in 1995. My mother still uses it to type letters and handle her resume, etc.
I think anyone on here will probably agree that in terms of computers, Apple is one of the best "investments" you can buy based on residual value. After all, they were dubbed the BMW of the PC world back in the day, and I still truly believe they are (complete with a glitch or two every now and then, just like those cars LOL)
- Eric
I think in general, you can expect to get at minimum 5 years out of an Apple computer without it even really slowing down. Heck, we still have our Performa 6300CD that we purchased back in 1995. My mother still uses it to type letters and handle her resume, etc.
I think anyone on here will probably agree that in terms of computers, Apple is one of the best "investments" you can buy based on residual value. After all, they were dubbed the BMW of the PC world back in the day, and I still truly believe they are (complete with a glitch or two every now and then, just like those cars LOL)
- Eric
I usually pass down my old machines to friends and family, and I know of two TiBooks and a 12 inch PowerBook that are still rolling after more than a few years. I bought the first TiBook in 1999, I believe.
I also have my 233 Mhz G3 PowerBook (Wallstreet), and a blue iBook all working just fine.
My BlackBook is two years old, and still going strong. No worries.
Just treat them with a degree of care, and you'll be in good shape.
I also have my 233 Mhz G3 PowerBook (Wallstreet), and a blue iBook all working just fine.
My BlackBook is two years old, and still going strong. No worries.
Just treat them with a degree of care, and you'll be in good shape.
Ohhh! I absolutely loved the Wallstreet G3 PowerBook back in the day... always wanted one in fact. That, believe it or not, was the major deciding factor as to why I went with the BlackBook this time around. It just seemed a bit Retro-apple to me, and when I saw it, was instantly reminded of the black PowerBooks of yore...
A classic,
- Eric
The "life" of a MacBook is a vague thing, as for one person it could be a year, whereas for another it could be easily five to ten years. It really depends on the type of use--and abuse--it will get, and of course, your pocketbook.
For basic office-type needs, email, web, iLife-related stuff, and assuming it's treated with reasonable care, you could run it for several years with no complaint to the point where the OS and apps you want/need to run don't support your architecture. In that sense, resale value should be a non-issue.
If you tend to have a slightly higher-powered need, or the machine will withstand more physical abuse (as in it gets tossed in a backpack every day, you travel a lot, etc), two to three years at a minimum is still more than reasonable. Resale value should only be a minor consideration.
If you've got money to burn, you could just get the latest machine once a year for the hell of it, but there's really no good reason to justify that. Any residual resale value will still drop precipitously after each new model is released, so you'll still lose money in the long haul.
Remember, too, that in general, notebooks are not expected to have as long a lifespan as desktops because of the extra wear & tear.
For basic office-type needs, email, web, iLife-related stuff, and assuming it's treated with reasonable care, you could run it for several years with no complaint to the point where the OS and apps you want/need to run don't support your architecture. In that sense, resale value should be a non-issue.
If you tend to have a slightly higher-powered need, or the machine will withstand more physical abuse (as in it gets tossed in a backpack every day, you travel a lot, etc), two to three years at a minimum is still more than reasonable. Resale value should only be a minor consideration.
If you've got money to burn, you could just get the latest machine once a year for the hell of it, but there's really no good reason to justify that. Any residual resale value will still drop precipitously after each new model is released, so you'll still lose money in the long haul.
Remember, too, that in general, notebooks are not expected to have as long a lifespan as desktops because of the extra wear & tear.
Thanks for all the replies... I'm getting closer and closer to getting a blackbook everytime I read macrumors.
I've had my C2D white Macbook for about a year now. A lot of times I'm tempted to ditch it and go with the newest and greatest (I've done that w/ the past two/three computers I've owned) but just once I think I'm going to stick with this. It works fine for everything I need and I recently upgraded the HD to a 200gb 7200RPM and man, this thing is awesome now. Programs load a lot faster.
I think if you take care of it you'll easily get 3-4+ years out of it unless you want to resell to get the next best thing.
I think if you take care of it you'll easily get 3-4+ years out of it unless you want to resell to get the next best thing.
My 12" PowerBook from January 2003 still works great despite being over 5 years old now.
I'm sure the MacBook will last 5 years easily. Also, the first thing to die in most computers (especially laptops) is the hard drive, but in the MacBook it is super easy to replace, if the hard drive does die in 4 years, by that time, I'm sure terabyte SSDs cost next to nothing (OK, maybe not, be they will be a lot better than 64GB for $1000).
I'm sure the MacBook will last 5 years easily. Also, the first thing to die in most computers (especially laptops) is the hard drive, but in the MacBook it is super easy to replace, if the hard drive does die in 4 years, by that time, I'm sure terabyte SSDs cost next to nothing (OK, maybe not, be they will be a lot better than 64GB for $1000).
Go for it. If you take good care of it, it'll last you much longer than the 4 years your PC laptop has. Personally, I'm be too weak not to get the "newest and greatest" after a few years, but there are plenty of people here still using old iBooks and Powerbooks. I still see Powerbooks around my campus all the time.
One of my daughters is using a 12" 1.33GHz PowerBook G4 daily. It was purchased in 2004 and its running just fine - Leopard is purring like a kitten (and thanks to Apple/Sony's battery recall, its got two fairly fresh batteries).
My other daughter is using a 2 year old 2.0GHz Core Duo MacBook (the original model, high-end version). I was using this machine up until a month ago when I replaced it with a 2.2GHz black MacBook, and that's really only because my work will buy a laptop of my choice for me once every other year and it was time (and yes, I could have gotten a top-end 17" hires MacBook Pro... didn't want one).
My wife is using a two year old 2.16GHz Core Duo 15" MacBook Pro. Should last her easily another 2-3 years.
My other daughter is using a 2 year old 2.0GHz Core Duo MacBook (the original model, high-end version). I was using this machine up until a month ago when I replaced it with a 2.2GHz black MacBook, and that's really only because my work will buy a laptop of my choice for me once every other year and it was time (and yes, I could have gotten a top-end 17" hires MacBook Pro... didn't want one).
My wife is using a two year old 2.16GHz Core Duo 15" MacBook Pro. Should last her easily another 2-3 years.
Same here! I was so broke when I bought that machine, but I had to have it. Bought as many of the modules like the Zip and the floppy as I could, too. I love this machine to death.
And it's still rocking OS 9.
The BlackBook was my stab at returning to the glory of the Wallstreet, too.
We have a BlackBook bought at Regent Street on the day they were announced in 2006 and it is still a fast little workhorse. It's a CD 2.0 with 2GB of RAM. The new ones are much better so I wouldn't hesitate. It's a great notebook, albeit a little heavy.
If you buy one for "business" and take a Section 179 deduction, it basically cost you about 30% less depending on your tax bracket.
Also, I love the BMW comparison. Some of the best deals on BMW's are when folks bring them back at the end of a 3 year lease. Guess what? They're still freaking expensive! About half of the list price. And, with low miles over the new 3-5 years, you'll still get about 50% of what you paid for it when you sell it as a 6-7 year old vehicle.
Maybe Macs can do that? I dunno. BUt, I hope so.
Also, I love the BMW comparison. Some of the best deals on BMW's are when folks bring them back at the end of a 3 year lease. Guess what? They're still freaking expensive! About half of the list price. And, with low miles over the new 3-5 years, you'll still get about 50% of what you paid for it when you sell it as a 6-7 year old vehicle.
Maybe Macs can do that? I dunno. BUt, I hope so.
white ac cord bother anybody?
I know it's a tiny thing (and not really on topic) but does the white AC cord on the Blackbook bother anybody? Aesthetically, I mean.
I know it's a tiny thing (and not really on topic) but does the white AC cord on the Blackbook bother anybody? Aesthetically, I mean.
No more than the white USB cord with my black iPod. The white accessories are part of the Apple experience!
Yeah those things were gorgeous. And to reiterate what the above posters are saying, it should last forever. My mom is using a G3 iMac from 1998 or 1999 (holy crap, I can't believe that's almost a decade old) as her main computer, doing school work and eBay stuff. So your top of the line MacBook should be good about as long.