[FullRangeMan]

Shame, Mac computers last 4 years:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/04/15/its-confirmed-your-iphone-has-a-limited-lifespan-says-apple/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3541795/Time-running-iPhone-Macbook-Apple-officially-reveals-products-three-years.html

http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/15/apple-admits-your-new-iphone-will-only-last-a-few-years-5819639/

http://www.hotapplenews.com/article/apple-admits-your-new-iphone-will-only-last-a-few-years-49372035-ac940a.html

http://www.hotapplenews.com/article/apple-iphones-last-just-three-years-49410590-99b021.html

[JerryM]

Yep, most expensive bricks in the world.

[timind]

My Mac Mini is going strong after 6 years. The wife's ipad is 7-8 years with no signs of quitting.
I replaced my iphone 3 with a 5, but the 3 was still fully functional.

Knocking on wood as I type this.

[rpf]

No. Stupid troll bait.

Despite the misleading copy on a couple of those links, what Apple said is that that's how often people tend to change models - not how long they last.

I have two Apple computers that are six years old and they both work fine.

[apollophono]

I agree with the responders.  Apple products will last much longer than
what the poster suggests.  I used to own PC products, but when working
for Dell as a tech support technician I came to realize that PC's rarely
work longer that Apple products. 

[*Scotty*]

Checking the individual Environmental Report pdf docs associated with a specific product,(ie.iPhoneS+) clearly shows the that Apple is referring to first customer possession and use.

Customer Use:
User power consumption assumes a three-year period. Product use scenarios are based
on customer use scenarios.
Geographic differences in the power grid mix have been accounted for at a
regional level.

See link to Apple pdf doc.  https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone6sPlus_PER_sept2015.pdf
How long the mean time to failure is on a any Apple product has not yet been disclosed.
A lithium ion battery however does not remain viable forever and will eventually require factory replacement.
As long as Apple continues to increase the footprint and processor requirements of their operating systems and thereby rendering the hardware in the product obsolete, people will have to replace their favorite Apple product with a new one on a regular basis. The alternative is to bypass the continual software upgrades and thus preserve the functionality of the device.
Does anybody remember the software/hardware cycle between Microsoft and Intel.
Scotty
 

[Doublej]

I have two imacs. With the first one, the graphics card croaked within 3 years. It had an extended warranty so it was fixed for free. Now it's too old to receive updates from Apple.

The second one had a wireless card go intermittent after 6 years. Not worth fixing. Tossed a $20 external wifi router on it.

Have an iphone 5S. Battery life now sucks. Not sure it would be any different with Android.

YMMV.

My family has had five Dell laptops over the years. Can't kill them. Had a problem with one which had a flaky wifi card that I think existed since day one but got replaced by me in year 2 with a new card; $10 on ebay. Two XP machines got retired after the hardware became so old.

Viruses are a whole different story. You want to not have to worry so much get a Mac.

[thunderbrick]

I've had 4 laptops in the past 11 years, and they take a beating.  All still work fine.  Wife's iMac is 10+ years old, and I have  G4 tower in the basement that still works.

Edit:  To "shame" anything based on poorly written, inaccurate stories on fake news sites is BS.  You don't like Apple, fine.  Just don't use bogus "facts" just because they reflect your angry viewpoint.

[*Scotty*]

I am waiting for a disclaimer directly from Apple CEO Tim Cook and maybe some MTF information on their products.
Scotty

[jpm]

As a general principle regarding how long smartphones and computers remain up to date / relevant compared to the latest models, I'd say the original statement is spot on. 

Obviously everyone's individual value proposition is different. My brother is bound and determined to get every last ounce of life out of his smartphones and computers, even when that isn't necessary.

Case in point - I tend to gift my older (approx 3 years old) laptops to friends / family and found two years ago, that a Dell latitude I'd gifted my brother 5 years prior was still his main computer. He was quite happy to curse at it and fiddle with things repeatedly to get it to work, very slowly.  When I visited him about 6 months later, I gifted him a new Dell Latitude to replace the aged grief causing one.  Count me as stunned when, a year later, he visits with the ancient model in tow. The rationale for him is that the new one is too new to travel with and he's happy to make do with the old one while it works, just in case... A month ago, on his latest visit, I find he's still using the same ancient laptop.

This machine is well over 10 years old now, he has it running Windows 7 but it is horribly slow and rather flakey. He puts up with it and gets value from something in this arrangement, whereas I would have taken it out into the desert for target practice years ago. 

So, when Apple says they expect a smartphone to last 3 years and a computer 4, I imagine they're talking about someone with expectations and buying habits like me, not how long the actual hardware will last.

[doorman]

No. Stupid troll bait.

Despite the misleading copy on a couple of those links, what Apple said is that that's how often people tend to change models - not how long they last.

I have two Apple computers that are six years old and they both work fine.

Agreed. OP should re-read the article (s) !

[NIGHTFALL1970]

My iMac desktop still works after nine years.

[Nick B]

My wife's desktop lasted 10 years before it had an issue. My buddy started with Apple products in the 90's and has never had anything fail. That kind of longevity works for me.

[dB Cooper]

I've had 4 laptops in the past 11 years, and they take a beating.  All still work fine.  Wife's iMac is 10+ years old, and I have  G4 tower in the basement that still works.

Edit:  To "shame" anything based on poorly written, inaccurate stories on fake news sites is BS.  You don't like Apple, fine.  Just don't use bogus "facts" just because they reflect your angry viewpoint.

What thunderbrick said.

[Phil A]

I still have a Mac G5 Tower in my bedroom.  Got it used for around $600 and was my main computer for a bit.  It still works well (has a dual core processor.  I'd guess it is around 13-14 years old.

[apollophono]

After reading all the posts, and I'll admit I haven't read the article yet, I
would still say that in general Apple products have a better track record
of longevity. 

After reading the article headline again I would say that
the iPad and iPhone may not last long considering it doesn't have a
replaceable battery.  That could be said about any product that doesn't
have a replaceable battery.  Nuff said. 

Apple products are a boutique product that regarding laptops and
desktops have a record of outlasting PC desktops and laptops.  Sure you
will get some PC's or notebooks that last a long time, but overall Apple
computers and notebooks have a better history of lasting longer. 

[Phil A]

I also still have my iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 (using the 6) and they are old.  They come in handy for things like the Oppo Media Control App

[JohnR]

 

The FAQ from Apple linked to in these ridiculous articles actually says:

"Years of use, which are based on first owners, are assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watchOS devices."

[macrojack]

I have been told by Apple reps that the typical user buys Apple Care along with their devices and keeps them until that warranty expires after 3 years. Perhaps that is the basis for this misrepresentation of fact. And with phones, there has been a 2 year refresh cycle built into most contracts which then encourages replacement so as to incur a new 2 year contract. My Iphones have always worked like new when replaced after 2-3 years. And I bought a new iMac last August even though my 2009 iMac still works perfectly. The disc drive did fail in the older unit a couple of years ago but I "fixed" it myself by spending $70 on an outboard Super Drive. It's pretty hard to fault Apple, particularly when considering the competition.

[FullRangeMan]

Seems there is no Apple Press Release to these news, only an related article at Apple FAQS saying:
http://www.apple.com/environment/answers/
How does Apple conduct its Product Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Assessment?
Apple uses five steps when conducting a product life cycle assessment (LCA):
2. To model customer use, we measure the power consumed by a product while it is running in a simulated scenario. Daily usage patterns are specific to each product and are a mixture of actual and modeled customer use data. Years of use, which are based on first owners, are assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watchOS devices. More information on our product energy use is provided in our Product Environmental Reports.[/color]
The life cycle in question may be main board or the battery, some products of this brand has a battery that can not be replaced by the user only in a repair shop.

SMT these news site know something we dont, as all they say the same.
This two news are interesting:
http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/41087/20160416/confirmed-you-iphone-has-a-limited-lifespan.htm

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/three-old-iphone-living-borrowed-212242209.html