I like apple but don't get apple products that often because they don't have the friendliest budget prices. lol The oldest product I still have now is the iPhone 5 but won't be for long. It still works but is slow with certain things. It is still usable and probably would be for who now how long but if I want any new features and software updates now, I have to get a new phone.
It lasted me 6 years but 4 or 5 years is probably about the average as far as software updates. I'm squeezing out every last penny. The thing I think with Apple devices is many people don't wanna wait the 5 years. They want the newest and best product they have so they will probably wait 2 years or less. It's great for Apple. I'm mostly the kinda person who thinks, if it still works, why buy a new one, within reason. haha, as seen with still having an iPhone 5 in 2018.
You might recalculate taking into consideration resale value. Then the cost of ownership (which is different from the initial price paid) starts to look a lot closer to the cheaper competitor’s phones. You can hold an iPhone three years and then sell it to reduce meaningfully reduce your total cost of ownership, using the money you get from that sale to lessen the pinch of buying a new iPhone.
My MBP17 will be 9 years-old in a few months - still fine for everyday home use, however I have replaced it as a 'multi-media hub' at home with an even older 2008 Mac Pro (retired from work duty) which handles video, especially online video, a bit more elegantly and quietly. A refurb 2015 MBP took over work duties in Dec 2016 and I managed to pick up a second hand thunderbolt display for a song as well - no regrets in not choosing the 2016 MBP.
Several years ago I picked up a maxed-out 12" Powerbook on eBay for $50 that is still in almost-perfect cosmetic and functional condition - though it struggles with the modern web and has to run TenFourFox. I can still plug in the old mini-DV camera and fire up FCP, though - hehe! I've been fighting temptation for a few years to waste $80 on a PATA-ssd drive just so it will boot and run a tad snappier!
My mother was having issues with her PC about 3 or 4 years ago so I got her a 2007 15-in MBP from eBay for a couple of hundred dollars, it suits her purposes just fine and is still going well on Yosemite.
We have an original iPad Mini (wifi) that is used as a traveller, no problems even if it is a couple of iOS versions behind now. My wife's old iPhone 5S is now 4 and a half years old and has been passed to the youngest member of the family as a camera (we'll start using it as a phone again next year when she starts at school).
My old 4S is still 100% functional - I used it for 4 years before upgrading to a 6S+ - and it still gets some use as an audio recorder with an external mic plugged in.
I'd love to upgrade to the rumoured 2018 Plus-sized iPhone, but I simply have no issues with the 6S+ to justify it. I think I might try to go 2 more years.
My rMBP is 4 years and 8 months old and runs as it did when it was brand new. Runs Zbrush and Painter, without any probs and 500mb/sec read/write speeds is still pretty good.
I finally replace my 2009 iMac last year at least partly because I wanted a better screen. It was definitely getting slower, but still very functional. (except for the DVD drive)
My 2011 MacBook Air still works perfectly. Battery life isn't as good as it originally was, probably mostly because I've upgraded it to High Sierra and the OS is asking it to do more than it originally had to.
Apple products may cost a bit more up front, but my iMac exceeded the average life of any PC I ever had by a factor of 3, with far fewer problems. That's something I'm willing to pay for. Beyond that, most Apple products not only continue to function, but function at at usable level, unlike many PCs.
As smart phone technology matures, I suspect we will see increasing longevity in the smart phone arena as well, since the incremental technological improvements will be less significant for most users. The caveat with this is that smart phones are abused much more than your average desktop, which may ultimately limit their useful life more than technological considerations.
I replace my primary work Mac every 5 years. I have two minis that are about 10 years old and going strong. Both have upgraded RAM and SSDs. One is my home media server and the other is my work FileMaker Pro test server. Upgrading to an SSD makes a world of difference. I’ve upgraded a few friends’ old MacBook pros to SSDs and performance improvements are impressive.
When it comes to my iPhone, I seem to upgrade every three years. I went from the original to the 4 to the 5s to the 7 plus.
Considering all the use and many years I've got out of ALL my Apple products, it sure doesn't seem like planned obsolescence to me. There are far too many idiots running around spouting nonsense about my favorite company. I've gotten longer continuous life out of some Sony televisions I've had (one worked for nearly 20 years with a couple of trips to the TV repairman) but for the most part my Apple products lasted longer than them all, including major appliances. That's why it really annoys me when some whiners claim that Apple was forcing them to upgrade their iPhones by way of harmful OS updates. If that was the case, I should have sued Apple for moving from OS9 to OSX because OSX practically brought the computer I was using at the time to a crawl. Of course, that computer was already about four years old.
Wall Street also makes me sick with their constant BS about Apple not selling enough iPhones every year BECAUSE newer models don't offer enough innovation. That's about the most stupidest thing I've ever heard. What sort of fool wants consumers to keep dumping useful and decently-working devices just to buy new ones with slightly newer features. If analysts and investors live in the same world I live in, why aren't they worried about using up natural resources when there's no need for it? Apple should be praised for making longer-lasting products instead of being spit at and cursed for it. Companies constantly building disposable devices are quickly depleting the planet's resources. Why would normal consumers want to spend money on quality products which are only good for a year's use? That makes no sense whatsoever.
So.... if the 2yr iPhone bends the average in that direction.... does that mean a cylinder Mac Pro (now almost 5 years old) might still have some hope for the future?
I used to hang onto Macs for a long time, and still be able to sell them for good amounts. I've noticed in the last decade or so, that is getting more difficult to do. A bit of that is due to the less-upgradable nature of the hardware, but the bigger factor is OS and especially 3rd party software requiring the latest OS (and/or move to subscription model that keeps you on the latest).
SSDs were the big factor in keeping things running longer, though.... as we're getting away with slower hardware and less RAM now then we should be able to. My wife was using a MBA with 2GB or RAM up until late last year. It's kind of amazing that thing even works.
I still have a late 2008 Aluminum Unibody MacBook(9+ year old). I upgraded it to a SATA 3 SSD .(OCZ Agility 3) & 3GB of RAM. I am using High Sierra on it with the help of Dosdude1 patch.I would like Handoff support, but with the age of the machine I am very satisfied.It still has 2 hr of battery backup.
I had my iPhone 4 for 4+ years before replacing with a iPhone 6 which into my 4th year with. I just upgraded my iPad 3 late last year to a new iPad Pro. So was at least 5+ years old.
It’s good to bear in mind that Apple’s stuff gets handed down or sold off to others who use them for likely as long as you did, which has got to be helping the average. In our Mac group, computers that are six to 10 years old are not uncommon, and iPad 2s are only recently being retired en masse. Of course, iPhones get changed out more frequently, though it is still typically three years or more on average with this group.
My main machine these days is my 2017 iPad, but my “desktop” computer is the 2012 MBP* and my present iPhone is the 6s. My partner uses my old 5s, an iPad mini 2, and the 2010 MacBook Air. In this house, four years isn’t the average; it’s the minimum.
*the 2012 has been maxed out on upgrades and uses SSD now, it should be noted ...
Well, this stats is cumulative. iMacs and iPads have longer life span. Apple Watch was introduced during the life span period on the graph, adding to the pool of active devices, so even if iPhones are the vast majority of devices, they still live less than 4 years on average. I wonder how much less.
While the mix here obscures the value of the "4 years and 3 months" metric, I would suggest that the pure volume of iPhones and iPads blow the significance of Macs, or even iPods out of the water.
I suspect that the AI readership are outliers. As I've said many times before, we aren't the average Apple consumer anymore.
Out of curiosity, what do you think constitutes "the average Apple consumer"?
I personally have an iPhone, an Apple TV 3 and an Apple Watch 3 that was given to me by a non-family member. I have a first gen iPad Mini somewhere that I don't use anymore. I work on PCs and I play games on PCs. My wife has an iPhone and an iPad (pre-retina), on which she watches TV. My daughter has an iPhone and an older iPad Mini she uses for reading, mail and browsing. She also plays games primarily on PC, though also often on Xbox.
All of our iPads (which were hand me downs from my wife) are wifi only.
In your opinion, are we average Apple users? Below the average? Above it? You have more data than I do; I'm curious where you think we fall.
I suspect that the AI readership are outliers. As I've said many times before, we aren't the average Apple consumer anymore.
Out of curiosity, what do you think constitutes "the average Apple consumer"?
I personally have an iPhone, an Apple TV 3 and an Apple Watch 3 that was given to me by a non-family member. I have a first gen iPad Mini somewhere that I don't use anymore. I work on PCs and I play games on PCs. My wife has an iPhone and an iPad (pre-retina), on which she watches TV. My daughter has an iPhone and an older iPad Mini she uses for reading, mail and browsing. She also plays games primarily on PC, though also often on Xbox.
In your opinion, are we average Apple users? Below the average? Above it? You have more data than I do; I'm curious where you think we fall.
Well, given some previous research on the topic about three years ago, two out of 208 Apple Store customers were comfortable with installing RAM in an iMac. With a RAM door. I expect that number is very close to 100% here at AI.
AI readers generally have more devices, and far more Macs than the average Apple user who has an iPhone or two and that's it. As a reminder, the iPhone outsells the Mac about 18 to 1 and has for about four years.
This also impacts discussions like any "Pro" Mac. We at AI know what we want. It is generally not what the rest of the market is looking at, and that gets lost in conversations.
It would seem that iPhones and the unrelenting upgrade cycles account for the 4 years+ determination.
All my iPods (six!) still operate - albeit with varying battery degradation - very nicely. Writing this on a 2009 MacBook running El Cap; with memory increased to 8GB, it's gone above and beyond the call of duty as a kitchen table browsing device. Could be snappier, but its long-term value is undeniable.
It’s good to bear in mind that Apple’s stuff gets handed down or sold off to others who use them for likely as long as you did, which has got to be helping the average. In our Mac group, computers that are six to 10 years old are not uncommon, and iPad 2s are only recently being retired en masse. Of course, iPhones get changed out more frequently, though it is still typically three years or more on average with this group.
The problem is, as mentioned, OS and software update frequency (and even more, lately, requirement). The hardware will be fine after 4 or 5 years, but software requirements might push you to upgrade more quickly. Also, for example, I just sold some of our old iPad 2 and minis, but with their limited older version of iOS, the new owners might not be able to get older, compatible versions of the software (and now with recent news, might be open to security issues!). I warned them about software availability (and sold the units cheap), but the security is a newer problem.
Mike Wuerthele said: This also impacts discussions like any "Pro" Mac. We at AI know what we want. It is generally not what the rest of the market is looking at, and that gets lost in conversations.
I know what you're talking about.... but I think for many of us here, we're also a bit befuddled why a company with hundreds of billions of dollars can't do more than one thing.... and seemed (until recently?) unaware of the problem of focusing on only one thing and leaving 'legacy' customers behind.
I totally get that they are going to put some extra effort into their main money-maker, but the way Apple was acting didn't make sense... AI crowd or anywhere.
My 2011 MBP is 7, but suffers from the nVIDIA video card/chip problem and it KPs when running certain programs or they just try to access that. Idea card. Otherwise, battery life and normal use is great. Of course, SSD and 16GB ram kept it more usable all his time. It’s on its last legs.
However, I get a new phone every two years, sell or trade in the old. 2003 iPod is in garage. 2005 iPod mini is in the car. 2013 iMac is on the desk. Even my watch is a series 0.
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You might recalculate taking into consideration resale value. Then the cost of ownership (which is different from the initial price paid) starts to look a lot closer to the cheaper competitor’s phones. You can hold an iPhone three years and then sell it to reduce meaningfully reduce your total cost of ownership, using the money you get from that sale to lessen the pinch of buying a new iPhone.
Several years ago I picked up a maxed-out 12" Powerbook on eBay for $50 that is still in almost-perfect cosmetic and functional condition - though it struggles with the modern web and has to run TenFourFox. I can still plug in the old mini-DV camera and fire up FCP, though - hehe! I've been fighting temptation for a few years to waste $80 on a PATA-ssd drive just so it will boot and run a tad snappier!
My mother was having issues with her PC about 3 or 4 years ago so I got her a 2007 15-in MBP from eBay for a couple of hundred dollars, it suits her purposes just fine and is still going well on Yosemite.
We have an original iPad Mini (wifi) that is used as a traveller, no problems even if it is a couple of iOS versions behind now. My wife's old iPhone 5S is now 4 and a half years old and has been passed to the youngest member of the family as a camera (we'll start using it as a phone again next year when she starts at school).
My old 4S is still 100% functional - I used it for 4 years before upgrading to a 6S+ - and it still gets some use as an audio recorder with an external mic plugged in.
I'd love to upgrade to the rumoured 2018 Plus-sized iPhone, but I simply have no issues with the 6S+ to justify it. I think I might try to go 2 more years.
Generally, I'd say Apple products are long-lived.
My 2011 MacBook Air still works perfectly. Battery life isn't as good as it originally was, probably mostly because I've upgraded it to High Sierra and the OS is asking it to do more than it originally had to.
Apple products may cost a bit more up front, but my iMac exceeded the average life of any PC I ever had by a factor of 3, with far fewer problems. That's something I'm willing to pay for. Beyond that, most Apple products not only continue to function, but function at at usable level, unlike many PCs.
As smart phone technology matures, I suspect we will see increasing longevity in the smart phone arena as well, since the incremental technological improvements will be less significant for most users. The caveat with this is that smart phones are abused much more than your average desktop, which may ultimately limit their useful life more than technological considerations.
When it comes to my iPhone, I seem to upgrade every three years. I went from the original to the 4 to the 5s to the 7 plus.
Wall Street also makes me sick with their constant BS about Apple not selling enough iPhones every year BECAUSE newer models don't offer enough innovation. That's about the most stupidest thing I've ever heard. What sort of fool wants consumers to keep dumping useful and decently-working devices just to buy new ones with slightly newer features. If analysts and investors live in the same world I live in, why aren't they worried about using up natural resources when there's no need for it? Apple should be praised for making longer-lasting products instead of being spit at and cursed for it. Companies constantly building disposable devices are quickly depleting the planet's resources. Why would normal consumers want to spend money on quality products which are only good for a year's use? That makes no sense whatsoever.
I used to hang onto Macs for a long time, and still be able to sell them for good amounts. I've noticed in the last decade or so, that is getting more difficult to do. A bit of that is due to the less-upgradable nature of the hardware, but the bigger factor is OS and especially 3rd party software requiring the latest OS (and/or move to subscription model that keeps you on the latest).
SSDs were the big factor in keeping things running longer, though.... as we're getting away with slower hardware and less RAM now then we should be able to. My wife was using a MBA with 2GB or RAM up until late last year. It's kind of amazing that thing even works.
I am using High Sierra on it with the help of Dosdude1 patch.I would like Handoff support, but with the age of the machine I am very satisfied.It still has 2 hr of battery backup.
My main machine these days is my 2017 iPad, but my “desktop” computer is the 2012 MBP* and my present iPhone is the 6s. My partner uses my old 5s, an iPad mini 2, and the 2010 MacBook Air. In this house, four years isn’t the average; it’s the minimum.
*the 2012 has been maxed out on upgrades and uses SSD now, it should be noted ...
Out of curiosity, what do you think constitutes "the average Apple consumer"?
I personally have an iPhone, an Apple TV 3 and an Apple Watch 3 that was given to me by a non-family member. I have a first gen iPad Mini somewhere that I don't use anymore. I work on PCs and I play games on PCs. My wife has an iPhone and an iPad (pre-retina), on which she watches TV. My daughter has an iPhone and an older iPad Mini she uses for reading, mail and browsing. She also plays games primarily on PC, though also often on Xbox.
All of our iPads (which were hand me downs from my wife) are wifi only.
In your opinion, are we average Apple users? Below the average? Above it? You have more data than I do; I'm curious where you think we fall.
All my iPods (six!) still operate - albeit with varying battery degradation - very nicely. Writing this on a 2009 MacBook running El Cap; with memory increased to 8GB, it's gone above and beyond the call of duty as a kitchen table browsing device. Could be snappier, but its long-term value is undeniable.
I know what you're talking about.... but I think for many of us here, we're also a bit befuddled why a company with hundreds of billions of dollars can't do more than one thing.... and seemed (until recently?) unaware of the problem of focusing on only one thing and leaving 'legacy' customers behind.
I totally get that they are going to put some extra effort into their main money-maker, but the way Apple was acting didn't make sense... AI crowd or anywhere.
However, I get a new phone every two years, sell or trade in the old. 2003 iPod is in garage. 2005 iPod mini is in the car. 2013 iMac is on the desk. Even my watch is a series 0.