How long are you keeping your machines for?

[Duncan-UK]

I have an occasional use for a laptop - I have a MBP that I bought in December 2013. Still works very well and no need to upgrade it. It's lovely to see the new models but I just don't need them.

My main machine is a 2018 Mac mini. I upgraded the memory to 64gb and, again, it does everything I need. Might get a studio when the M5 Max comes out...

 

[Zaydax333]

Prior:
2012 13 inch MBP
2015 13 inch rMBP

Current: Base 14 inch M1 Pro

Well... My M1 Pro 14 machine in low power mode still runs >2x fast as previous 2015 Model soooo... probably not upgrading for a few years at least.

Though that space black model is REALLY tempting. I will likely reassess after M4 comes out.

Also waiting to see how the support for gaming seems to take hold over these next couple years, would be nice to do some gaming on the go.

 

[ratspg]

Laptop 16 inch MBP M1Pro I keep for 3-4 years.
Mac Studio M2 Ultra I'll keep for 5-6 years.
Probably will be updating around M5 releases.

 

[Isamilis]

Until I have compatibility issues with my critical (must-have) apps (usually this took around 5 years), or something very bad happened (drop, water spill, lost etc).

 

[LevorgPenmancho]

I’m still running my 2013 MacBook Air 11 inch. I configured it with 8GB RAM, which turned out to be a genius move. I’ll probably upgrade when they make a Mac that size again. But I’m guessing there’ll be an 11 inch iPhone before that happens.

 

[Isamilis]

I’m still running my 2013 MacBook Air 11 inch. I configured it with 8GB RAM, which turned out to be a genius move. I’ll probably upgrade when they make a Mac that size again. But I’m guessing there’ll be an 11 inch iPhone before that happens.

Not related to the topic. But it looks like, Apple made iPad Air / Pro 11” with Magic Keyboard to substitute MBA 11”.

 

[Jentera]

I have a 2019 iMac 3.6 i9 and a 2016 Macbook Pro 2.9 i7. I use the iMac for work (video editor remoting into a PC) and I don't use the MBP for much other than portability. I hope Apple makes another 27" or more iMac in the next couple of years...

 

[Apple_Robert]

It could be a year or longer. It all depends on new technology and whether or not I want / need the newer tech.

 

[Tuck_]

My 2015 Macbook Pro is nearly 9 years old. I'd like my next computer to last about the same amount of time, about a decade.

 

[one more]

I still use my 2015 MBP, no complaints whatsoever, even though it cannot run any macOS post Monterey.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Honestly, I have no idea.
Until the current M2 MacBook Air I have starts feeling slow and sluggish and might be close to losing operating system updates.
Alternatively, when Apple gives a MacBook Air a touchscreen, and/or the iPad’s operating system gets an absolutely major macOSification.

 

[ignatius345]

I upgraded my MacBook Air and iMac in pretty quick succession to the M1 models, in 2021. It was a GIGANTIC leap forward.

The iMac, I got the top tier machine with 1TB SSD. It's doing just fine, and handling lots of graphic design work and general mult-tasking quite smoothly. The Air, I lowballed it and got the base model because I anticipated some very non-demanding usage -- which then grew into more demanding usage. So now I'm running into storage issues and looking to update, but ONLY because I under-spec'ed when I bought it. I'm mad at past-me, because I could have spent about $200 at that time to bump up the storage, and now I'm looking at spending a bunch more money to rectify the issue.

Anyway, short answer to that question is ideally I think 3-4 years would be a good interval, and you can keep going comfortably for longer if you spend a little extra on RAM and storage so the machine has the resources it needs to stay useful.

 

[Telekinetic]

It seems I have a 5 year upgrade cycle for laptops.

In 2013 I bought the late 2013 Macbook Pro with 8/256. It was my first Mac and I loved it, changed how I did computing. Brushed up against the 8GB RAM a fair bit especially if I used VMs, and keeping my storage in 256GB was a chore, but that thing worked very well and still runs.

In 2018 I bought a HP Spectre with 16/512. Amazing laptop, it has a 13" 4K screen which is rarely matched in PPI by any laptop to this day, but it has been plagued with issues with the thermals and fan noise since the beginning, and the plastic build is coming apart. I did research MacBooks at the time but the specs would have been much worse at the price I got the HP for.

In 2023 I am finally buying again... I want Apple build quality and Apple Silicon thermals so a MacBook is the obvious choice. In the end I have gone for an M3/24/512 MacBook Pro.

 

[iAppleOrchard]

I used to upgrade my Windows laptops every 2 years because they wouldn't last that long. My M1 Air broke the record, and it is only just getting upgraded.

 

[KenkoPa]

With Apple silicone now available for three years, is it a feasible option to upgrade yearly or maybe every other year? The specs and design upgrades are minimal, so how long do you plan to stick with your current devices before considering an upgrade?

I'm not a software dev or high-end gamer.

Last dSLR I bought was a 2015 EOS 5Ds R.

So I'd likely continue replacing every decade to the new model after the final macOS Security Update is released.

This would make me part of the ~9 of 10 Mac user with a 0-10yo Mac.

 

[blw777]

I run mine longer than most. I specifically plan not to upgrade for ~5 years. Inevitably, in that amount of time, something arrives that makes a compelling difference to me. The last time was the extensive use of GPUs in my image processing work (I'm a pro photographer). My late-2015 iMac i7/64GB had a weak GPU, which was fine in 2015. But now some of the software needed better. As a result, I have a 2021 14" M1 Max 64GB, which dropped some processing times by about 50x (fifty times, from a couple of minutes per image to a few seconds per image). The M1 Max won't be replaced for a minimum of three more years.

In the meantime, the 2015 iMac has gone downstairs to replace late 2008 Mini running Ubuntu to control my model railroad. The old Mini is teetering on the edge of hardware failure (the fan is starting to make bad noises), so I guess it'll be retired. That's 15 years of use. I expect that the 2015 will run in this application for quite a while; it is massively overpowered for what it's doing, considering that even the old Mini wasn't really sweating. If I run out of security updates on the 2015, it will be moved to Ubuntu also.

The machine that preceded the 2015 was a 2010 iMac i7/24GB, and it too is still going strong. Today it has relaxed duty as a multimedia machine for the home theatre (alongside the Apple TV, a physical BluRay player and - gasp - a turntable), also running Ubuntu. If it fails, which is always possible after 13+ years, it will be replaced by the 2017 i7/16GB MBP, which is still running MacOS.

 

[arkitect]

At least 5 years… and then only if something is seriously wrong or unable to run the latest OS that has a feature I really *need*.

I do however always buy a new machine with near to maxed out RAM… budget allowing of course.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

With Apple silicone now available for three years, is it a feasible option to upgrade yearly or maybe every other year? The specs and design upgrades are minimal, so how long do you plan to stick with your current devices before considering an upgrade?

I do not plan on a specific life cycle, but I try to buy up to allow a longer life cycle. Net result has been ~6 year life cycles with modern MBPs (since 2011).

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I got news for you. No job requires you to have the bleeding edge, if the thing you are replacing was bleeding edge a year or two ago. It’s just as you said being “properly mental”, which I guess is a fun way of saying “hyper-consumerism”.

No, I have news for you, who obviously has not lived it:
Personally I am not doing this today, but 10-20 years ago many days I was building ads in Adobe apps all day long, and at that time the bleeding edge of Mac tech was hella worth it, allowing much improved productivity. Not “properly mental” or “hyper-consumerism”.

Today even for those not needing maximum performance the bleeding edge you disdain gives better performance to anyone along with a longer life cycle.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

My 2015 Macbook Pro is nearly 9 years old. I'd like my next computer to last about the same amount of time, about a decade.

Buy max available RAM if you want to achieve that.

 

[xRem]

I like upgrading. I typically run my devices for 2 years, sometimes 3 years - but depending on product type I might go a bit quicker, it's really up to whatever is on the market and if I feel like I can get a noticeable and fun upgrade (or sometimes if I have to correct a "bad" purchase). I am upgrading from my M1 Max MBP to a M3 Max MBP, so about 2 years for that type of device and I guess my M3 Max MBP is also going to last me two years. Maybe longer - maybe shorter. Depending on what M4, M5 offer and if the MBP itself receives any new notable upgrades.

 

[zorinlynx]

It's weird how it feels like M1 Macs just came out yesterday and people are already upgrading them.

My M1 Pro 14" Macbook Pro is work-issued so I'll use it until they buy me another, but if it were mine I'd use it as long as I physically can. It still feels fast as hell and they're not cheap!

 

[F23]

I go by big hardware refreshes. Currently have an M1 Max but once OLED, FaceID etc some substantial redesign comes I will be tempted to upgrade

 

[rick3000]

I'm going from a top spec mid-2014 Retina MBP to an MBP M3 Pro this month, so about 9.5 years. Honestly, I've only become unhappy with my current Intel MBP in the last year. I would have upgraded when M1 came out, but I try to avoid first generations and I needed to wait for certain apps to make the jump from Intel.

I expect a MacBook Pro to last at least 5 years.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I like upgrading. I typically run my devices for 2 years, sometimes 3 years - but depending on product type I might go a bit quicker, it's really up to whatever is on the market and if I feel like I can get a noticeable and fun upgrade (or sometimes if I have to correct a "bad" purchase). I am upgrading from my M1 Max MBP to a M3 Max MBP, so about 2 years for that type of device and I guess my M3 Max MBP is also going to last me two years. Maybe longer - maybe shorter. Depending on what M4, M5 offer and if the MBP itself receives any new notable upgrades.

Not my particular style, but short life cycles like 2 years can certainly make sense, because one does not need to be trying to guess what OS/apps will like 5 years in the future.