When Are Macs Obsolete?
But software updates aren’t the only thing that determines a Mac’s lifespan. There is also the question of whether your Mac will be able to be repaired if something goes wrong with the hardware. Apple has two standards that indicate hardware support is waning: Obsolete or Vintage. The first stage is Vintage: you might be lucky enough to get parts for that Mac, the second is Obsolete: as for any attempt to fix the Mac, if it breaks, you’re on your own.
If you look at the list of obsolete Macs—that is, Macs for which Apple will no longer provide replacement parts—you’ll see that the company is ceasing parts for Macs it hasn’t sold in more than seven years. In fact, the company doesn’t even have to provide parts for Macs that haven’t been sold for more than five years (considered Vintage by the company).
This could mean you won’t be able to repair a faulty Mac because parts aren’t available.
Outdated Macs
Obsolete Macs are generally Macs that Apple stopped selling more than seven years ago. Once a Mac is on Apple’s deprecated list, you have little chance of getting it fixed if something goes wrong. You may be able to find replacement parts yourself, but Apple won’t provide them.
More details on exact models can be found on Apple’s US site and the equivalent UK site, but the lists below will give you a general idea.
Apple considers the following Macs and older computers obsolete, now including the 2017 MacBook Pro models:
- 11-inch MacBook Air (Early 2015 and earlier)
- 12-inch MacBook (2016 and older)
- 13-inch MacBook Air (Early 2015 and earlier)
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2017 and older)
- 15-inch MacBook Pro (2017 and older)
- 27-inch iMac (2015 and older)
- 21.5-inch iMac (2015 and older)
- Mac mini (2012 and earlier)
- Mac mini Server (2012 and earlier)
- Mac Pro (2010 and older)
- Anything before the Intel transition of course.
Petter Ahrnstedt
Vintage Macs
Apple also has a list of Vintage Macs. These are Macs that Apple stopped selling five to seven years ago. (If you live in France, where the law means you can get parts support for up to seven years after Apple stops selling Macs).
Apple Authorized Service Providers will repair old products if parts are available.
Apple lists the following products as vintage, now including the 2020 MacBook Air, 2019 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and 2019 iMac and 2018 Mac mini:
- 12-inch MacBook (2017)
- 13-inch MacBook Air (2018, 2019 and 2020)
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2017, 2018 and 2019)
- 15-inch MacBook Pro (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)
- 21.5-inch iMac (2013, 2017)
- 27-inch iMac (2015, 2017 and 2019)
- Mac Pro (2012 and 2014)
- Mac mini (2014 and 2018)
Based on the above, we’d suggest that if your Mac is more than eight years old, it’s time to look for a new one. And if you see a 2018 or older Mac for sale, it’s not wise to buy it. In fact, you’ll notice that there are even 2019 Macs on the vintage list. Read: Why you shouldn’t buy a second-hand Mac.
See: Best Mac: All Apple Macs and MacBooks compared