Apple adds nine Macs to its obsolete devices list

Like the HomePod and AirPods, Apple maintains a list of vintage and obsolete Macs. With some exceptions in some countries, a vintage device is one that Apple stopped selling more than five years ago and less than seven.

The obsolete list therefore includes everything the company stopped making and selling seven years ago. There’s also a significant difference in that it’s hard to find parts for a vintage Mac — and Apple won’t touch obsolete ones.

The latest Macs to be considered obsolete are from 2015 and 2016. They are:

• 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, Late 2015)

Significantly, the list includes the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports. It was Apple’s first MacBook Pro to have a Touch Bar display above the keyboard.

At the same time that those nine Macs were classified as obsolete, Apple moved three more to its vintage computers list, as first noted MacRumorsthese are:

• MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports)

So if you have one of these vintage models and need to do some repairs, time is running out. You have two years to get it fixed, or at least Apple.

All of these Macs are based on Intel processors, though. The switch to Apple Silicon brought drastic speed improvements.

So buying a new Mac with an Apple Silicon processor may or may not be more economical, but it will definitely be a better purchase.