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by alt22719 hours ago |
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upvoteby dymk16 hours ago|
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> every few years of course

That sounds like a you thing; I've kept my macs for at least 5 years. My M1 is still going strong and I haven't felt any pressure to upgrade.

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upvoteby alt22716 hours ago|
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2 more years and your mac will not install the latest MacOS version, which then means you will no longer be able to update any software on your own computer or install any new software either. If you could install linux or any other OS on it you would be able to use it for decades to come, but instead you will be forced to buy another new shiny Apple box.

You will probably argue thats ok because you would have wanted one anyway by that time or some such point, but the fact remains that Apple will force you to upgrade your hardware not very long away by not allowing you to install anything on it.

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upvoteby dymk16 hours ago|
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That's not how macs work. You don't suddenly lose the ability to run new binaries just because they're not on the latest MacOS version.

Using your own conservative estimate, 8 years seems like a fine lifespan for a laptop, far longer than the "few years" you initially said. And in practice, there are plenty of macbooks that have been running even longer.

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upvoteby edschofield13 hours ago|
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The parent commenter described exactly how Macs work. I have a beautiful 10-core iMac 27” with 72 GB of RAM from 2020 that Apple has now decided to turn into a lemon. macOS Tahoe runs as slow as molasses and no more macOS upgrades will be forthcoming. I downgraded to Sonoma (which cost me hours) and the machine runs well again for now but the App Store has already started refusing to update apps like Pages because macOS is old. Soon I won’t be able to install a single app through the App Store and Linux (T2 Linux in my case, not Asahi) will be the only option to keep using this terrific hardware.
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upvoteby Gigachad11 hours ago|
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Intel macs suddenly will lose the ability to run programs because Apple has dropped the requirement to ship an intel build. And from experience, as soon as Apple stops requiring devs support old hardware, nothing works anymore.
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upvoteby dymk9 hours ago|
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That only affects new software, the stuff that runs on those macs now will continue to run on them in the future
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upvoteby testing2232113 hours ago|
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Which will make it 7 years old. That is hardly a machine that must be replaced “every few years”
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upvoteby MYEUHD19 hours ago|
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> past their intended lifespan

Thanks to the community, you can install macOS 15 (or older) on unsupported macs (as old as 18 years)

https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/MODELS.ht...

https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher

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upvoteby Marsymars17 hours ago|
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It's a bit awkward where newer Intel models with T2 chips don't support OpenCore, so e.g. the 2019 MBA is going to run out of security updates with macOS 14, sooner than a 2008 MBA that OpenCore will update up to macOS 15.
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upvoteby alsetmusic19 hours ago|
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> past their intended lifespan

This bullshit needs to die. The products are designed to last.

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upvoteby alt22716 hours ago|
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The hardware is designed to last, the software is designed to force you to buy a new device after 7 years at most.
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upvoteby dymk16 hours ago|
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Is it a "a few years" or 7 years?
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upvoteby 12 hours ago|
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upvoteby Gigachad11 hours ago|
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Depends on your expectations. Throwing a perfectly working laptop out after 7 years because apple cut off software support is wasteful to me. It might not be for you.
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upvoteby dymk9 hours ago|
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Why would you throw it out after 7 years? The software that’s already on it will continue to work just as it always has.
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upvoteby Gigachad9 hours ago|
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My experience with iPads losing Apple support is every app just shows you an error message saying your app is out of date and can't be used, while the app store won't let you update it because the latest api version doesn't support your device. Unless you are using all FOSS software, most apps want to connect to some server, and that connection breaks rapidly without updates.

If you can load Linux on it it's still usable, but Apple OSs degrade rapidly after Apple stops supporting them. Apple is better about keeping devices on the latest OS version, but much worse about support after that period.

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upvoteby wa2flq13 hours ago|
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My iMac Pro 2017 is an Energizer Bunny. I got almost 10 years from by MacBook Pro.
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upvoteby specialist11 hours ago|
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My family continues to use my old 2009 MacBook Pro.

YMMV

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