How Often Should I Replace My Mac?

This is a question we get a lot. I mean how old is too old? As a general rule, our guidance is in a business environment you should replace a Mac when the cost of a new computer is justified by the increased productivity the new Mac brings And always replace after five years. Because after five years, the first part will invariably be true.

Let’s face it. Computers - even Macs - age more like milk than fine wine. But besides the promise of increased productivity, there are two very good reasons for not letting your Mac get too old.

Security

If you’re running an older version of macOS, Apple may release security fixes eventually. Or they may not release them at all. Apple only guarantees security patches for the current version of macOS. Today, that’s macOS Tahoe (v26). And if your Mac is from 2019 or before it won’t even run Tahoe, making it a real security risk.

Compatibility

Time marches on. And so do the apps you’re likely running. With every new version or update, software from Microsoft, Adobe, and others always seem to demand more and more horsepower. Powerful new capabilities from Apple such as Apple Intelligence simply can’t run on the older & slower Intel chips they used to use. Expect this trend to only increase, leaving older Macs even further behind.

If you don’t know how old your Mac is, drop us a line. We’ll be glad to help you find out what you have.