Apple Just Called Nine Mac Models “Obsolete”
Consumer technology is getting damn good—so good that there’s less and less reason to upgrade. Many of us are using our devices longer than ever, and the Mac is no exception: Apple computers not only hold their value well, but actually last for years (ignoring any critical hardware failures). If you buy a Mac today, you might not feel the need to upgrade for a very long time.
And yet, it can still come as a shock when Apple itself decides that your Mac is too old for this world. That’s the impression you might get from reading today’s tech headlines : Apple has called nine of its Macs “obsolete” and another three “vintage.” The thing is, just because Apple says the Mac is outdated doesn’t mean it actually is outdated. (And a “vintage” Mac doesn’t mean you’ll look like a hipster walking around with it.)
Which Macs are already outdated?
According to Apple, these nine Macs are now considered obsolete:
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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, early 2016)
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MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
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MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
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MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
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MacBook Pro (15 inches, 2016)
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MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
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iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
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iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5″, Late 2015)
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iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
And the following three Macs are now “vintage”:
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MacBook Air (Retina, 13 inches, 2018)
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MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt 3)
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MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
These Macs join a long list of vintage and obsolete machines, dating back to the Apple I. But just because your 2016 Mac has the same list as a 1976 computer, that doesn’t mean it’s time to retire it.
What do “outdated” and “vintage” even mean?
If you have one of these Macs, it won’t stop working just because Apple calls it obsolete. It’s possible that your Mac is still working great and will continue to function as intended for some time to come. (It’s also possible that your Mac isn’t running like it used to, and that’s okay too.)
“Vintage” and “obsolete” are simply categories that Apple uses to service Mac computers. Apple considers a product vintage if it first began selling it more than five years ago, but less than seven years ago. This means that at any point during those five to seven years, Apple can label the product as vintage. At this time, Apple no longer guarantees hardware support and may also discontinue software support. While they won’t reject all vintage products, don’t be surprised if they say they can’t help you with your 2018 MacBook Air.
“Vintage” products eventually become “obsolete,” which essentially means Apple will no longer service those devices. While a vintage device might get some help from a genius bar, they won’t be able to help with your late 2015 iMac. You can learn more about this system in our full article here .
In short, don’t listen to the marketing jargon: if your “vintage” or “legacy” Mac still works for you, keep using it. However, if it breaks, just know that Apple may not be able to help you, so you may be better off with a third-party repair option.