The average laptop will last you at least three years and up to eight or nine if you're lucky, speaking from experience. But at that point, you'll be looking to upgrade anyway. Anecdotally (and according to sites like Fruit Fixed) MacBooks have always been considered more built to last than most Windows machines. And that is more true for devices with Apple's custom silicon (M1 and beyond), which are future-proofed given their tendency to blow most other chips out of the water. Given the lengthy battery life in the latest MacBooks, you can also expect to undergo many more recharge cycles before it shows signs of deterioration. That, coupled with the fact that the hardware in the MacBook is engineered to work cohesively, means you are investing in a device that could last many years.