@**caution**opinion_ahead wrote:For a consumer like me, who has no desire to have all the latest products, Apple has one major fault. They stop supporting their previous systems very quickly. So, you might buy a £1000 laptop, thinking it will last you yonks. And it would, in terms of the build quality, but, sadly, Apple will make sure it is effectively redundant very quickly.
To get maximum life, wait for the next issue of anything (pod, pad, whatever) and get it early.
Beg to differ caution, Apple do not stop "supporting" their previous (computer) systems very quickly or make them redundant.
There's a difference between supporting and upgrading. They upgrade the version of their current operating system quite often but it's either free to users or minimal cost, around £75 I think, and they support anything that's gone before for several years. I bought my current MacBook in 2006... hardly new and yet it's functioning absolutely fine with OS "upgrades". I will be getting the new ipad air in the New Year though... I've used Macs since 1987 and I've had 4, all used professionally and for pleasure, never had one breakdown, except the cd player on this one has gone - a first.
You'll always get people who want the "latest", but that doesn't mean Apple abandon us oldie users. 
