How long are MacBooks supposed to last?

Answer 1

Personally I have owned Macs since the late 80s. The MacBook Pro is built to last like most Apples. I would stay away from the minis but that’s just preference.

As far as the duration of the MacBook Pro I would say 8yrs. In general a Mac will last twice as long as a PC. This is one of those times where you do actually get what you pay for.

Simplistic in use; clean and fast without the excessive bogging down of the CPU due to antivirus software running in the background.

Answer 2

In my experience, MacBooks are built like tanks and will last as long as the hardware inside of them is capable of running the software that you regularly use. I have one from 2007 that still works fine for basic tasks like word processing, email, and using the Internet, but I wouldn't use it for anything more than that. The only thing I've had to do to it is replace the battery a few years ago because the original would no longer hold a charge.

If I were looking to buy a new one, I would make a list of software that I regularly use, and make a buying decision that matches the hardware to the software. Once you buy the computer, you should expect it to give you many years of good service.

Answer 3

Short answer: about 2 years. Because of the way computers fail, many computers last longer than that.

Long answer: The typical modern laptop is designed to last the greater of the minimum legal warranty time or the time until a new product is released, with a probability of between 95 and 99 percent. There's something called a bathtub graph which described the failure probability of a computer during its lifetime, where a computer has a high percent chance of failure early in its life due to manufacturer defects, then a low probability of failure for a long time, and then a steadily increasing chance of failure as parts age and wear out. In order to make a profit at selling computers, the computer must be of sufficient quality that the early returns due to manufacturer defect don't swamp the gross margins for the product.