The hardware is designed to last, the software is designed to force you to buy a new device after 7 years at most.
replyIs it a "a few years" or 7 years?
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replyDepends 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.
replyWhy would you throw it out after 7 years? The software that’s already on it will continue to work just as it always has.
replyMy experience with iPads losing Apple support is every app just shows you an error message saying your app is out of date and can't be used, while the app store won't let you update it because the latest api version doesn't support your device.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.
replyIf 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.
My iMac Pro 2017 is an Energizer Bunny. I got almost 10 years from by MacBook Pro.
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