My PC is a few years old, and our Mac is 5 years old... but they both still work great! This is a huge change from 90s and early 2000s, when we bought computers every few years. Now it seems like they last 5 years or more, as long as you upgrade the OS.
And even if you don't upgrade the OS, you can make them last quite a while too! The Mac I'm typing on runs on Leopard, and everything still works just fine.
Are you buying computers less frequently these days?
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I think we bought our computer in 2011. It still seems new!
persimmon / 1304 posts
Yep! Never had a PC that lasted more than 3 years. My Mac laptop is 3 years old and runs like new and my husband purchased his in 2006 (haha that one doesn't exactly run like it's new though!). So much better because I hate the hassle of getting files/pictures/music etc. from one computer to another.
pomelo / 5866 posts
I have a Mac I bought jan 2008 and it seems fine. I hope it lasts a long long time. I bought a couple externals this year just in case.
honeydew / 7916 posts
If anything, it might be more frequently! Of the Macbooks (Pro and Air) we've owned, the hard drive has died on every single one within a year. Apple replaced the drives, but we've accepted that these aren't meant to last very long.
pomegranate / 3113 posts
I bought my current laptop in 2007 when I started law school. The physical computer is completely shot (apparently this brand/model had issues with the glue they used so the plastic around the screen is falling off, and the hinges broke so I have to prop the screen) but it was working okay until recently when it started doing some funky stuff. I can't get on my work's network with it when I want to work from home, though, so I just had to order a new one. I guess this one did okay, considering how much abuse it got when I was in school, but I'm still pretty disappointed with the quality.
GOLD / pomegranate / 3938 posts
How frequently do people nor ally buy computers?
GOLD / pomelo / 5737 posts
Dh and his brother built my computer last year and so far it runs like when I got it... Or so I think!
pomelo / 5469 posts
My Dh buys a new laptop/PC every year or so and I get the hand me downs! He's a software engineer though so maybe they have to be really up to date?
watermelon / 14206 posts
DH got me my laptop for Christmas in 2010 and I still use it every single day! It shows no sign of wearing down except the cd rom doesn't work. I have an external one I bought for it but I never use that part that much anyways.
In the past, I lost my pcs to viruses. So far this one has been clean.
eggplant / 11408 posts
Not really. My original laptop died after 5 years, and DH's after 7. We replaced them both with one computer that lasted us 4. Now, I have a Mac and DH has an iPad, so I hope they last us a while!
bananas / 9628 posts
I've had my MacBook Pro since Christmas '10 and we've had mr. Bird's chromebook for a year. I had to get a new charger for mine shortly after getting it, I guess there was a very common issue with them, and last wk my replacement charger got busted (the covering around where the wire went into the charger started to come open, I put a piece of packing tape around it & the thing got so hot it melted the tape & the goo got into the opening in the covering & dried & now the thing doesn't work. Whoops!) So onto buying a new charger #3. The computer itself is still great though! The chromebook I don't expect to last as long, it works fine, but feels physically cheap, but it is, so if it only lasts a couple years, NBD.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
Mine is about 3.5 years old but it won't hold a charge at all. So I am going to need a new one soon 
grapefruit / 4817 posts
I've had my MacBook since 2006, and my husbands since 2008. Our Mac desktop is probably the newest, but is still from 2009. The only issues we tend to have with the laptops are batteries needing to be replaced. Honestly, though, I think we'll be buying a new laptop this year.
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
My husband built my pc two winters ago. Before that, he built one for me about 5 years ago. The hard drive died & I needed more space, or else he wouldn't have built a new one.
He's bought two laptops in the last 4 years!
pear / 1697 posts
Yes and no....I think the pace of hardware revolution is slowing down such that you can keep a machine longer without it becoming uselessly obsolete. And I think that switching to Macs has meant my hardware has faithfully and reliably kept on trucking for long enough to flirt with obsolescence anyway.
pomelo / 5720 posts
We just bought a new Ibook and an iPad for DH for work this week, so I guess we are buying more than we would have before there were tablets. The only reason we bought a new laptop is because DS broke the screen, otherwise ours worked great and was 5 years old.
bananas / 9899 posts
When I buy a laptop, I don't usually expect it to last more than 3 years the way I use them, so I pay a price that's appropriate. When I build a desktop I expect it to last virtually forever in gadget time lol (upgrading every now and again) so I'll spend a bit more for the top of the line.
watermelon / 14467 posts
My PC has a virus, which sucks because it's only four years old. I'm saving up for a Mac. We have another PC that we've been using.
bananas / 9899 posts
@avivoca: You could reformat the PC, or even possibly use some simple virus removing software. Do you have anyone computer savvy who could help you? Seems like a shame to write off a computer just because of a virus.
papaya / 10343 posts
I've only bought 4 in my life, so I'm not sure that is quite long enough to spot a trend, but I feel like it?
2002- gateway desktop PC
2005- Dell laptop (needed a laptop for law school, PC was still okay-ish but getting slow)
2008- macbook (Dell completely crapped out on me after 2.5 years. Couldn't even turn it on)
2011- macbook pro (I was getting into photography as a business and my macbook couldn't handle the volume of photos and photo programs I was using so I upgraded, but my husband still uses my macbook and it works fine for surfing the web and basic stuff).
My macbook pro has no signs of slowing down, knock on wood.
watermelon / 14467 posts
@pui: The virus is just the cherry on top of the issues I've had with this computer since I got it. It's not a huge loss either way (other than my music that wasn't purchased through iTunes). My important files are backed up elsewhere, so now I'm just saving up for a new Mac, which I prefer anyway.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
I am so glad I switched to Apple... Had to replace both PC laptops before within 4 years and it wasn't "heavily" used. Had my Macbook for 5 years, never had a virus and everything works great!
pomelo / 5228 posts
I use pretty high-powered software (Adobe), and as new versions come out, it runs slower and slower on my Mac. So I find I need a new one every 3-4 years.
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