How reliable is the MacBook Pro?

[CMoore515]

I have little doubt that the first MacBook Pro I ever purchased would still work (maybe not well though) today had it not met an unfortunate accident involving a Mountain Dew a few months out of AppleCare.... lol

It was a 2014 15" with 1 TB storage and 16GB RAM. I think it was the 2.8GHz i5...

Ever other MacBook I've had since then I've traded in to upgrade... From the 2018 Touch Bar MBP, to the M1 Air.

I've been happy with my current machine and have seen no reason to upgrade just yet.

 

[IG88]

Thanks.

I made a thread about excessive writes to the SSD on macOS: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-causes-excessive-writes-to-ssd-on-macos.2413969/

Basically, people said "extreme" writes to the SSD are normal on macOS. I've had my MacBook Pro powered on for 8 days straight now and looking at Activity Monitor I have done 114 GB of writes when all I have really been doing during this time is browsing the Internet with Safari.

Looking at the "Data received" in the Network tab of Activity Monitor, it says I have received almost 70 GB of data. Isn't that really high?

My "Time Since Boot" is a bit over 5 days.
Here are the biggest offending processes

 

[smirking]

Basically, people said "extreme" writes to the SSD are normal on macOS... Looking at the "Data received" in the Network tab of Activity Monitor, it says I have received almost 70 GB of data. Isn't that really high?

That's not even close to extreme. I logged close to 1 TB a day during one very intense stretch and even with that kind of insane level of writes, it still would have taken 2.5 years to reach the nominal lifespan number of the SSD.

Generally speaking, modern SSDs tend to last way beyond their lifespan rating. Very few people are ever even going to come close to hitting the stated lifespan rating of their SSD much less exhaust the actual endurance of the device.

 

[MagicBird]

I got my first Mac about a month ago (specs in sig). I've been told that if something goes wrong, the repair costs are much higher for these Macs vs. PCs. My question is, how long can I expect to keep this laptop without having issues/repairs if I take care of it properly? I've seen people still using 2012-2013 MacBooks so I guess there is hope?

This question is so random and broad, there is no answer.

My dad ran a 2010 MBP voor over 12 years until his bank really stopped accepting some out of date version of Safari as a client.

I have dropped more recent version and they have continued to work just fine.

Other may not be so lucky.

If you need one, buy one, stick with your choice and treat the equipment properly.

 

[bollman]

I would say it seems like the M-series 14" is a reliable enough computer but the data is so far only 3 years.
Apple have had its fair share of "road apples" that have been horrible reliable-wise.
Just take a look at Louis Rossmann on YouTube and you get a feeling for what usually fails.

 

[toobravetosave]

a very long time unless you suffer a freak malfunction

seriously dont worry about it

 

[OldCorpse]

It’s a crapshoot. I had a 2009 iMac until it was stolen in 2020 - had the HDD replaced a couple of times (famously faulty Seagate series), but otherwise perfect.

Bought a brand new M1 MBP December 2020, hardly used it for about a year, when finally got around to wanting to use it after a year, it developed a “possessed” keyboard - basically it would persistently and randomly insert the “1” numeral when typing and when not typing (f.ex. when streaming video), it would trigger it randomly with zero input from me. Took it in twice to Apple Store; they reinstalled the OS, didn’t help the issue, cleaned under the keyboard (was clean anyway, as was very lightly used), finally replaced the “1” key. Nothing helped. Since it wasn’t under warranty anymore (I didn’t buy AC+), they wanted $600 to replace the keyboard. I traded it back to them for $600 credit instead and bought a new M2 15” MBA 16/1instead last month, hope to have better luck this time (and I bought AC+ too, lol).

Opinions differ on reliability. Apple may be more reliable than some random PC brand, but look up Luis Rossman on yt, who ran a very highly regarded independent Apple repair business and he has a very dim view of Apple reliability and persistent unaddressed design flaws. Fanbois called him a hater, but he demonstrated with hardware indisputable severe flaws that Apple just keep ignoring for multiple years and generations of products.

It’s a crapshoot. I had great experiences (also an early white iBook that just wouldn’t quit!), but in the last few years also a streak of failures of every single Apple product I bought brand new - the MBP, the iPad Air 3 that developed an unresponsive screen and other unfixable issues, iPhone with bulging battery not once but three times. Now bought brand new iPhone, brand new MBA, brand new Mac Mini, brand new iPad 10, all just last month and this month. We’ll see if I have better luck this time. And I got AC+ for all of them just in case.

The most that I can offer is to wish you the best of luck with your MBP, and may you have smooth sailing and favorable winds. YMMV.

 

[anakin44011]

My neighbor is using the MacBook Pro from 2012 the 13" non retina model.
everything works great, Catalina is still worthy in 2023 and '24.

my MacBook Air 2010 11" is still functional, but is sitting in a box incase I need to use photoshopC4.

in 2019 I purchased a delll XPS 13" 3980? which was shipped back to the recycling center.
everything broke in 2021 (usb ports, bluetooth) except for the screen
and trying to get a replant battery from them was a nosebleed.
they finally accepted this piece of junk after many emails and curse words.

anyways Apple is jut better now since there is no butterfly keyboards or flaky film peeling from the screen.
and their customer support cares more than any other company I dealt with this year.

I hoped this helped!

Ha...I have the same 11" MacBook Air - for Final Cut Pro 7! Still works great!

 

[Agincourt]

Okay from what I've read and looked up, Apple tends to have a longer life span compared to other laptops. However it cannot be denied that Apple is moving towards non-repairability by mounting everything onto a single logic board. I had two lemons in the last decade and presently own a 2019 MacBook Pro 16 model that's reputable for overheating and/or failing SSD.

I've since only been using it for about three years and have grown increasingly concerned about how long it will endure. I used to think one could reasonably expect an Apple machine to last 10 years if taken care of, but my recent experience with a 2011 MBP 17 graphics failure and a 2008 which both only lasted ~five years... my faith in Apple products have significantly diminished.

I am seriously considering selling my MPB soon and use the money towards a refurbished M1 to keep ahead of the curve. Otherwise I'd much rather simply use my computers up until their point of failure, preferably ~8+ years later.

 

[Extrawdw]

Thanks.

I made a thread about excessive writes to the SSD on macOS: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/what-causes-excessive-writes-to-ssd-on-macos.2413969/

Basically, people said "extreme" writes to the SSD are normal on macOS. I've had my MacBook Pro powered on for 8 days straight now and looking at Activity Monitor I have done 114 GB of writes when all I have really been doing during this time is browsing the Internet with Safari.

View attachment 2329925

Looking at the "Data received" in the Network tab of Activity Monitor, it says I have received almost 70 GB of data. Isn't that really high?


View attachment 2329926

These only counts data r/w since your last boot. If the data written for 1 day does not exceed 500GB (for daily usage or idle of course) I don't think it's worth worrying, and since you have 18GB of RAM, that's really unlikely to happen.

 

[Fishrrman]

I've owned 3 MacBook Pros. 2010, 2015, and 2021.

All 3 needed repairs during the first year of ownership.
BUT... having said that, all three are still running.

Even the 2010 still runs if I need it. Battery is removed (swelled up a few years ago).
But, just for the heck of it, I tried booting it to internet recovery a couple of days ago -- took a while, but it worked!

 

[TechnoMonk]

I got my first Mac about a month ago (specs in sig). I've been told that if something goes wrong, the repair costs are much higher for these Macs vs. PCs. My question is, how long can I expect to keep this laptop without having issues/repairs if I take care of it properly? I've seen people still using 2012-2013 MacBooks so I guess there is hope?

I still have my MBA 2011, 2014, and M1 Max MBP. MBP has been very reliable for me. I have always bought AC+. I travel a lot, and once a crazy lady running late for her flight started throwing bins around at security check. Had a cracked screen and other damages. That one incident pretty much paid for most of the AC+ I paid for all my MBP.
No device is 100% fool proof, budget accordingly for the out of warranty period.

 

[JinxVi]

It's a double-edged sword. Apple Silicone and SSD chips run way cooler and more reliable than all previous technologies, but Retina displays are a little fragile, very expensive and not economically repairable.

 

[MBAir2010]

I've owned 3 MacBook Pros. 2010, 2015, and 2021.

All 3 needed repairs during the first year of ownership.
BUT... having said that, all three are still running.

Even the 2010 still runs if I need it. Battery is removed (swelled up a few years ago).
But, just for the heck of it, I tried booting it to internet recovery a couple of days ago -- took a while, but it worked!

Wow, what happened?

 

[Mactech20]

I have repaired macs for about 8 years now. Certified GSX tech for 2 years. That being said it really depends on the model. In all honesty, I wouldn't dare buy a new macbook pro without applecare+.

I got my 2021 16 M1 Max model in December 2021. In October 2023 the entire device shut down with no signs of life. Took it to apple, bad logic board. Repair would have been $850 if I didn't have applecare+.

Always have a time machine backup. After 2017 they removed the data recovery port on the logic board. Apple has no way to recover data from dead boards anymore other than through "third parties".

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I got my first Mac about a month ago (specs in sig). I've been told that if something goes wrong, the repair costs are much higher for these Macs vs. PCs. My question is, how long can I expect to keep this laptop without having issues/repairs if I take care of it properly? I've seen people still using 2012-2013 MacBooks so I guess there is hope?

Very, very reliable. Apps and OS constantly evolve to optimize running under more RAM over time. Although the Mac OS will make any amount of RAM "work," buyers that cheap out on RAM shorten the life cycle and the MBP does not run as smoothly overall. One gets what one pays for. <The reason I bring up RAM is because it directly impacts life cycle.>

My MBPs have lasted 6-7 years before aging out. The 2016 MBP still runs fine but the limitation of its 16 GB RAM (maximum available in 2016) impedes workflows using multiple apps. I replaced it with an M2 MBP with 96 GB RAM. I do recommend AppleCare as worth the cost, and then use it: do not hesitate to call Apple about every little issue or question you may have.

 

[christcc2]

If you take care of it, and have Applecare, you should expect 5-7 years at least easily. Your battery will probably need to be replaced but Applecare greatly reduces the cost of that. I have a 2019 MBP that is still going strong - only service item was a new battery. Had a 2011 MBA before that.

Many other Macs before that. I'm currently restoring my LCII that I found in my garage earlier this year that I forgot about for over 20 years.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I would say it seems like the M-series 14" is a reliable enough computer but the data is so far only 3 years.
Apple have had its fair share of "road apples" that have been horrible reliable-wise.
Just take a look at Louis Rossmann on YouTube and you get a feeling for what usually fails.

Nah. On YouTube you just get a feeling for what click-baits.

 

[blw777]

I actually have data on this, although at this point it's now dated. Years ago one big company X gobbled up another one Y. X had a "no-Apple" policy, because they cost more to acquire. OTOH, Y had a budgetary limit, and individual users could buy anything reasonable within that budget, so there were ~25,000 Macs (overwhelmingly laptops) in Y at the time that X took over. X continued its policy, but Y users collectively "would rather fight than switch" as the old commercial once said. Y users thus hung onto their Macs until the bitter end. It turned out that Y's MacBooks lasted, on average, slightly less than 8 years (7.7 is what I remember), which is a really long time in the IT industry. There were still over 20,000 Macs when I left X/Y over a decade ago, although by that time an interesting proportion were no longer company owned, even if company controlled.

My personal experience is similar. I had a 2010 MacBook Air until 2017, when it was lost to a terrible thunderstorm as I was using it to take photos of the eclipse (it was driving three cameras). It was starting to creak, I'd guess it would have lasted me another year. The MBP that replaced that MBA is still going strong, albeit with a lousy battery but otherwise fully functional. It was downgraded to a secondary application a couple of years ago by a M1 Max MBP, but it is still in daily use 6 years later. My wife's 2015 MBA is still her main computer; granted that she does most of her non-writing on an iPad, but the MBA is still in fine shape.

 

[Knightimer]

I still have my 2012 and 2015 MacBook Air. They run like a champ. It's not worth much on a trade-in or to sell, so I just kept them.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I've owned 3 MacBook Pros. 2010, 2015, and 2021.

All 3 needed repairs during the first year of ownership.
BUT... having said that, all three are still running.

Even the 2010 still runs if I need it. Battery is removed (swelled up a few years ago).
But, just for the heck of it, I tried booting it to internet recovery a couple of days ago -- took a while, but it worked!

Yup. My 2011 17" MBP has a dead battery but still fires up on mains power. Then the 2016 MBP runs totally fine, just RAM-limited. And now the 2023 M2 MBP with 96 GB RAM rocks. I do consider AppleCare to be good value for multiple different reasons.

 

[richardpage]

I'm not answering the question to avoid jinxing my MBP M2 96Gb 4Tb. I still run two 2011 and a 2012 MBP as long stops. Then I bought a Mac Mini for backup with max RAM. It sits on an expansion box which mimics the Mac Mini form and holds 6Tb of SSD.

 

[Knightimer]

For the most part, they are pretty solid.

 

[jamdex]

My 2016 model is still going strong gifted to family, this one i'm hoping to get 10 years out of.

Got an old 2012 model somewhere still occasionally used by my son

 

[dizmonk]

I've been using Macs for 20 years and never had a major problem. The only issue I ever had involved the arm of a 27" Imac. It wouldn't hold the screen upright (after like 5 years). Applecare had expired but they fixed it for free anyway. It was a 2013 I think, which I had for 6-7 years.