Apple has added 12 more Macs to its vintage and obsolete lists, affecting the hardware service users can access. If your Mac has joined one of the lists, it could become harder to get it repaired by Apple.
As spotted by MacRumors, these three Macs have been added to the vintage list:
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
Apple classifies a product as vintage after more than five years have passed since the company last sold it. Apple Stores and authorized service providers won’t refuse to repair your Mac at this point, but whether they can help you depends on the repair parts they have available. Since no more parts will be manufactured, there’s a finite amount.
The following nine Macs have been added to the obsolete list:
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, early 2016)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, early 2015)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, early 2015)
- iMac (21.5-inch, late 2015)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, late 2015)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, lare 2015)
Products are added to the obsolete list when more than seven years have passed since Apple stopped selling them. Repairs for obsolete products at Apple Stores and authorized service providers are generally not accepted, but battery replacements can remain available for another three years.
Apple sticks to the timings fairly accurately — for example, normal editions of the iPhone 8 were sold until 2020 and are therefore not on the vintage list quite yet. The special edition product (RED) iPhone 8, however, only sold from April to September 2018 so it is classed as vintage.
The way Apple treats vintage and obsolete products is a contentious point for some, especially those who advocate for better repairability. It’s a fair argument that any device in working condition should be eligible for repair, but at the same time, it doesn’t make sense for companies to continue manufacturing old parts that they can’t use in current products.
If Apple did choose to make the effort to extend repairability further, it would be able to put greater emphasis on just how long Macs can last and stay usable — which is a frankly impressively long time.
If your Mac has appeared on the vintage list this time and you want to keep it going for as long as possible, it might be a good idea to give it a once over and replace the battery before it goes obsolete.