For those of you that have owned a Mac for a while.... Forum

[GettingReady2010]

I'm curious about how it has held up. I'm looking into buying one, and I realize that they're great computers, but I want to make sure that they will hold up for at least three years. Have you had any problems with yours in the past few years?

[2ofspades]

I bought my iMac about 4-5 years ago in the dark ages when they looked like this:

(LinkRemoved)

...and it works perfectly. Three years ago, my Mom bought an HP and my sister bought a Dell. The Dell has already broken, and the HP just doesn't work very well anymore. I'm totally bummed out that I have to buy a laptop when I already have a good computer, just so I can take exams.

[Hannibal]

I bought mine in early 2008 and it still works pretty much the same as when I bought it. Considering I bought a PC 2 years before that which had been on a steady decline, I'm pretty happy with it.

[neimanmarxist]

I've had three mac laptops. Mine don't get royal treatment- they get dragged around everywhere I go, every day, pretty much, and they are always 100% full (memory) by the bitter end. That said, I find they work great up to three years and then they start having problems and I replace them- I consider 3 years a respectable shelf life for a laptop.

My roommate had a desktop- she's had it for years. It's still in good condition. Mine's still pretty new so I got nothing on that.

[senunit]

Mac's are IMHO the most durable laptops out there. I have mine for nearly 2 years now and it has not slowed, declined, or shown any signs of faltering. To the contrary, every PC to date that I have had, although for the most part has lasted a considerable amount of time, has constantly been on the decline after short usage and are attacked by viruses CONSTANTLY. Trust me, you'll enjoy the purchase as their products are top notch. I just started 1L and was shocked to see that roughly 65% of my class raised their hand when asked who used a Mac. I think that is a solid testament with regard to how far Mac has progressed.

[tasteofred]

I've had two, both Macbook pros, my first one got a half a gallon of water spilled on it and kept kicking for a year. The components eventually rusted and it stopped working. I traded it for an Xbox Elite and the person I gave it to managed to fix it. My next one, I've had for almost a year exactly and it still works perfectly. The battery really still lasts 7 hours, too.

[forty-two]

I've had my ibook for 6 years. I replaced the battery and updated the software (both free even though my applecare had expired), but it hasn't really needed anything else. I just got a new mbp because I wanted something lighter and faster, but the old one is still fine.

[Renzo]

Macs are high-quality, durable machines. It'll last.

[12262010]

I've had mine for two years... dropped it from my desk a few times (once it bounced), spilled beer in it... still works perfectly.

[whymeohgodno]

For law school uses Macs should be fine.

[JusticeHarlan]

For law school uses Macs should be fine.

What about for exams? I was under the impression that the software most schools use for exams require Windows. Is it just a question of using BootCamp?

[rundoxierun]

Ive had mine since the summer of '06 and it still runs fine despite my spilling hard cider on it. Dont get a plastic one though, the plastic cracks after a few years.

[yoitsmebenny]

Any exam software that is compatible with a PC on Windows is compatible with a Mac using Boot Camp and Windows. It's the same thing essentially at that point - just like a Dell or an HP PC.

[dextermorgan]

Mine has been through hell. I have dropped it, dented it, and watched in amazement as it returned to it's original shape. I have never had to reformat it. I have found the most amazing software (although I still wish there was a native OneNote app). All around this computer has served me better than any other, but I can't guarantee my next computer will be a Mac.

[quakeroats]

I'm curious about how it has held up. I'm looking into buying one, and I realize that they're great computers, but I want to make sure that they will hold up for at least three years. Have you had any problems with yours in the past few years?

The unibody construction that's been out since 2008 is the best design I've seen in a laptop. Some of the prior models had systemic issues, but I haven't heard of any problems with what's currently available. Macs also hold their value longer than others.

[solotee]

I knew a girl that had hers for 4 years already, still uses it.

[FlanAl]

I have a macbook from the summer of 2006. I had a few issues. #1 Battery died but I guess thats expected, I was abroad and it cost me like $175 for a new one which I thought was pricey #2 The plastic broke off towards the bottom of it like where you would rest your wrists if it was on a desk, super uncomfortable. #3 My power cord had some wear on it and they refused to replace it at the store for free. Two weeks later the thing started smoking and the cord completely burned through. They gave me a new one but that was after they had to have a big recall. No huge complaint, i'm typing this post on it right now, but thought you should know some of the drawbacks.

All in All I'd say they are pretty good but I've always used mac.

[dextermorgan]

I have a macbook from the summer of 2006. I had a few issues. #1 Battery died but I guess thats expected, I was abroad and it cost me like $175 for a new one which I thought was pricey #2 The plastic broke off towards the bottom of it like where you would rest your wrists if it was on a desk, super uncomfortable. #3 My power cord had some wear on it and they refused to replace it at the store for free. Two weeks later the thing started smoking and the cord completely burned through. They gave me a new one but that was after they had to have a big recall. No huge complaint, i'm typing this post on it right now, but thought you should know some of the drawbacks.

All in All I'd say they are pretty good but I've always used mac.

The cracking problem is a known issue. They should have fixed it for you.

[arb44]

It looks like I've had the exception:

in the four years I had my macbook pro, I had to replace the cd drive, the hard drive, the battery(just ran down over time) and the fan. Some of this was under warranty, some was not.

that said, I used it and traveled with it (overhead bins of airplanes) so it did take some beatings.

[smov_operator]

I have a macbook from the summer of 2006. I had a few issues. #1 Battery died but I guess thats expected, I was abroad and it cost me like $175 for a new one which I thought was pricey #2 The plastic broke off towards the bottom of it like where you would rest your wrists if it was on a desk, super uncomfortable. #3 My power cord had some wear on it and they refused to replace it at the store for free. Two weeks later the thing started smoking and the cord completely burned through. They gave me a new one but that was after they had to have a big recall. No huge complaint, i'm typing this post on it right now, but thought you should know some of the drawbacks.

All in All I'd say they are pretty good but I've always used mac.

The cracking problem is a known issue. They should have fixed it for you.

My Fall 07 Macbook eventually cracked on each side of the palm rest. They replaced it, and the keyboard overnight.

[quakeroats]

I have a macbook from the summer of 2006. I had a few issues. #1 Battery died but I guess thats expected, I was abroad and it cost me like $175 for a new one which I thought was pricey #2 The plastic broke off towards the bottom of it like where you would rest your wrists if it was on a desk, super uncomfortable. #3 My power cord had some wear on it and they refused to replace it at the store for free. Two weeks later the thing started smoking and the cord completely burned through. They gave me a new one but that was after they had to have a big recall. No huge complaint, i'm typing this post on it right now, but thought you should know some of the drawbacks.

All in All I'd say they are pretty good but I've always used mac.

The cracking problem is a known issue. They should have fixed it for you.

My Fall 07 Macbook eventually cracked on each side of the palm rest. They replaced it, and the keyboard overnight.

Stay away from the plastic model. Tack the $200 on your loan; you won't be sorry.

[dextermorgan]

I have a macbook from the summer of 2006. I had a few issues. #1 Battery died but I guess thats expected, I was abroad and it cost me like $175 for a new one which I thought was pricey #2 The plastic broke off towards the bottom of it like where you would rest your wrists if it was on a desk, super uncomfortable. #3 My power cord had some wear on it and they refused to replace it at the store for free. Two weeks later the thing started smoking and the cord completely burned through. They gave me a new one but that was after they had to have a big recall. No huge complaint, i'm typing this post on it right now, but thought you should know some of the drawbacks.

All in All I'd say they are pretty good but I've always used mac.

The cracking problem is a known issue. They should have fixed it for you.

My Fall 07 Macbook eventually cracked on each side of the palm rest. They replaced it, and the keyboard overnight.

Stay away from the plastic model. Tack the $200 on your loan; you won't be sorry.

Credited. The aluminum they make these with fell out of God's ass.

[FlanAl]

think they will still replace it? I took it to a mac store (in the UK, where they are dicks about everything) and they wanted to charge me for a whole new keyboard.

[straxen]

I have a Powerbook from 2004 which I used for about 3 years and forgot about, as I was cleaning out my apartment to move to law school I stumbled upon it and was curious to see if it still worked. It works just fine and has taken a lot of abuse. I can't say that for the HP and Dell that were in the same box with it that were purchased in 2007 and late 2008, respectively.

[xyzzzzzzzz]

got my mac book in june 07. About a year later the harddrive crashed. It was replaced no prob (warranty). I definitely recommend getting the extended warranty, just because you never know. The disc drive started to fuck up later on, but it was replaced at no charge. They also replaced my keyboard (i have a plastic one) at no charge. Overall, I cannot complain. It takes a bit longer to start up, but that is pretty normal given its age. Just remember, even macs are fallible. Back up your important documents etc. Despite the minor issues I have had, I never want to go back to a pc.