How long will a macbook pro last, if its used as a normal computer would be used?

Question

I'm thinking of getting a macbook or most likely, a macbook pro. However, I use my laptops as normal computers. For example, I save all my pictures, documents, and everything to my laptop, but I do not play any games that would have to be downloaded or installed except maybe, The Sims. If anyone can give me an idea of how long both a macbook and macbook pro would last, that'd be great.

Answer 1

Oh wow. I have 2 computers that are 18 years old. Pre-windows.

If you take care of it, it could live to be 18.

My 2 macs  are 3 and going strong.

Answer 2

If you want an Apple laptop that will last you for more than a year, wait for the next generation! DO NOT BUY A MACBOOK PRO. The macbooks are ok, but the MBP's have big issues at the moment. since you do a ton of work, get the pro. a macbook is for light travel use really.

Answer 3

I had my MacBook Pro from 2006 to recently - and it is still running.  In general Apples have a "short" life because they become outdated and people want new ones.  But, the computer could last about 5 years if you take care of it.  Now, there are some awful issues with the MBPs that I have experiences between me and friends.  I will just list some of the things that have made the computer completely stop, or components of it completely stop working:

Hard drive failure after a year : happened to my best friend who only used her laptop at home on her desk or kitchen table.  A known issue that has happened to quite a few laptops.

Burning of power supplies: I have had it happen 2 times, my boyfriend 2 times, we had roommates, classmates that have had it happen including one of our old roommates whose actually caught on fire.  Apple knows this defect, replaces the power supplies, but they should probably fix it because it's really dangerous.

Exploding batteries / heat damage : MBPs get really really hot.  Run some Photoshop or something and it can get to about 200 degrees plus - on Apple default settings.  Even with the SMC fan control application, the fans do not cool the computer that well.  My casing warped from heat, even though I kept an external fan attached to it before I found SMC fan control.  My boyfriend's computer which always had a high end external fan attached actually had the battery blow up (expanded).  This ended up harming the casing and some of the innards, but Apple refused to replace the computer until a month later it completely stopped working and a Genius opened it, realized how badly the battery explosion was and gave him a new computer.

There are a lot of other defects that will keep the MBP from lasting a long time.  Some of these can be found at http://www.appledefects.com/.

Answer 4

macs are not game machines and i'd be very surprised if the sims even was able to work on one. i personally think you get more out of macbook black edition vs 600 more for a larger screen and 1 gig more ram.