We explain the aspects to take into account to know if it is time to change your Mac and an approximate time
How many years ago did you buy your current Mac? From 1 to 2 years? From 3 to 4? More than 5 years? In my current case, I have a MacBook Air with the M1 chip that I acquired in October 2021, called Mac put on sale in 2020. This is my second Mac since the first was a gift and it was the MacBook Pro 2011 (given in March 2012). That Mac retired after almost exactly 10 years even if I had to make two adjustments to extend its useful life. There is, however, no exact time when you should change your Mac Here we will tell you what you need to take into account to do it consciously..
Any Mac has a lifespan of at least 5 years (or more)
Those from Cupertino are characterized by a long lifespan, however, this is reduced over time by updates and updated applications, presenting improvements compatible with more recent Macs. If your Mac is old schoolthat is to say before Apple silicon, you can change things like storage and RAM. Exactly 5 years after my old Mac, I had to change the hard drive to an SSD and increased the RAM to 8 GB.
Visiting the Lion website from a Late 2011 MacBook Pro
These changes allowed this old Mac to last another 5 years. I still have it and it’s useful most of the time.. Due to OS issues and recently a trackpad crashing when applying pressure, you could say it’s being left out. If your Mac is already old and have difficultiesif it is no longer fast even if you have already upgraded storage and RAM, plus incompatible updatesare it’s time to renew. If you think this can be fixed, it’s time to detect what can be improved.
System updates are a crucial part of upgrading a Mac
In this personal case I had, the 2011 MacBook Pro received 6 OS updates. Switching from the defunct name of Mac OS X Lion to macOS High Sierra. Those from Cupertino always send critical security updates, so that your device remains protected against external threats.
Keeping your Mac up to date is the best protection
If you already need features built into newer operating systems, it’s time to make the switch. In this case, it felt like there was a really big jump from High Sierra to Mojave. I’m currently in my fourth year of using macOS Big Sur and I feel like the Mac runs like day one on macOS Sonoma.
Battery life, part of planned obsolescence
If your Mac portable battery is already old, you can decide if it is a good option to purchase a replacement. Remember that when the equipment has exceeded 1000 cyclesafter this number charging and usage time will be reduced.
Change the battery in an old MacBook Pro. Photo by iFixit
How is the battery in a 2011 MacBook Pro currently? It no longer holds a charge and needs to be connected. Being at 100%, the battery wears out very quickly and only lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the activities used.
Software, hardware and device failures
This is the last emergency point a Mac can fall into. This can range from the serious and deadly, that it no longer turns on, to something minor, like software or hardware crashes in applications. In the case of the old MacBook Pro, the fan is full just when streaming video.
Suppressed or unexpected restartsAnd You connect a mouse, keyboard, accessory or even a USB key and it no longer detects itnor the possibility of connecting an external screen, It will be time to make the decision to retire your team.
Your old Mac becomes an obsolete or old product
Those from Cupertino have a classification of their products called vintage products. They are that They stopped selling more than 5 years ago but less than 7. Obsolete products are those which are no longer sold 7 years after their launch.
The 2017 MacBook Pros are already vintage
It should also be taken into account that hardware departments and service providers can no longer request spare parts for obsolete products. It will become increasingly difficult to repair your old Mac. Here you can check which equipment is already old and obsolete in the world.
How many years does it take to change Mac?
With the experience that I have just told you, it can go from 5 to 10 years.. I can’t wait to know how long the stage with Apple silicon will last. The performance is promising but starting in year 6 or 7, Apple will start reducing the use of the first generation of these laptops. Maybe go further but In terms of operating system updates, this is when a Mac’s decline begins.
How many years have you had your current Mac? Review each of the aspects mentioned and make a judgment, is it time to change or do you still have several years ahead of you with your Mac?
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