My ‘present’ computer is a 13-inch 2020 MacBook Pro with Intel chip. Previously I have had MacBook Pros for many years and they tend to last between 5 and 8 years.
My battery started to die about 6 months ago. It still charges to 100% but drains pretty fast so I have to take the charger with me if I go anywhere, and have to position myself close to a power point. The fans were starting to run more often. That was no problem until my camera hardware started to play up. I need a camera every day to teach, and using my phone camera or an external web camera seemed to be too much hassle.
Fixing the battery and camera and having a service was pretty pricey, and the age of the computer made it more feasible to get a new one.
I use my computer for reading, watching streaming channels, blogging, banking, teaching and photo storage, so I like to buy one I *almost* cannot afford. This guarantees I can use it for longer because it can cope with new operating systems, increased storage, and it also functions for most things. In the past I made the mistake of saving money on RAM and hard drive space, and El Capitan basically killed my computer. (I still hate El Capitan)
So a few days ago I bought a 14-in black November 2024 Macbook Pro M4 on special. My first computer with Apple silicon system. They are eye-wateringly expensive, but I do like the Mac ecosystem and have been exclusively a Mac user for about 15 years. Between 1995 and 2010 I used both PC and Mac. I worked in journalism and IT for many years and Mac was always used for graphic work, even in South Africa. Of course in those days PC and Mac did not talk to each other so it was a pain in the ass.
The one thing I really like about Macs is that you can migrate seamlessly from one to another. Migration assistant does everything for you so you end up with the same set up, right down to the screensaveer and wallpaper.
So far I am missing the touch bar, which I liked on my old one. And I am missing being able to charge from both sides. But I am not missing the butterfly keyboard.
I wanted to cry at the expense but hopefully this one will last 8 years.
All the resetting of passwords is doing my head in though…
My Macbook Pro lasted me just over 10 years!! I now have a Macbook Air with an M3 chip. It’s super fast and runs very cool so very efficient. I upgraded it to macOS 26 last night along with my other Apple devices!
Money well spent as far as I’m concerned. Windows PC’s just slow down over time and become unusable.
I normally get about 8 years out of them, so I was a bit disappointed this time. My 2020 one still works perfectly though, except for the camera, and the low battery life. I am going to keep it as a backup.
And here I was, thinking the phrase ‘doing my head in’ was exclusively British 😂
I am from a former colony, so maybe Britishisms spread!
I find MAC’s to be overly expensive and, having used them briefly for a year for work (I used to work in IT support before retirement and used a MAC for Apple support for 12 months, supporting iPad, iPhone, and iMAC as well as MAC mini and MAC books). I find PC’s easier to use, for a variety of reasons, and since the MACbooks have been increasing in price over the past few years spending £2-300 on a PC which will last me for a minimum of 10 years (I have even been able to squeeze 15 years out of my first PC) they are really good value for money. I can also buy software for one and then transfer it across to my subsequent purchase very easily.