How often do you upgrade your Mac?

[oldmacs]

Till it no longer does what I need it to do.

Had a Mid 2012 MacBook Pro from 2012 to 2023 - in the end it was getting frustratingly slow. Moved to a MacBook Pro 14" M2 (32gb/4tb) which will hopefully (but I doubt it) last as long. I only was able to get 11 years out of the old machine as I could a) upgrade it and b) the amazing people at open core legacy patcher meant that even though Apple arbitrarily cut software support at Catalina, I've been able to run Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma.

 

[izzy0242mr]

M4

The M4 chip won't be a change like Intel > Apple Silicon. That's just like moving from a 2015 Intel chips to a 2016 Intel chip breaking your streak it would seem!

 

[Populus]

Around 8 years is normal for me but I tend to get the top end model. This round has been longer as I wait for more software to migrate to Apple Silicon before jumping in. Currently on a MacPro (Late 2013) but looking at a MacStudio in the next few months.

I guess you’re waiting for the M3 Max Studio… right?

 

[Bones13]

I am retiring at the end of this year. I will be upgrading my M1 Ultra Studio, when the M3s come out, will consider M1Max vs Ultra. Not sure the Ultra might be better in a MacPro. Depends somewhat on price. Last computer as business write off and all.

I will not be getting a new laptop. My MBP with M1Pro. I use this for work, and travel, but have found the iPad to be a great travel unit.

That being said, I will also upgrade the iPad this year, and get the keyboard probably. I am not a creative, and prefer a mouse with the iPad over the pencil.

Unless I win the lottery, further upgrades will occur only when required.

 

[krell100]

I guess you’re waiting for the M3 Max Studio… right?

Yep, although I may go for the Ultra depending on what exactly it brings over the max.

 

[snak-atak]

for a long time. I’ll probably keep my M1 Mac Studio until the M7 is released. It hasn’t given me any reason to upgrade yet, and I doubt it will until I retire. At the rate it’s going, this could be my last Mac for business use.

 

[haginile]

Here's my history:

- 2005: Powerbook G4
- 2006: MacBook Pro 15 inch, Intel Core Duo
- 2007: MacBook Pro 15 inch, Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2009: MacBook Pro 13 inch
- 2012: MacBook Pro 15 inch with Retina
- 2016: MacBook Pro 15 inch with Touch Bar (still in use)
- 2019: MacBook Pro 16 inch
- 2020: Mac Mini M1 (still in use)
- 2021: MacBook Pro 16 inch M1 Max
- 2023: MacBook Air M2 (still in use)
- 2024: MacBook Pro 16 inch M3 Max (still in use)

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

Usually between 2-3 years but it depends on how meaningful the upgrade is.

 

[hanser]

2012 Mac mini
2021 iMac M1. I hope and expect it will also last for 9 years or more.

 

[mauAtzori]

M4

I want to, but I see no compelling feature, now.
I replaced the battery myself so it doesn’t die after 30’.
I would like my next Mac to comfortably run GPT models *locally*, so I can train the model on my own files, get good performance, and preserve privacy.

My Mac from 9yrs ago has 16GB of RAM… I’d also like to double that without selling a kidney 🥲
The amount of unified memory will very likely be changing local LLM performance a lot (there are some folks getting great results already with Apple MLX, but they have beast machines with 96GB or more).

I see it likely to switch from my MBP to a MBA with those specs.
The new Pros are not for me - I value more the saving in weight than any of their features.

 

[throAU]

One of the reasons I generally do 3-4 ish years is for tax claims.

I can depreciate a computer over 3 years as a tax deduction - if I'm not doing this I'm basically paying more tax than I need to, and not making use of getting upgraded hardware essentially "cheaper" (i.e., I can claim the taxes back).

It doesn't mean the machine(s) get junked or sold though, the GF gets the 3-4 year old hardware as its massively overpowered for what she uses a machine for anyway. By the time I upgrade again her machine is typically 6+ years old and when it becomes a tertiary/spare machine in car something breaks.

 

[jchap]

I am retiring at the end of this year.
<snip>
Unless I win the lottery, further upgrades will occur only when required.

Yes, I think retirement and no longer having a steady stream of "disposable income" to spend on devices can certainly curb one's appetite for upgrading to new machines... I can see that happening to me in the not-so-distant future...

 

[jchap]

Reading this thread makes me realize that I've been upgrading a bit too much, and quite a bit too soon. 😫

I can barely even count all the Macs I've owned over the years. From my first Mac computer (an Intel Mac mini, which helped get me through four years of graphics design study) to various Mac laptops (Airs, Pros, and even a Unibody aluminum MacBook to replace an old white plastic MacBook) too numerous to count for work and for play. Some secondhand, some refurb, some new... I've never owned a PowerPC Mac, though (although my first Apple experience was on an Apple II, or "Apple ][" as we used to write it).

Probably my upgrade cycle has been anywhere from 1–4 years. With the Apple silicon models and the growing global problem of e-waste, it's about time to change my buying habits and extend that cycle by at least another few years.

It doesn't help that I check MacRumors every day, eagerly waiting to see what new things Apple has up their collective sleeves...

My mother faithfully used her white MacBook for eleven years, with the only changes being an SSD upgrade four years ago and a new power brick a few years ago as well.

 

[HouseLannister]

Whenever my wife doesn't realize the money has been moved out of checking.

 

[padams35]

It used to be a painful struggle to try and make mine last 5-6 years, but this last round I hit 7-years with a 2015 before deciding I could go ahead and treat myself to a new MBP.

Here is too hoping 7-years is a new normal.

 

[Foxglove9]

1997 - Power Mac 7600
2000 - Sawtooth Power Mac G4
2004 - 1.8Ghz Power Mac G5 (bought used)
2006 - Core 2 Duo 13” MacBook
2010 - 2009 iMac 27”
2017 - 2017 iMac 27”

Was looking to upgrade since 2022 but they haven’t released a 27” iMac, so I’m waiting for a Mac Mini/Studio M3 release.

 

[TVreporter]

I have used Macs at work for years but never had my own until 2011 with the 27 inch iMac.

Graphics card died and then I got a 2019 model that still works great.

Itching to jump to M series but I’m one who likes to run things to the ground.

Unless I pass the 2019 off to my kids and convince my wife I need a new desktop or MBA/Pro!

 

[nkgmd]

I've found my needs changing rapidly due to work and I've been upgrading nearly every one to two years. I've switched from desktop to laptop, laptop to iPad, pro to Air, light to heavy, large to small, used to have a home desktop and laptop for travel, now just using laptop. Depends on how my needs change. Not giving tax advice here but under the right circumstances they can be tax deductible which saves quite a bit, and I have found that the resale value for a used Mac is at it's peak right before a new generation comes out, usually retains 50% value by about a year depending on the platform. So I save a bunch up front by writing it off, then get half back a year later, which more than justifies keeping up to date with the latest offerings. I do the same with my iPhone, upgrade every year. (iPad much less frequently because I just don't use it as much.) It's like leasing a car basically. That said, I don't go heli-skiing or scuba diving around the world, and don't have a boat, second home or golf membership, so I save lots of money there...

 

[Timpetus]

Generally, I upgrade my Mac laptop every 8-10 years. This makes the cost about $250-300 per year of use, which is plenty of value.

 

[bradman83]

You should upgrade when your machine when it:

• Stops doing what you need it to do / Can't do additional things you now need it to do OR
• Is damaged or breaks and repair is not possible or not worth it OR
• Stops receiving critical security updates

Macs were never meant to be upgraded as frequently as iPhones/iPads. My average Mac lifespan has been 5 years before I upgraded and usually that was because there was something physically wrong with it.

My own personal Mac history (not counting family owned computers prior):

• 2001-2006 - PowerBook G3 ("Pismo")
• 2006-2010 - MacBook (White Polycarbonate)
• 2010-2016 - MacBook Pro 15" (mid-2010)
• 2016-2021 - MacBook Pro 13"
• 2021-Present - MacBook Pro 14"

 

[boss.king]

My last one I had for 5 years. I hope to keep my M2 Air longer than that. Before that I kept all my computers (Windows laptops, self-built desktops, etc) for roughly 4-5 years each, or until they died.

I don't think there's any tech I own that I expect to replace within less than 5 years outside of theft or hardware failure.

 

[dmccloud]

I upgraded from a 13" M1 MBP with 8GB RAM to a 14" M2 Max MBP with 32gb RAM because I had started to run up against the RAM limit of the M1 machine when editing 4K+ videos and even some graphic design work. Even given the quick turnaround between my M1 and M2 systems, I plan to keep the current MBP for as long as it still handles everything I throw at it.

 

[Lloigorr]

As long as I think it makes sense:

1. 2007 white MacBook that I still have and thanks to Chromium Legacy is still somewhat usable - was my daily until 2014 when it fell out of support

2. 2014 MacBook Pro retina, that was amazing until I sold it for a…

3. 2020 MB Air M1, that was even more Amazing, but only had 512MB storage, so I sold it

4. 2021 M1 Pro 14“ that should last until 2028-2030 *fingers crossed

 

[christiann]

iBook G4
Late 2008 MacBook
MacBook Pro 2016
MacBook Air 2020
Now I’m back to a PC lol

 

[Pinterra]

i went from 2012 macbook air to the 16m1pro

probably won’t get another mac for a very long time

Similar path, but I had a 2012 Pro and now have an 14 M1 Pro. I updated the HDD to a SSD at one point. Can’t do my own upgrades now, but would love to get 7 or 8 years out of this thing.