A dozen Macs “vintage” or “obsolete”

Apple has placed a number of once-popular Mac models on its “vintage” or “obsolete” list. This emerges from an update that the company published in an English version last week. A total of a dozen devices with an Intel chip are affected – this is currently still supported by macOS.

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What “obsolete” and “vintage” mean

The models that have now been declared “obsolete” come from 2015 and 2016; there are nine machines in total. “Vintage” are three machines from 2017 and 2018. “Obsolete” means that there is virtually no chance of repairs left by Apple itself or its official repair partners (Apple Authorized Service Provider, ASP).

“Vintage” means that there may be at least certain repair options, provided Apple still has spare parts. The company normally keeps batteries available for up to a decade after sales have stopped, but there is no obligation for this either. In certain countries such as France, longer repair times apply due to local laws.

List of affected Macs

“Vintage” are now 13-inch MacBook Pros from 2017 and 2018 with two ports, four TB3 ports (USB-C) and the 13-inch MacBook Air Retina from 2018. “Obsolete” are three iMacs from the end of 2015 (21, 5-inch, Retina 4K, Retina 5K), the 12-inch MacBook from early 2016, the MacBook Air 13-inch from early 2015 and a total of four MacBook Pro models from 2015 (13-inch Retina, early 2016) and 2016 (13-inch ). with two and four TB3 USB-C ports, 15 inches).

“Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro and Beats products may receive service and parts from Apple service providers for at least five years from the date the Apple product is purchased is “the last time it was offered for sale,” writes Apple. Up to seven years applies if sufficient spare parts are still available. Those affected should always first contact Apple Service and ask whether they can still help – and get a cost estimate. If Apple can no longer help, a visit to a free workshop can help if they can still find replacement parts. Repairs may also be carried out there directly on the motherboard, which Apple does not usually offer.

(BSC)