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Rab Mush · Sep 9, 2006, 11:26 PM

Hey all,

I made a a topic about whether I should get a MB vs a MBP right here about a month or two ago, and a comment in the thread made me worry about how long I would be ablt to keep my Macbook running:

4 years is a long time to have any laptop... both the MacBook and MBP wil be usable in 4 years,

The reason I haven't gotten one yet is I'm waiting for the merom things (I really have no idea what they are, just heard they're being put in and are worth waiting for) to start getting put in.

My question is: Would it be really that bad in four years? I realise that I won't be able to play the newest games, but that doesn't bother me that much.

Thanks!

baw · Sep 10, 2006, 01:23 AM

No Mac is useless in 4 years. My current Mac laptop is a Dual USB iBook 500Mhz bought new in 2001. Runs OS X 10.4.7 and does everything I need it to do.

wancothesane · Sep 10, 2006, 01:32 AM

i'm not sure. you gotta consider the frequency of new processor updates of intels now, something that we didn't consider before. but even if that, it all depends if the software industry decides to take advantage of it (just like how majority of day to day apps are 32 bit)

Dillon-K · Sep 10, 2006, 05:56 AM

honestly, the MacBooks (as sexy as they look now) are gonna be old, ugly, clunkers in four years... and they'll be slow for doing anything other than email, word processing, etc... I think 2 years is the longest you should wait before upgrading a laptop...

And beside that, if you had to pick one, I don't see the MacBook getting a merom for a long while... if any Mac laptop is to get a Merom, the MacBook Pro is it. Look at the PowerBooks and iBooks... there is simply not enough to distinguish the MB and the MBP... Apple needs to put an uberfast CPU in the MBPs so there will be more justification for the price jump and the usage of the word "pro." Who's with me?

harrisjamieh · Sep 10, 2006, 06:16 AM

Think about this. If you keep the MacBook exactly the same as it is today (ie, the same operating system, the same apps etc), then your MacBook will be as fast as it is now as it will be in 10 years time. Sure, you'll be using a particualy old OS in 10 years time, but some PC people are still on Windows 95 (11 years old)! Sure, in 10 years time it won't be able to run the newest operating system with much success, but it will run as well with Tiger as it does today.

So, in 4 years, the laptop will be very usable IMO. Yes, in 4 years time, much newer and faster computers will be about, but the MacBooks are very powerful machines, unlike the iBooks, which were relativly slow even a year after when first sold.

Whoever said 2 years is the longest to wait to replace a laptop.. well thats rediculous! The MacBook will be more than useful in 2 years time, and will be able to run the latest OS (at a guess 10.6) with relative ease.

Yakov · Sep 10, 2006, 07:21 AM

before i got my macbook i was using a dell from circa 1997
it was fine for what i needed.
the macbook does lots of stuff that i DON'T particularly need. but enjoy.

CleoW · Sep 10, 2006, 04:27 PM

I'm a new switcher and I've noticed something: Mac users keep their computers longer than the average Windows user. I say 'average' because I know about three Windows users who have kept their boxes for three years or more. I just purchased a MacBook three weeks ago and it really heartens me when I hear how long some Mac users have kept their machines. Something faster and newer is always going to come out tomorrow, but I plan on keeping my notebook for a while.

ghporter · Sep 10, 2006, 04:42 PM

I have a SEVEN year old PC laptop that's still quite usable. It came with Windows 98 (not even the "Special Edition" version) and I've upgraded it to XP and added some RAM, but other than that, it's still just chugging along.

No laptop will be "fast enough" four years after its purchase, but it really will be fast enough for whatever you need to do with it, even four years down the road. The four year thing is more related to what apps will come out between now and then. Programmers tend to use up the available computing power (and then some) when they write new programs or update existing ones. But if you still use the apps you get today, you won't see any decrease in performance.

mduell · Sep 10, 2006, 05:40 PM

Fast enough for what?

Everything you can do on a MacBook today, you'll be able to do in 4 years.

Some things that you can't do on a MacBook today, you'll be able to do in 4 years (new/innovative apps).

And there will also be some things that you just can't do on a (2006) MacBook in 4 years. There are also some things you just can't do on a MacBook today.

ghporter · Sep 10, 2006, 06:58 PM

mduell,

I meant "Fast Enough" for the "gotta have the latest" crowd. I agree completely with your second statement, and I wish I'd said it as clearly as you did.

mduell · Sep 10, 2006, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I meant "Fast Enough" for the "gotta have the latest" crowd.

I was speaking to the OP.

To be honest I didn't even read your post before writing mine.

Now I see the similar phraseology in your post.

C.A.T.S. CEO · Sep 10, 2006, 07:21 PM

Im going to keep my MacBook for 3 years as my main computer then, i will get a MBP (or what ever pro laptop is out then.)