What Happens If Your Apple Products Become “vintage” or “obsolete”?
Every tech product you own has a “lifespan” after release. For example, Apple policies guarantee five years of support starting on the date the device was released (not after you bought it). After these five years, the device becomes “vintage”.
Several 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models have recently added to the vintage list . This includes all 11- and 13-inch MacBook Airs released between mid 2013 and early 2014 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro released in mid-2014.
But what exactly does it mean for an Apple product to become “vintage” – and what happens when a vintage product becomes “obsolete”?
Vintage Apple Products
When an Apple device becomes “vintage,” it will no longer receive regular software updates, and Apple does not guarantee that it can be repaired at an Apple store or an authorized service provider.
Despite the cut support, older Apple devices will still work – this is not some kind of internal switch – and some devices may even receive periodic system updates if they support the latest operating systems or if a serious security bug needs to be fixed. … It is even possible that you could get one repaired in harsh conditions, but only for over two years, after which they move to the worst category: “Obsolete”.
Apple’s deprecated list
As with Vintage products, devices marked as “obsolete” will function normally as long as the equipment is in working order. However, legacy products lose all support — no more repairs, system updates, or security patches. Apple makes no exceptions to this rule. A list of all old and obsolete devices can be found on the Apple support site .
These shifts in service priority can be frustrating if you’re still rocking older technologies and don’t feel like upgrading, but this policy makes sense given current market realities: with the iteration speed of both hardware and software, diverting resources to keep them out of date. … Devices afloat are difficult, expensive and in some cases even impossible. So, while you still have about two more years before your now vintage 2013/2014 MacBook is completely removed from Apple services, it’s probably time to start looking for an update.
[ MacRumors ]