more on laptop lifespan

This comes from GRAEME WOOD, my well-travelled journalist friend at The Atlantic:

“One of my classmates is now a laptop bigwig at a major producer, and he advised me that manufacturers build laptops to last a standard three years — half that if you are commuting with the laptop every day. This figure has some consequences, if you buy a really nice machine and are contemplating whether to get an extended warranty.”

It’s really true. After all, why should I be upset that this laptop is starting to fall apart after just under two years? It’s already two cuts below other computers now available at that same price, and even if I trash this computer now (after incredibly heavily usage) I will have paid less than $100/month for my basic career tool. It’s really not that bad a deal, just twice as much as monthly mobile phone usage.

I suppose it’s as simple as this… Since the initial price tag on laptops is generally over $1,000, and since one forms a fairly close relationship with one’s computer, it’s easy to get sentimental about them, as if they were precious handcrafted luxury goods. But really they’re just tools meant to last from 2-4 years and then to be replaced by something better.

On a related (?) note, he also refers people to this DROPBOX signup page.