How many laptops do you go through every 4 years?

[radioman]

I've had the same laptop for over 5 years...use it daily, stays on most of the day...had the hard drive replaced once...still working great...

I've had a Toshiba laptop for 9+ years.
Weirdly, the hard-drive had to be replaced after only 1 year.
But since then, it has worked great for my purposes.
Actually, the laptop just sits on my desk/table most of the time.
It's like a mini-desktop I suppose.

 

[The Stars Tremble]

That's a weird thing to say. Older computers (and three years is not that old) can be perfectly serviceable for lots of functions - word processing, web browsing/email, spreadsheets. You only need the latest and greatest if you're doing something super processor intensive such as photo rendering, CAD, some gaming.

True, macs tend to be better built and last longer than PC laptops. So the reason that the resale value of old Mac equipment is not the "only apple people consider an old computer to be worth money" but because that older computer can still do a bunch of stuff as well as a new computer.

Macs are not better built. They don't last longer.

Mac purchasers are put off by the inflated new price, and because they're Mac cultists they refuse to buy a higher spec PC at the same price and instead they settle for a second hand (old) Mac.

And a "bunch of stuff" is always better on a new computer. Why should you wait 2 seconds for a word count on the document you're writing, when you could have it in 1 second?

It all comes down to cult beliefs that Macs are better in every way. You're settling for second best at the same price, or for equal performance at a higher price, because you're a member of a cult.


By the way, I was quite happy with the iMac I used until its hard disk died. I also got some use out of a Mac laptop. But I DIDN'T BUY EITHER OF THEM. They were gifts from my sister who is a Mac cultist. She was inducted into Mac at art college, back in the day that Photoshop was the only graphic editing program and APPLE PAID ADOBE MONEY to lame the PC edition. And now she's rich, price signals mean nothing to her. She would have sucked my elderly mother into her Mac cult, except that her elderly partner is a PC guy and he provides her technical support.

Mac is a cult. The whole ethos of "we know what you want to do" aka minimizing options, is pure cult.

 

[The Stars Tremble]

I've had a Toshiba laptop for 9+ years.
Weirdly, the hard-drive had to be replaced after only 1 year.
But since then, it has worked great for my purposes.
Actually, the laptop just sits on my desk/table most of the time.
It's like a mini-desktop I suppose.

You can make a full backup while also improving performance, by pulling that old HD and putting an SSD in.

 

[feratu]

Still very happy with the PC I've got. Number 2 (a "Core2" rig) would still be adequate, but I enjoy the luxury of 32 Gigs of RAM and still having four empty slots if I want more.

Me too. I should add that I refuse to pay more than $150 for each component. So I buy brand new parts that have been out for a year or two. Now that installing Windows is a piece of cake, I really enjoy building my own machine.

 

[JasperL]

That's a weird thing to say. Older computers (and three years is not that old) can be perfectly serviceable for lots of functions - word processing, web browsing/email, spreadsheets. You only need the latest and greatest if you're doing something super processor intensive such as photo rendering, CAD, some gaming.

True, macs tend to be better built and last longer than PC laptops. So the reason that the resale value of old Mac equipment is not the "only apple people consider an old computer to be worth money" but because that older computer can still do a bunch of stuff as well as a new computer.

That's me, basically. None of my job stuff requires a modern laptop, and I'm not a gamer. It's Word, Excel, and tax programs, and the tax software is a very low demand application. I do use the laptop for Lightroom photo editing, which is why I upgraded my old Macbook in 2021. Just got a little slow. But if I didn't process photos, the old machine would still be fine. All it really needed was a new battery. This one gets me several hours, but the old one ran down off power in 90 minutes or so. I couldn't take it to a client or meeting and reliably have it last without finding an outlet...

 

[feratu]

In the office, I can usually hear one of my team when they are constructing a new training 3D scenario for upcoming exams. Some software is just badly coded - Firestudio for one is basically Powerpoint with particles but that kicks the fans up to full volume within seconds of starting.

Thats also why I prefer a desktop as I can optimize case ventilation and uprgade the fans myself if needed.

 

[BabaVoss]

I was doing some research and I found out I go thru 2 different laptops every two years with each one costing me about 2,500usd. Man, I just had to buy another laptop today for that amount after, the one that I am using, has only lasted me for 3 years.

How many laptops do you go thru?

I buy a new MacBook Pro every 5-7 years.

 

[Daisy]

I have anger issues and am fairly careless too. So not a good combo.

lol...my momma always told me "take care of your stuff and your stuff'll take care of you"...

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Though PC's often come in aluminium cases now, I love the phrase "Big Iron"
Back when I ran a gaming PC I was bothered by how loud it was. So I broke out a brick in the wall and put the PC in the next room.

I actually did that for a number of years but not just because of the PC...it was still the era of analog videotape and the EDIT bay was really a production bay WITH editing.
And we had a MACHINE ROOM that housed all the machines, PC's and videotape decks alike. Anything and everything that had fans, motors, gears, capstans, all shared the room together with air conditioning.
So everything like that sat in the room on the other side of all those TV monitors.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Macs are not better built. They don't last longer.
Mac purchasers are put off by the inflated new price, and because they're Mac cultists they refuse to buy a higher spec PC at the same price and instead they settle for a second hand (old) Mac.
And a "bunch of stuff" is always better on a new computer. Why should you wait 2 seconds for a word count on the document you're writing, when you could have it in 1 second?
It all comes down to cult beliefs that Macs are better in every way. You're settling for second best at the same price, or for equal performance at a higher price, because you're a member of a cult.

By the way, I was quite happy with the iMac I used until its hard disk died. I also got some use out of a Mac laptop. But I DIDN'T BUY EITHER OF THEM. They were gifts from my sister who is a Mac cultist. She was inducted into Mac at art college, back in the day that Photoshop was the only graphic editing program and APPLE PAID ADOBE MONEY to lame the PC edition. And now she's rich, price signals mean nothing to her. She would have sucked my elderly mother into her Mac cult, except that her elderly partner is a PC guy and he provides her technical support.

Mac is a cult. The whole ethos of "we know what you want to do" aka minimizing options, is pure cult.

Used to be that Apple did make better quality hardware but it boils down to Apple behaving like the old Ma Bell telephone company, you do it their way only.
There are advantages to that kind of method, guaranteed uniformity across everything is a valuable asset.

But by and large most Mac users I encounter know next to nothing about their gear or how it works.
And that's fine if it's a walled garden environment but all other systems do not operate that way, certainly not the PC world.

If you sell a car that has the hood locked down with proprietary fasteners you don't expect the owners to be mechanically inclined.
Mac is fine and dandy but it's just never been my world, I like to tinker or at the least, pay someone who can tinker well.

I cannot say with any authority if the quality of Apple has declined but I've noticed that the quality of Mercedes cars is in the crapper now.
So it wouldn't surprise me if Cupertino is cutting corners too.

 

[LostInSeattle]

Macs are not better built. They don't last longer.

Mac purchasers are put off by the inflated new price, and because they're Mac cultists they refuse to buy a higher spec PC at the same price and instead they settle for a second hand (old) Mac.

And a "bunch of stuff" is always better on a new computer. Why should you wait 2 seconds for a word count on the document you're writing, when you could have it in 1 second?

It all comes down to cult beliefs that Macs are better in every way. You're settling for second best at the same price, or for equal performance at a higher price, because you're a member of a cult.

By the way, I was quite happy with the iMac I used until its hard disk died. I also got some use out of a Mac laptop. But I DIDN'T BUY EITHER OF THEM. They were gifts from my sister who is a Mac cultist. She was inducted into Mac at art college, back in the day that Photoshop was the only graphic editing program and APPLE PAID ADOBE MONEY to lame the PC edition. And now she's rich, price signals mean nothing to her. She would have sucked my elderly mother into her Mac cult, except that her elderly partner is a PC guy and he provides her technical support.

Mac is a cult. The whole ethos of "we know what you want to do" aka minimizing options, is pure cult.

You come across like you have a big chip on your shoulder regarding Macs. I'm sorry for you.

You accuse me of being a "mac cultist". That's (again) weird and wrong. "Cultist" connotes someone who is dogmatic, unable to process or accept new and contradictory information, and who is unwilling to change their outlook. I am none of those things, and I don't think that anything I have posted merits that moniker.

I have used Macs and PCs my entire life; macs usually at home, PCs at work. I like Windows better for certain things - Excel in particular - because I am keyboard shortcut fanatic. But I appreciate the mac ecosystem for photos, music and family account organization. Not saying it's better than whatever Windows offers, just that I like and am used to it.

Regarding reliability, I am speaking from personal experience and do not have other data to support that. It doesn't appear that you have data either, though you seem perfectly happy to claim to know what motivates other people. I have had things go wrong with Macs but as I always purchase AppleCare, those issues have never been more than a minor inconvenience.

If you are someone who likes to build their own machines, which is very cool, Mac is definitely not how you're going to roll.

As far as value, here's a video comparing the macbook Pro M2 with a comparably priced Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.

This video runs a lot of tests, most of which the Mac performs better on. Blender is one exception. The mac also is quieter, runs cooler, and uses less energy. The integrated M chip architecture is a game changer. There is no evidence that the Mac is overpriced, or that your statement, "settling for second best at the same price, or for equal performance at a higher price" is justified.

 

[The Stars Tremble]

Me too. I should add that I refuse to pay more than $150 for each component. So I buy brand new parts that have been out for a year or two. Now that installing Windows is a piece of cake, I really enjoy building my own machine.

Even though it's really simple and there are online guides to make sure all the parts work together, it's still a feeling of empowerment and ownership to build your own rig.

And if your graphics card goes tits up, you don't need to take a dozen different length screws out to replace it. In fact, you can usually replace it right away with a card from your old rig. Or even run graphics from the CPU using the socket on the motherboard.

Graphics is a common point of failure. On a laptop it looks like death. Throwem way.

 

[BabaVoss]

Macs are not better built. They don't last longer.

I've had the opposite experience. I've been in tech roles for many years. But, I bought my own MBP but had a company supplied PC - which was purchased with a 3 year cycle in mind. My last job I was able to choose a MacBook Pro, configured the way I wanted. Now retired, and I bought another just like it for personal use. No regrets.

 

[The Stars Tremble]

You come across like you have a big chip on your shoulder regarding Macs. I'm sorry for you.

Not really. Did you miss where I said I have used Macs and been satisfied with them?

You accuse me of being a "mac cultist". That's (again) weird and wrong. "Cultist" connotes someone who is dogmatic, unable to process or accept new and contradictory information, and who is unwilling to change their outlook. I am none of those things, and I don't think that anything I have posted merits that moniker.

I have used Macs and PCs my entire life; macs usually at home, PCs at work. I like Windows better for certain things - Excel in particular - because I am keyboard shortcut fanatic. But I appreciate the mac ecosystem for photos, music and family account organization. Not saying it's better than whatever Windows offers, just that I like and am used to it.

Regarding reliability, I am speaking from personal experience and do not have other data to support that. It doesn't appear that you have data either, though you seem perfectly happy to claim to know what motivates other people. I have had things go wrong with Macs but as I always purchase AppleCare, those issues have never been more than a minor inconvenience.

When my computer breaks, I try to fix it. And if I can't fix it, I go buy a BRAND NEW COMPUTER, which not only works but is faster. I like fast. Does that make me some kind of cultist?

If you are someone who likes to build their own machines, which is very cool, Mac is definitely not how you're going to roll.

Indeed not. I wouldn't want to violate my "applecare" warranty by sticking a bit more RAM in it, would I?

As far as value, here's a video comparing the macbook Pro M2 with a comparably priced Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.

This video runs a lot of tests, most of which the Mac performs better on. Blender is one exception. The mac also is quieter, runs cooler, and uses less energy. The integrated M chip architecture is a game changer. There is no evidence that the Mac is overpriced, or that your statement, "settling for second best at the same price, or for equal performance at a higher price" is justified.

M1 is phone technology, optimized for power consumption. I'll stick with Intel thanks.

Did I mention that I hate laptops? That my hate is founded in being the unwilling recipient of broken laptops which friends and family had emotional attachment to and couldn't bear to throw in the recycling bin? I run a PC.

I also have a Samsung phone. I use it as an alarm clock and a camera. My interest in being "networked" all the time is so low, that I won't pay for a phone plan.

 

[The Stars Tremble]

I've had the opposite experience. I've been in tech roles for many years. But, I bought my own MBP but had a company supplied PC - which was purchased with a 3 year cycle in mind. My last job I was able to choose a MacBook Pro, configured the way I wanted. Now retired, and I bought another just like it for personal use. No regrets.

Mac uses premium components, perhaps justifying the cost. But it's nothing you can't buy and build for yourself.

This idea that a computer should work for 5 years is silly. Back up regularly, and when it dies get a better one. Familiarity is over rated.

 

[LostInSeattle]

Not really. Did you miss where I said I have used Macs and been satisfied with them?

No I didn't. I also didn't miss where you came out against all mac users as "cultists", making emotional, economically irrational computer choices.

When my computer breaks, I try to fix it. And if I can't fix it, I go buy a BRAND NEW COMPUTER, which not only works but is faster. I like fast. Does that make me some kind of cultist?

I never called you anything, and certainly not a cultist. However, if you like fast and don't like Macs, then either you don't really like fast or you haven't done your homework. Or, you want to hotrod it yourself.

Indeed not. I wouldn't want to violate my "applecare" warranty by sticking a bit more RAM in it, would I?

I have installed additional RAM in iMacs. That does not void the warranty.

M1 is phone technology, optimized for power consumption. I'll stick with Intel thanks.

Your choice. The M1 was designed as a computer chip, a RISC based architecture that combines CPU and GPU in a single chip. It was introduced in computers and then released in the iphone 14. But it's performance goes well beyond energy efficiency. Do some research.

Did I mention that I hate laptops? That my hate is founded in being the unwilling recipient of broken laptops which friends and family had emotional attachment to and couldn't bear to throw in the recycling bin? I run a PC.

Yet you are pontificating in a thread on laptops.

I also have a Samsung phone. I use it as an alarm clock and a camera. My interest in being "networked" all the time is so low, that I won't pay for a phone plan.

Ok. Relevance?

 

[Superfly]

I have never bought a new laptop. I have ten of the buggers, discards from friends or family who "want it to have a good home." Maybe three of them I fixed by vacuuming them out or replacing the HD.

1. You should NEVER buy a second hand laptop
2. You should never buy a new laptop, unless a phone and PC are not enough for you
3. If you're going to buy a new laptop anyway, buy top of the range and get the extended warranty

Wait - I’m confused. You’re saying don’t buy a used one, then saying don’t buy a new one.

 

[Superfly]

Yeah, the fans for those laptops is set at high; no matter what. But I believe they are just 'loud'. Didn't experience too much stuttering playing AA titles, however, AAA titles. Yeah. I don't buy alienware due to them being a subsidiary of dell.

I paid $2500 for an Alienware without realizing it was now made by Dell. This was about 10 years ago. I thought, “Man, I’m gettin the shit!” And instead of, “Man I’m gettin shit.”

It still works, but is insanely slow to load, like it was in the beginning, and I can’t use it for anything except very basic stuff.

 

[Superfly]

I've had the opposite experience. I've been in tech roles for many years. But, I bought my own MBP but had a company supplied PC - which was purchased with a 3 year cycle in mind. My last job I was able to choose a MacBook Pro, configured the way I wanted. Now retired, and I bought another just like it for personal use. No regrets.

I was asking my daughter about her MacBook Pro today and she told me the same thing. She’s had it 10 years, has never done a thing to it, and it works as well as the day she bought it.

As a pc person, I can’t even imagine that.

 

[Superfly]

I’ve looked into Macs, but now I’m just not sure.

HBG wants to build a recording studio and needs a good computer. The last two or three pcs I’ve bought have been absolute shit.

I don’t know anything about building computers, and neither does he.

 

[BabaVoss]

I was asking my daughter about her MacBook Pro today and she told me the same thing. She’s had it 10 years, has never done a thing to it, and it works as well as the day she bought it.

As a pc person, I can’t even imagine that.

I think I've had 4 macs over the past 15 years. Currently use a Mac Mini as my primary and a MacBook Pro when I need to be mobile. When I had to have Windows apps recently I used Parallels to emulate Windows OS. Worked fine.

 

[Superfly]

I think I've had 4 macs over the past 15 years. Currently use a Mac Mini as my primary and a MacBook Pro when I need to be mobile. When I had to have Windows apps recently I used Parallels to emulate Windows OS. Worked fine.

So you can emulate windows on a Mac. That’s cool af.

 

[BabaVoss]

Mac uses premium components, perhaps justifying the cost. But it's nothing you can't buy and build for yourself.

This idea that a computer should work for 5 years is silly. Back up regularly, and when it dies get a better one. Familiarity is over rated.

My last MBP was 7 years old and it was still working fine when I gave it away.

 

[BabaVoss]

So you can emulate windows on a Mac. That’s cool af.

Yes you can. The emulations used to be pretty finicky but have improved dramatically over the last 4-5 years. Older MACs (prior to the M1 chip, I believe) could "dual boot" into either windows or mac os. I did that for a while too. The current ones don't have that ability anymore.

 

[Superfly]

I think I've had 4 macs over the past 15 years. Currently use a Mac Mini as my primary and a MacBook Pro when I need to be mobile. When I had to have Windows apps recently I used Parallels to emulate Windows OS. Worked fine.

Can you hook up a Mac mini to any monitor or hd tv? I’m looking at them but struggling because they dont seem to have very large hard drives.