Apple will soon be making a handful of older products obsolete, meaning they will lose repair support at Apple Retail Stores and Authorized Service Providers. As detailed in an internal document, select MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, AirPort Express, and iPhone models will become obsolete starting June 30th…
For the MacBook Air, the specific models affected by this change are the MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011) and the MacBook Air (13-inch, mid 2011). Meanwhile, the late 2011 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch MacBook Pro models are also a part of the transition. Furthermore, the 17-inch mid 2009 MacBook Pro will also move to obsolete.
In addition to those MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, Apple will make the 1st generation 802.11n AirPort Express obsolete on June 30th. This model was originally introduced in 2008 and features the wall-socket design, as opposed to the more recent standalone box.
Finally, Apple is transitioning the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3GS to obsolete status. The iPhone 3GS was originally released in 2009 as the third-generation iPhone.
Apple typically doesn’t notify customers that a product is moving to vintage or obsolete status aside from a list on its website and internal documents. The company normally begins the transition to obsolete status some 5-7 years after manufacturing has been discontinued. It’s around this time that parts are increasingly hard to find and repairs are impractical. Once a device has been flagged as obsolete, users cannot go through official Apple channels to have repairs done.
Notably, in Turkey and California, some of the aforementioned products will move to vintage status rather than obsolete, as pictured below. In Turkey and California, Apple will provide limited support for two years after products become obsolete elsewhere.
Apple regularly makes products obsolete, most recently moving select MacBook Pro, MacBook, and Mac Mini models to obsolete status back in November. Prior to that, the company transitioned the iPhone 4, late 2010 13-inch MacBook Air, 3rd-generation AirPort Extreme and 2nd-generation Time Capsule to obsolete status.
On Friday, June 30, 2017, the products listed below will be classified as either vintage or obsolete in Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, the United States, and Apple Retail Stores.
Macintosh Vintage in the U.S. and Turkey / Obsolete in AP/CN/EU (except Turkey)/JP/LA and Apple Retail Stores:
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2011)
Peripherals
- AirPort Express 802.11n (1st Gen)
Macintosh Vintage in AP/CN/EU/JP/LA/U.S. and Apple Retail Stores:
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, mid 2009)
iPhone Obsolete in AP/CN/EU/JP/LA/U.S. and Apple Retail Stores:
- iPhone 3GS (16GB / 32GB
- iPhone 3GS (16GB / 32GB – China)
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