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chihiro · Oct 13, 2007, 05:04 AM

what do you think is the avarage life of MBP,please?

scaredpoet · Oct 13, 2007, 07:43 AM

I've seen quite a few of the original MacBook Pros still in existence (that's about a year and a half). including many of its predecessor, the PowerBook G4. I also know of some of some 4-year-old iBook G4's still chugging along.

If taken care of, an Apple laptop can last quite a long time.

MacosNerd · Oct 13, 2007, 08:34 AM

People are still using powerbooks and older laptops, I wouldn't worry about the laptop not lasting.

as scaredpoet mentioned you just need to take care of it

mduell · Oct 13, 2007, 08:43 AM

What do you mean by life?

The battery lasts about 3 hours on a single charge, and lasts for about 300 charges (retaining 80% capacity).
The machine should be adequate for use for 2 (if you're in higher end media [pro photographer/video editor/etc) to 6+ (if you're a web/email/office/itunes user) years.

Dawgs2010 · Oct 13, 2007, 10:39 AM

I have had my MacBook Pro for about a year an a half, it is still running great. It is true if you take care of an Apple it will last for a while. At church we still use a G3 iBook, it is running great. The battery on a MacBook Pro hold about 3 hours. I recently replaced my battery that was at 560 cycles, so they last for a while.

chris v · Oct 13, 2007, 12:06 PM

My Powerbook will be 4 years old in March, and it's still the most stable, dependable Mac I've ever owned. I don't see, in general, why the MBPs would be any different.

Waragainstsleep · Oct 15, 2007, 03:35 PM

I was running a PowerBook G3 until last summer when it was stolen. 7 Years old and it was absolutely bulletproof.
Plus it still ran the latest Tiger.....

Simon · Oct 15, 2007, 03:41 PM

Take a look at my sig. All those MBP and PBs are still in perfect working condition. Yes, even the Lombard is still going strong.

My rev A MBP needed a new fan and MLB. They were replaced under warranty. I once had a HDD in a 12" PB die after 11 months. That was replaced under warranty as well. Other than that, no problems at all.

mfbernstein · Oct 15, 2007, 05:12 PM

Most computers outlive the interest of their original owners (i.e. are replaced long before they die). No reason to expect anything different with the MBP. That said, overall lifespan is a bit hard to define, since parts can be replaced. Does a new motherboard count as a new machine?

MarkLT1 · Oct 16, 2007, 05:38 PM

My wife is using my 1ghz Powerbook (TiBook) which is about 5 years old (I think I bought it in October or Nov 2002). Its chugging along just fine, and all that has been updated is a new battery.

And I have to say, my new MBP "feels" more solid.. so if thats worth anything....

0157988944 · Oct 16, 2007, 05:48 PM

Still have a working Mac Plus here...

MacosNerd · Oct 16, 2007, 07:01 PM

I have a working G4 cube - runs great.

JoshuaZ · Oct 16, 2007, 08:04 PM

My 12in Powerbook that I sold on ebay last week was 3 and a half years old. Besides having its hard drive and superdrive replaced, it was running perfectly fine. (Even more so thanks to a battery recall!)

I was at a recycle store yesterday and saw several first gen iMacs. The blue gumdrop ones. They were selling for about $25 and were marked as in working order. I was super tempted to pick up a B&W G3 they had on the shelf, also $25, but have no use for it! I remember a couple of years ago when I paid $300 for the exact same model B&W. So many memories...

BigBadWolf · Oct 16, 2007, 08:16 PM

I just recently replaced my 4 year old 17" Powerbook. It still works fine, I just needed a little more power.

Waragainstsleep · Oct 18, 2007, 03:04 PM

Actually there is a reason to suspect modern machines will not live as long as their predecessors: Everything is getting much smaller. People tend to think of computer components as precision made and that this means they are identical or uniform to a ludicrously small scale. This is not the case. Wiring and pathways in components will vary in thickess by small amounts even when they are designed to be , but these small amounts become more significant as the size of these pathways decreases. This happens through general usage anyway (much like lightbulb filaments). Older kit had tracks you could see easily if you exposed it, but when you are dealing with structures whose dimensions can be measured by number of molecules, it becomes clear that if not at first, then after some use they will contain many more potential failure points than more robust circuitry.
Shorter lifetime is to some extent a direct consequence of making our chips smaller and faster.