However, we’d be inclined to suggest that if your Mac is older than seven years it really isn’t worth it (and, you’ll notice, the MacBooks that can have their RAM upgraded tend to be older than that).Apple’s current repair programs include:Apple CEO Tim Cook's antitrust hearing postponedSo, based on operating system support, around eight years is probably a fair time scale after which you should probably replace your Mac.There are a few indicators that your Mac has reached the end of its useful life:An ex-Apple PR, Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC.
But just how long should you expect a Mac to last?Apple and other companies frequently stop supporting older versions of the applications they make, so there could be issues with the versions of the software you are running. In fact, the company may not even provide parts for Macs that haven’t been manufactured for more than five years (considered vintage by the company).You might be able to buy an old Mac on eBay or similar and scrap if for the parts, but we’d suggest that it really wouldn’t be worth the effort.Below we will list the Macs supported by not just macOS Catalina (10.15), but also macOS Mojave (10.14) and macOS High Sierra (10.13) since Apple always supports the latest three operating systems. We'd say five to eight years, but beware that you probably won't be able to replace any faulty parts in a Mac older than five years.This is a similar question to the one above in as much as you will be weighing up whether spending money to improve your Mac might be more savvy than buying a new Mac.High Sierra launched in 2017 and supported the following Macs:Apple supports the following Macs with required software updates:Does this mean that Macs will last ten years? Unfortunately, at one point repairing your Mac or MacBook will no longer be a viable option and you will need to look for a replacement.Apple considered the following Macs obsolete (more than 7 years old):Before we begin, Apple made a big announcement at WWDC in June 2020: it is transitioning all Macs from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon processors (which use ARM) over the next two years.Aside from being vulnerable to security breaches, you may find that important software won’t run on your Mac.This could mean that you won’t be able to get a faulty Mac fixed because the parts aren’t available. It’s also worth considering upgrading if your Mac was purchased before 2013.If your Mac is in the vintage list then Apple might be able to provide the parts but there is no guarantee. If you aren’t running iTunes 12.8 and at least Mac OS X 10.11.6 (El Capitan) your Mac will not recognise your iPhone or iPad.However, if you look at Apple’s list of obsolete Macs - those being the Macs that Apple will no longer provide spare parts for - you will see that the company doesn’t provide parts for Macs that are more than seven years old. If you are able to upgrade the components inside your Mac you may be able to speed it up and make it more capable of doing what you need.So, in answer to the question: How long do Macs last? You can't update the RAM in any MacBook Air models.Apple lists the following products as being vintage:In this article we will address the above, as well as give advice about which Macs are still supported by Apple, the Macs that can still be repaired if required (Apple stops providing the required parts after a number of years), and the Macs that Apple considers obsolete and vintage.If you include the three most current operating systems from this list that indicates that no Macs sold before 2010, with the exception of the 2009 iMac, are supported by Apple.Mojave launched in 2018 and supported the following Macs:However, when Apple stops supporting High Sierra the list will narrow further with many Macs from before 2012 no longer supported (with the exception of that same 2009 iMac - but even its days are numbered).This certainly suggests that if your Mac is older than 2010 it’s definitely time to look for a new one. If you spend your money on a five year old machine will you come to regret it if you find out that the software you need won’t run on it? This means that Apple will keep an eye on any security vulnerabilities and other problems with these operating systems. For example, if you want to sync your iPad or iPhone with your Mac (rather than using iCloud) you need to run macOS and the required version of iTunes (as of Catalina iTunes is no more and the Finder looks after syncing).
In recent years Apple has taken to soldering RAM in place and hiding components away to make access impossible (or at least impossible if you don’t want to completely destroy your Mac attempting to get to them).Big Sur will arrive later in 2020 and when it does it will support the following Macs:Catalina launched in 2019 and supported the following Macs:You may also be wondering whether it’s a good idea to purchase a second-hand Mac that is a few years old. The list suggests that once a Mac is eight years old it is time to replace it.If your Mac is in the obsolete category above and something goes wrong with it then you are going to struggle to get the necessary parts if you wanted to attempt to get it fixed as Apple won’t provide the parts.And check the following links for the best deals right now:Macs have a high price so it’s understandable that many Mac users will want to put off replacing them for as long as they can. If you are experiencing random shutdowns, for example, it could be due to problems with an app you are running - problems that will not be addressed by the developer because that app is no longer supported.One factor to consider is the age at which most Macs start to experience issues, such as random shutdowns and degraded batteries that no longer hold their charge.