I think with these M series Macs the issue is not the longevity of the hardware, but of the software. With the locked down software environment, Apple decides when and how often you update your machine. So if they wanted to, they could stop supporting your device tomorrow. However, looking at the iPhone, I would estimate the support to end some time in 2027. After that you can still use your device, but security updates won't be supplied anymore. Hardware wise I see the only issue in the display cables, since they are rather fragile and may break due to dust piling up in the hinge or the cable just getting fatigued.

In the 2012 models you can replace the battery, add an SSD and install more ram. So for light use damn near forever

2015 MBP still works really slow, but starting to slow down just a little bit. Tried to replace the battery but Apple said there is corrosion inside with water damage. Crazy part is that I have never spilled anything on it, nor have I gotten any water on it. If I could replace the battery I could probably get a couple more years out of it. But as is, the battery lasts about 3 hours before it's out.

2015 MacBook Pro doing well. Needs a battery replacement and it has slowed down but it’s still more than powerful enough to do most things.

2014 MBP with new battery and SSD still my favourite. I bring it everywhere. Also have an M1, but prefer to use the 2014 for sentimental reasons.

Yes and no. From Apples standpoint yes, however a variety of patchers and tools is available to modify newer OS versions to run on older hardware without any major loss in functionality. I don't know if this will have a future with after the ARM transition of macOS is completed.

My 2012 MacBook is still in good condition and can surf the web, pretty long lifespan

I have a 2009 that still technically works but the software is too out of date to function properly for daily use.

If you take care of it, I don’t think a decade is an unreasonable lifespan

The hardware may very well last forever, I wouldn’t expect more that 5 years support in macOs updates though

The life of the average tech device is about 5 years. I would look in to selling your 2019 MBP16 and upgrading it as it likely has a year or two left of Major OS updates. Sell it while its still supported by Apple to get maximum value for the sale.

Apple should release new software upgrades for your Mac until around 2024/2025 with macOS 15/16. Then MacOS 15/16 should receive security updates for 3 years putting the end of life of your 2019 MBP16 at around 2027/2028 for software support. Apple refuses to provide roadmaps so this is an estimate off apples typical behavior.

The mid2010 MacBook Pro I got for college is still around and kicking. The poor little two core cpu can’t do much these days though.

I was using open core legacy patcher to run Monterey on it. But now it is back to High Sierra since I picked up a Mac mini.

How long a mac "should" last is completely irrelevant. How much it would suck if yours died at any given point is what matters.

Do you do regular backups? What is your plan for WHEN your laptop dies?

Personally, having backed up everything and no AppleCare, I would be inconvenienced for as long as it took me to buy and install a new one, using my iPad/PC in the meantime.

If I needed this stuff for work/school then I might have different use cases. Maybe backups that aren't tied to MacOS so that I could retrieve files more readily than the couple of weeks it'll take to get a new computer delivered.

The hardware lasts longer than the software updates. If you don't mind not having the latest software, then you're ok.

My last MBA has lasted for nearly 10 years and is still working well with the OS not updated for over 5 years. Browsing the web is certainly not a problem. I just have changed the battery two times during this entire period.

So the 2012 and 2015 Macbooks have lasted more than a decade on the current OS and none of them have had battery issues, or hardware issues?

Battery is your biggest enemy in terms of longevity. Once it’s out of production, you can’t find original Apple batteries anymore so you’ll be forced to use aftermarket.

Other than that, MacBooks can last for a long time with OCLP (3rd party that bypass apple’s minimum requirements for software updates)

As long as it’s a 2020 M1 chip with good battery health you should be fine for 3-5 years.

They can last for 10+ years if you take care of it well and maybe do a battery swap.

Power-wise, they will last about the same as any other laptop, which is somewhere between 4-8 years before software has “leveled up” enough for them to feel sluggish.

Build-quality wise, they can last a good 10+ years easily, and there are people who are only now upgrading from a 2012 MacBook.

My low spec air lasted me 7 years. I think it would’ve lasted even longer if I hadn’t have started using it so heavily over the pandemic

It depends on which generation and spec. My 2013 8/512 I was using up until Xmas 2022. It was definitely lagging the prior few years and wasn’t a smooth experience If you were multi tasking more.

The 2016-2019 generation had the butterfly keys which were more prone to failures. I also think a specific few years had issues with the monitor ribbon cable.

I have since upgraded to a mbp14 Xmas 2022

Mine lasted 7 years of heavy usage. I also travelled a lot with it. So it didn't just sit at my desk.

My 2014 i5 13” lasted me about 9 nearly 10 years, from junior year of high school through college and a few years after. I had 1 battery replacement, 1 hard drive/motherboard repair in that time. I got the screen replaced for staingate but that’s a special circumstance, it actually still functioned fine. it still runs albeit with an outdated OS.

I only upgraded to an M1 as a gift to myself for graduating and finally having a big boy job. Unless your work demands a certain program that may cut off support for older hardware, I think you can be pretty safe to expect 5 years of support. You will probably end up getting longer than that especially if you consider security patches and minor updates. I think 5 years is a safe bet of major OS revisions, ~7 for final few official planned security patches.

I owned a Mid-2012 MacBook Pro that is still running. The new owner uses it for school/web browsing

I bought a used 2013 MacBook pro in 2019 Still works well now but I cracked the screen in my sleep.

I just bought a used 2021 M1 mbp & I expect it to last another 5 yrs before I might consider replacing the battery & or upgrading, if I were to keep it I'd expect it to function well for a decade.

It will last basically as long as you want to keep using it. My 9 year old macbook works much better than my 4 year old lenovo. There is something about windows that makes performance degrade over time that doesn't happen on macs for some reason.

I used MacBook Air 2014 for 6 years since its release and it was still working fine just without latest OS but still had security updates. Right now 2 years with M1 Air and it’s working like new still no issues.

I have a MacBook Air 2015 here that still receives updates, think that’s due to stop the middle of next year. For browsing and streaming etc it still works remarkably well.

I’d hope to still be using my M2 Air in five years.

Power-wise, just like any other laptop. Around 4-8 years before software levels up enough for it to feel sluggish.

Build quality wise, it will easily do 10+ years, as right now we are still seeing people using their 2012 MacBooks just fine.

There are roughly 7 years of functional updates, plus another 2 of security updates. This is not guaranteed, but the historical average.

For longevity there is another factor more relevant: Avoid the base models with just 8GB of RAM. They will fall short for many apps when they start to run on local AI models.

Many will do, because the use of Apples on device Foundation Models is free of charge for devs and users. This will take off with Tahoe, the upcoming version of MacOS.

Support? Apple guarantees support for new products for at least five years, and in reality, it’s more like 7-10 years (the Mac Plus and iPhone 5S were each supported for about 10 years).

After that? Most of the electronics in the MacBook Air will last longer than you will live. The external ports can be plugged in and out tens of thousands of times before they break. Apple’s keyboards, excluding the 2016-2020 butterfly keyboards, are nearly indestructible. Two exceptions are the SSD, which will wear out after 30 years or so, and that’s only if you write hundreds of gigabytes to it every day that whole time, and the battery, which will degrade over time and need to be replaced, even if you keep your laptop plugged in all the time.

Lots of people are still using MacBook Airs from 2013-2017 so an M1 is obviously not gonna be a problem.

>I’m wondering if I could buy a 3-4 years old used macbook and use it for 6-7 years more?

Historically, MacBooks are supported for 6-8 years after a model is released, 5-7 years after a model is discontinued.

I would not expect to get 6-7 years of service out of a MacBook that was purchased when 3-4 years old.

>As far as I know apple products are very well built and are reliable but it’s the updates that stop coming and make them pretty much useless. Is this also the case with macbooks?

An unofficial workaround (Open Core Legacy Patcher) is available to allow supported operating systems to be installed on older Intel MacBooks, which effectively extends the lifespan of older MacBooks a few years.

However, as I understand it, OCLP is not available for the newer M-series MacBooks and will not be. I would not count on development of a similar workaround extending the lifespan of an M-series MacBook. Might happen, might not.

My best and good luck.

Depends. I'll keep a laptop for 5 or so years usually, as long as it does what I need. There are killer features that get released sometimes though that will see me drop my current laptop and upgrade 2-3 years later. Retina displays were one. Apple Silicon was another.

Depends on what they are needed for. I know people who keep them 10 years.

I got a 2014 air. I really want a new one. But it’s still working pretty good. Loads websites fast. And does well in a pinch for at work home.

I know people give apple a lot of crap for how expensive they are compared to windows. But none of my windows laptops lasted even a third this long.

My battery doesn’t work the best. But I just keep it plugged in and we are good !

I’ve had 2009 Macs that perform well enough in 2023.

Until apple obsoletes them through software updates.

ask in ten years? I have no reason to think not.

2016-2019 were shit Macs years

Before 2016 some Macs were indestructible .... my 2010 Mini and 2013 IMac are still going strong,

Nobody knows how long Arm Mac hardware will last.

Apple is getting tight with MacOs and we din't know if they will allow OpenCore like fudge on Arm Mac .

With no OPenCore equivalent Arm Mac effective life is about 7 years

My 2011 lasted ten years, with a hardware fault, and it’s not technically dead now either, just mostly retired.

2 weeks to 2 decades, if not longer. A computer can last a very long time if cared for. Playing games isn't going to reduce the lifespan of the computer.

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Source: I have a large collection of computers dating back to the early 80s, and most of them still work just fine.

If it is handled with care at least 6-8 years. some of the best MacBooks I have had were 3-4 year old refurbished units which I kept for 5-6 years.

It lasts as long as you keep paying to fix it.

I still have a 2006 MacBook Air that works. I had a 2014 MacBook Pro that worked hard for five years straight and then was sold for a fair bit of money still working 100%. The battery needs changing at some point but otherwise they can last a decade if they are properly cared for and no mystery breakage happens.