We bought 3 for 1100/ in 2006. Mine supports new cameras without new software(just iphoto), I write articles constantly on office, send them to my editor, back and forth, no problems. I do CAD design with an Autocad version, send pdfs to clients, they send things back, I send them to plumbers, back they come. I've always been happy with the longevity of most apple products(early ipods the exception).

I did have to put a new hd in my macbook a couple years ago, we added memory years ago, also cheap and easy to do. But my daughter is still on her original HD and she and her 2006 macbook graduate college in 2013. Sons was stolen so he bought an AIR book and that seems really robust.

I'll get a new macbook in a year or so but only because I think the screen on this isn't as bright. But these are about $150/ year machines that don't need upgrading. I think that's a good value. I've never had a mac computer(we've had quite a few) die that I recall.