How Long Do Macs & MacBooks Last?

“I want to buy an M1 MacBook, but I am afraid it won’t last for too long. Is it worth buying in 2024, or should I wait?”

Apple Mac systems are known for superior build quality, performance, and reliability. These characteristics command a premium starting price of $999 – which is quite an investment for an average student or a small business owner.

Therefore, many users resort to buying older but affordable Macs. Although, going for an older MacBook or an iMac does raise a question – How long do MacBooks & Macs last?

Let’s dig in to understand more about the lifespan of a Mac and tips to make a Mac last longer.

How Long Do Apple Macs Last?

Typically, a Mac lasts for 5-7 years. However, this number can vary depending on various factors–

• Age
• Hardware
• Care and handling
• Usage pattern
• macOS updates
• Compatibility

Let’s explore them in detail.

Age – If you buy a 2022 MacBook in 2024, it will probably last for another 4-5 years with OTA updates and software patches. But, it will also start to show signs of aging. Despite the discounted prices, you should buy an older model only after careful consideration to avoid various issues in the future.

Specifications – Alongside age, specifications are quite important to see how long your Mac can perform efficiently before it declines in efficiency. A top of the line 2018 MacBook Pro might have been the most powerful Mac in its time. But by today’s standards, it may not perform as well as a base 2024 M3 MacBook Pro.

Care & Handling – Regular cleaning, timely software updates, and proper storage and handling of your MacBook/iMac go a long way in ensuring its longevity. Physical wear and tear, including dents, mishandling, water spillage, etc., are naturally detrimental to the lifespan of your Mac.

Usage Patterns – The type of work you do greatly affects how long your Mac will last. For casual users, browsing the web, playing media files, or simple word processing ensures a longer lifespan, even on an entry-level Mac with standard configuration.

High-quality media creation and intense graphic rendering require powerful specifications, such as a top-of-the-line processor, more RAM and storage. Resource-intensive tasks on an entry-level Mac can significantly affect the processor and memory, thereby impacting its lifespan.

MacOS Updates – Every new macOS update brings bug fixes, patches, and new features. However, it cuts down on certain resource-intensive features for supported older Macs. If your Mac is unable to download any recent OS updates or is no longer supported, you should consider buying a new one.

Compatibility – A newer Mac is more compatible with new and legacy applications. While older Macs can run various applications, they become incompatible with updated apps due to hardware limitations, etc. Hence, when you start experiencing incompatibility with applications, take it as a sign that your Mac is getting old.

How to Know It’s Time to Get a New Mac?

Like any other device, a Mac system shows signs of aging. As your Mac reaches its end-of-life cycle, it becomes slow, encounters random system crashes & errors, gets stalled, and more. Here are the signs of aging Mac systems –

Sign 1: You Can’t Run the Latest Version of macOS

This is the most obvious sign that your Mac has a long time and is now outdated. Usually, Apple provides software updates for all Mac models for approximately seven years. Once the support ends, your Mac is on its own. No software updates, no security patches. Hence, it becomes vulnerable to attacks and compatibility issues. When you see such signs on your old Mac, it is time for you to switch to a new one.

Sign 2: The Battery Life Is Declining

The battery is the most crucial component of your MacBook. It is also the most vulnerable component that gets impacted with time. While looking to buy a new Mac, many people have this question in mind – how long do MacBook batteries last?

Battery life and charge-holding capacity depend on many factors, such as usage, temperature, and time. Since batteries are not made to last a lifetime, they degrade over time. They also degrade due to improper charging and discharging. Battery degradation causes problems, severe performance drops, and lower battery health.

Sign 3: Your Mac Won’t Boot Properly

Unable to install the latest updates and lower battery health leads us to the third sign, i.e., when your Mac is unable to boot properly, or doesn’t boot at all. Apart from the previous signs, a circuitry or logic board could render your Mac unbootable. Such issues make your data inaccessible temporarily or permanently in severe cases.

Sign 4: Your Apps Are Slow or Crashing

If your applications load slowly or crash abruptly, it is a clear indicator that your Mac is simply not powerful enough or unable to run even basic applications like a word processor. This could happen due to insufficient RAM, outdated OS, bugs, and corrupted files. If you are unable to use newer or updated apps, it is evident that your Mac has lasted long enough and that it is time to buy a new one.

Sign 5: Your Mac is Overheating

If you find your old Mac to be overheating abnormally while doing meager tasks or running light applications, something is off. Your Mac may have accumulated a lot of dust clogging the vents, resulting in overheating. It could also be an unwanted background process eating up all the system resources.

Sign 6: Your Mac is Showing Disk Errors

If you encounter problems while reading or writing data off the native disk drive of Mac, it can be happening due to disk errors on the Mac drive. Logical errors like bad sectors, corrupted partition tables, etc., could be behind the errors.

Disk errors also occur due to an aging storage drive. After being used for 5-7 years, a storage drive becomes less efficient and loses its data-holding capacity.

How to improve the Lifespan of your Mac?

There are heaps of suggestions online that can help you improve the longevity of your Mac. We have compiled a list of techniques that could help you improve the lifespan of your Mac.

• Try to purchase the latest model.
• Regularly install updates on your Mac.
• Shut down your Mac after using it.
• Do not always keep it on charging.
• Buy the right Mac with specifications that match the use. A standard configuration Mac will do just fine for light tasks. For resource-intensive tasks, buy a Pro model with better RAM and processor than the base model.
• Store your laptop in a clean place, away from dust.
• Do not store all your data on your Mac. Buy an external hard drive to create a backup of your data.
• Follow proper charging-discharging cycles.

How to Recover Data from an Unbootable or Failing Mac?

Old Macs become unpredictable. They frequently experience unexpected crashes and errors. If these signs become increasingly evident and your old Mac is rendered unbootable one day, you might face a critical data loss situation.

To recover data from crashed and unbootable Macs, use a reliable data recovery software for Mac like Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac. Its three-step data recovery process and seamless UI make recovering files from a Mac as simple as a cakewalk.

You can also install this software on an old Mac and monitor its health using the built-in Drive Monitor utility.

Refer to this detailed guide to recover data from a non-booting or crashed Mac.

How long do Macs last?

The answer to your question – ‘How long do MacBooks last?’ depends on many factors like usage, upkeep, specifications, and more.

But one thing is clear – Macs do last long when used optimally.

We hope this exhaustive guide helped you understand the factors that govern a Mac’s lifespan and how you can maximize it.

And if you use an old Mac without any hiccups, we’d like to know how you are doing it.

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About The Author

Keshav Katyal

A passionate writer driven by his interest in everything tech, Keshav Katyal has always been captivated by the latest gadgets since childhood. His interest in technology grew when he got his first gaming console, the Nintendo Game Boy Advanced. Hours and days of tinkering with old & new gadgets made his inner geek passionate about technology.