Read other letters about this article
What is this about the average PC lives only 2.5 years? In my 6-computer household (4 people, so 4 desktops and 2 laptops), one is a year old (one of the laptops). One we've had for probably 10 years (really-- and I bought it used, so it's probably 12 years old)-- and my spouse uses that every single day. The others are some age in between. I do buy new desktops because, well, they're so cheap, and they go faster. :) But the old ones work fine. Not to say I haven't had problems, but usually it's a matter of getting a new hard drive. The only real problem I've had was with one computer-- the motherboard died after about 4 years. Oh, I did drop a laptop and ruined a screen.
Anyway, I have no doubt that many PC owners buy a new one every 2-3 years, but that's because new computers are faster, and it's cheaper to buy than upgrade. Doesn't mean that the old ones are broken, just that we give them to the kids or move them to the back room.