How long does imac last

Yes, it all true that Apple provides support for iMac devices as well, and you can update the OS on iMac as well. Apple usually provides support for the Mac hardware and it keeps providing security support and updates for the latest and previous two versions of the OS. Moreover, when it comes to the support period, Apple only provides support for iMac Hardware for 3 years.

It means that the support only lasts until the Apple warranty lasts. But as today apple provides free OS releases, updates and upgrades, hence it has reduced the support period for Mac Hardware. But with proper care and maintenance, your iMac can run for years as well. Though its a very rare case but its not impossible. Apple does not compromise on the quality of its devices and which is why your iMac can last a minimum of 5 years.

The performance and longevity of a device also about its capability and capacity to run new releases and updates. When we look at the capability and capacity of the iMacs, even the years older iMac devices are capable to run the latest versions of the Mac OS. No matter how to believe it may look to you, Apple iMac can support and perfectly run the latest Mac OS versions.

This might not work for everyone. Apple provides system requirements with each new MacOS release. Apple guidelines. To find out what operating systems your Mac will support click here. Repairs or component replacement. Repairing failed, worn out, or broken components maybe a good option, but consider the cost and the age of the computer. Check out our post on Vintage Apple Products.

Maybe the battery in your MacBook is not working properly, that can be replaced. Broken screen? That too can be replaced. Oops, liquid damage. That's a bit more to repair, but MacMan does that too. Upgrades like RAM or switching to a solid-state drive. SATA drives have moving components and tend to have a higher failure rate.

Operates with flash storage and no moving components make these more reliable. Newer technology and is what the industry is moving towards. Price is coming down which makes this a great upgrade option. RAM Memory. Todays base amount of ram.

Better for applications such as iPhoto, iMovie, etc. Makes your Mac run more smoothly. If you are working with graphic applications, such as Adobe, or a number of applications at once, you will want at least 32GB of ram. What does this all mean? Talk to us. If your Mac is 3 to 5 years old the effective performance will start to decrease.

You should consider your options. Trade-in advantage - reduces the amount needed to purchase a new Mac. Giving Mac Program - used to donate to K students and their families. Upgrade options may be:. Upgrading the operating system if the hardware will support it. After Portland Oregon had an unseasonably hot August when it would get to 90F 32C in her apartment, the iMac started acting up and eventually would not start.

That model had no fan--it relied on convection cooling, which was not enough for that environment. Even after returning it to our comfortable house, it would "sorta" work but not very well after the "heat stroke. For years, all Macs have enjoyed thermal protection that shut down the computer if the CPU got too hot, but this does not mean other components on the logic board won't slowly "cook" over time in continuous high-temp environments.

My current iMac details below is my first for my own use. I've always had towers but could not justify a Mac Pro for what I do today. Its fans are very quiet. The only time I heard them speed up to handle higher heat was while booted into Windows via BootCamp and Windows was doing one of tiose thigns it does that runs the hard drive overtime. That said, no current iMac has the massive fans found in most tower computers; there's not room. There are software packages that let you set a particular fan speed in known hot comditions that wil run the fans faster than what the default Apple programming calls up.

I use it on an older MacBook Pro of a vintage when their video cards could fail under hot conditions. Mine is still OK, largely because I've stayed aware of its heat issues and use the above utility to kick up the fans when I know I'm doing anything that will make the computer run hotter.

If your outdoor gigs are more often that not is high-temp seasons, you may need to consider a Mac Pro with its most robust cooling.

It's heavy and you'd also have to lug a monitor, but it may be the better choice than Macs built with a compact form factor that basically rely on smaller fans typically used in laptops. Mountain Lion just came out. We don't know what Apple plans for the future, and they are keeping us on our toes by bringing out two OS upgrades in one year.

Part of the decision is how important you feel it is to run a newer OS. I think even ML excluded some Macs, and certainly even some newer ones for some features Airplay. Who knows? How important is it to you to be able to follow those?

To me it is only important in as much as everybody follows the pack and then I start getting shut out with my old hardware when some web innovation says I must be running an Intel Mac in order to read my e-mail.

Another consideration is Apple is making it hard to upgrade to anything but the newest OS version. It used to be you could find old system discs on the used market. Now everything is downloads, and the license stays with the account used and doesn't travel with a disc like it used to, so even if somebody does sell you a used Mac with Snow Leopard on it originally but with Lion on it now, you won't be able to reinstall Lion without buying it yourself.

If Apple decides to pull the plug on an OS you cannot upgrade. Even now old Mac owners trying to upgrade to Lion are having to try through the backdoor since Lion was pulled from the online store. One nice thing about my Quicksilver is it made the journey through 5 major system upgrades OS With the new OS purchasing and [un]availability structure I think those days are gone.

Personally, my next Mac will be a Intel running Snow Leopard which will run my old PPC software, and I'll keep it at that until somebody pries it from my dead hands. I'll then have to rethink the situation in I may just have to go cheap for now so i can get some work done and then in 6 months to a year buy a newer one for the long haul.

I wouldn't mind having 2 or 3 more computers as I'm trying to build up a studio and could use the extra workstations anyway. Plus, I like knowing if something goes wrong with one of them I can still get some work done.

Jul 31, PM. Question: Q: How long should an imac last? More Less. Communities Get Support. Sign in Sign in Sign in corporate. Browse Search. Ask a question. User profile for user: bigjmart bigjmart. Question: Q: Question: Q: How long should an imac last? So, here are my questions before I buy another one. I wouldn't want to repeat the mistakes.

Can I expect them to only last 3 years? Is it really normal for an imac to last 10 years or is that the exception? Reply I have this question too I have this question too Me too Me too.

Helpful answers Drop Down menu. Jul 31, AM in response to bigjmart In response to bigjmart It is hard for us to diagnose the issues you had with the old computer. View answer in context. Lots of very knowledgeable and extremely helpful Mac users here. Also, how careful were you when transporting it? In my case, I pushed this to almost 10 years.

Loading page content. User profile for user: BigDag BigDag. Jul 31, AM in response to bigjmart In response to bigjmart I will try and answer all your concerns. Reply Helpful 2 Thread reply - more options Link to this Post. Reply Helpful 1 Thread reply - more options Link to this Post. Reply Helpful Thread reply - more options Link to this Post. User profile for user: Limnos Limnos. Jul 31, AM in response to Limnos In response to Limnos Yeah the local shop had a guy that supposedly was the 'mac guy' of the shop but who knows how much they knew compared to an apple store.

Jul 31, AM in response to bigjmart In response to bigjmart Thanks everyone. All of your input helps.