The M1 Macbook Air might be the longest lasting laptop because the only moving parts in that laptop would be the hinge and the keyboard. And the electronic components might last even longer since they are not being stressed at all.

Now fans does not have a high failure rate since I got my MacBook Air and Mac Mini going into their 9th year and still running along. Hard drives usually have high failure rate after 100,000 hours (10 years) but now it’s all SSD, that failure rate is even higher. If that fails, it’s actually be a problem since everything is soldered on the board and the Touch ID is tied with the hard drive and the M1 chip (you cannot simply replace the Touch ID sensor).

Heat is usually a killer in electronics, but since it only requires a heat spreader, this means that heat is not a major issue for the M1 chips. In fact, during high sustained loads the M1 will throttle down to ensure that optimum temperature is maintained.

Now the LCD might have issues with because the mean time between failures is around 45,000 hours (5 years). but if you are using around 8–9 hours a day, this means it’s around 10–12 years of normal usage and it’s a matter of replacing the screen after that.

Capacitor is usually a problem for old electronics. but now,it’s not uncommon to see them last around 20–30 years especially if using the higher quality ones that Apple uses.


magic keyboard repair
credit: ifixit

The keyboard used to be an issues for Apple butterfly keyboard. In chase for design and thinness, the durability and comfort of the keyboard is compromised. Now we are back to normal scissor spring keyboard, you can expect the durability will last for quite a while. Expect one the spring to break over time, but it is not a hard repair. In fact iFixit commended Apple for switching back to the “magic” keyboard design which easier to repair compared to the old butterfly keyboard.


macbook air m1 logic board
The entire MacBook Air logic board. just needs power, keyboard and a screen.

So yes, this MacBook Air can easily last around 15–20 years of normal usage before even needing replacement parts. So the only worry is that if the hard drive fails, you have to change the entire board since everything is soldered and connected.

Plug

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