As a less anecdotal indicator that Mac’s remain useful for significantly longer, look at prices for used computers on eBay – older Mac’s sell for significantly more than used PC’s, even PC’s from name-brand manufacturers. To a degree this offsets the Mac’s somewhat higher purchase price, because you can look at it as being amortized over a longer lifespan, or being paid by by being able to re-sell the used Mac when you buy a new one.

Apple software has a reputation for quality, but your’s is the first post I remember reading pronounces them as physically durable as other offerings. That’s fine, I’ll take your word for the PowerBook. My experience with a MacBook Pro says otherwise.

I made no mention of customer service. Nor did I mention obsolescence. Neither pertain to hardware durability. Unless you’re getting it fixed, in which I did reference the $1400 quote (again, unverified, but swears its true). I fixed with $75 part. I hardly consider this good customer service, even if the bill was only 1/3 the quote. But that’s just me.

That’s fine about upgrading for speed, I’m not contending that point. And supporting Windows, again, has nothing to do with hardware. Your enthusiasm and exuberance defending Apple is commendable, but delving into arguments I never made by pointing out shortcomings I never mentioned (or contend) betrays motive many non Mac users are growing tired of. You love your Mac, we get it. You don’t need to point out all its virtues in every discussion. You’re obviously free to do so, but my post concerned hardware durability.

I’m actually considering an Apple down the line though, and appreciate your feedback. Because I do have concerns about durability. Thanks.

Apple’s have a reputation for quality, their customer service is second to none and they normally obsolete themselves more by making the next generation so cool you want it.

So, you’re wrong if you think a Lenovo laptop is going to outlast a Mac laptop. We have an old 500 MHz G4 PowerBook at work that I travelled around the world with and it’s still going six years later! In fact, it’s still doing duty as a MIDI converter at one of our production manager’s home.

I had to upgrade to a MacBook Pro for speed, not because the PowerBook wore out. Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop CS3 Extended all require massive hardware to run fast enough for me when I’m downloading 16.7 megapixel photos in Arusha, Tanzania or Jaipur, India.

I don’t need a support nightmare that PCs are with Windows. (For me, I used to know and fix Windows, but since OS X, I have no desire to figure out how to connect to a hotel wireless network connection in India. Macs just work with Wifi, no muss, no fuss.)

You can abuse the hell out of those old ThinkPads, and they keep ticking. I spilled beer into the keyboard at least twice, that I remember. Pulled keys and dried off, no problems then or now. My brother did same with MacBook Pro, they wanted (reportedly) over a thousand dollars to fix.

Macs are definitely some of the best looking computers out there today, but its safe to say they are, in no way, shape of form, the most durable. They’re high end, precision machines, and they don’t take abuse well. If you’re going to college, they probably won’t take as well to getting dinged as comparable PC machines.

If all you do is type a few words in notepad, you are fine with a laptop that is 10 years old!

Jon
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