Apple to add some 2009 & 2011 Macs to vintage and obsolete list on Dec. 31

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware
Starting Dec. 31 of this year, several 2009 and 2011 Mac models will reportedly join Apple's list of "vintage" and "obsolete" products, making them ineligible for most or typically any official repairs.




The "obsolete" additions include 2009's Mac mini and 13-inch MacBook models, while the "vintage" items are the early 2011 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros, 9to5Mac noted. In general, both categories are cut off from first-party support, but the vintage devices have some limited options in California and Turkey.

Vintage products are identified as having been discontinued between 5 and 7 years ago, while obsolete ones have been out of manufacturing for over 7.

In mid-October Apple added a variety of products to its list, most notably 2010's iPhone 4 -- a huge hit that stayed in use for many years.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    Looks like my mid-2010 iMac made the "dead list".
  • Reply 2 of 33
    Soon the current top of the line 2013 MacPro will be considered Vintage and its still for sale (as if it were new pricing). A wise man named Phil Schiller once said that its "really sad" that more than 600 million PCs still being used are more than 5 years old. I am really interested to know if he thinks its "sad" that Apple is selling their NEW MacPro's that soon will be heading into its fourth year without an update? or is it the people that buy them today will be considered "sad" in one years time because they own new 5 year old tech?
    ivanhcornchipbrian greenblastdooravon b7GeorgeBMacSpamSandwichking editor the grate
  • Reply 3 of 33
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    It's sad to see everyone still using some 40 years old keyboard designed for character input. Siri is not a substitute, nor the touch bar.
  • Reply 4 of 33
    With the frequency they update their hardware, they should include the current iMacs and trashcan Mac Pros on that list.
    blastdoor
  • Reply 5 of 33
    Don't forget the mini's.   Maybe Apple is trying to take advantage of the Retro trend.   What's old is new again.  Gotta love these vintage new computers.  

    Apple should be completely embarrassed of their computer line up.  Next time Tim says that the Mac is very important and that they have an amazing pipeline, he should be booeed off the stage.
    blastdoorSpamSandwich
  • Reply 6 of 33
    larryalarrya Posts: 606member
    altivec88 said:
    Soon the current top of the line 2013 MacPro will be considered Vintage and its still for sale (as if it were new pricing). A wise man named Phil Schiller once said that its "really sad" that more than 600 million PCs still being used are more than 5 years old. I am really interested to know if he thinks its "sad" that Apple is selling their NEW MacPro's that soon will be heading into its fourth year without an update? or is it the people that buy them today will be considered "sad" in one years time because they own new 5 year old tech?
    Didn't they just introduce new Mac Pros?  I'm on board with Apple's maybe taking its customers for granted these days, but saying the 2013 Mac Pro is their "new" Mac Pro is a little disingenuous. 
  • Reply 7 of 33
    I wish you were right but I'm not be disingenuous at all. The MacPros they released in 2013 are the exact same ones they are selling today. No update, no speed bumps, nothing. and to top it all off, they are selling them at the same price as they were in 2013. Meanwhile, Dell, and HP have updated their competing workstations twice in that time. In other words, Intel has updated the processor that goes into the MacPro twice (E5v4 vs E5v2) but Apple chose to ignore to speed bump them.
    blastdoorwaverboyafrodri
  • Reply 8 of 33
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member
    altivec88 said:
    Soon the current top of the line 2013 MacPro will be considered Vintage and its still for sale (as if it were new pricing). A wise man named Phil Schiller once said that its "really sad" that more than 600 million PCs still being used are more than 5 years old. I am really interested to know if he thinks its "sad" that Apple is selling their NEW MacPro's that soon will be heading into its fourth year without an update? or is it the people that buy them today will be considered "sad" in one years time because they own new 5 year old tech?
    That's incorrect. The vintage list doesn't always match the availability of software updates. Once something is marked vintage, it's not guaranteed to be repairable. Repairs are contingent on availability of parts. The 5 year timer typically starts when a model is replaced, not when it is released. The early 2011s macbook pros were replaced in October 2011, so they hit the list this year. The late 2011s will be in the next batch, as they were replaced in 2012.
    cornchippscooter63Solimacplusplusnht
  • Reply 9 of 33
    hmm said:
    altivec88 said:
    Soon the current top of the line 2013 MacPro will be considered Vintage and its still for sale (as if it were new pricing). A wise man named Phil Schiller once said that its "really sad" that more than 600 million PCs still being used are more than 5 years old. I am really interested to know if he thinks its "sad" that Apple is selling their NEW MacPro's that soon will be heading into its fourth year without an update? or is it the people that buy them today will be considered "sad" in one years time because they own new 5 year old tech?
    That's incorrect. The vintage list doesn't always match the availability of software updates. Once something is marked vintage, it's not guaranteed to be repairable. Repairs are contingent on availability of parts. The 5 year timer typically starts when a model is replaced, not when it is released. The early 2011s macbook pros were replaced in October 2011, so they hit the list this year. The late 2011s will be in the next batch, as they were replaced in 2012.
    Correct. This is why the Mid 2010 MacBook isn't on either list, as it was sold until February 2012.
    Solilongpath
  • Reply 10 of 33
    Still no new 17" MBPs, *sigh*!
    larryjwSpamSandwichafrodri
  • Reply 11 of 33
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    larrya said:
    altivec88 said:
    Soon the current top of the line 2013 MacPro will be considered Vintage and its still for sale (as if it were new pricing). A wise man named Phil Schiller once said that its "really sad" that more than 600 million PCs still being used are more than 5 years old. I am really interested to know if he thinks its "sad" that Apple is selling their NEW MacPro's that soon will be heading into its fourth year without an update? or is it the people that buy them today will be considered "sad" in one years time because they own new 5 year old tech?
    Didn't they just introduce new Mac Pros?  I'm on board with Apple's maybe taking its customers for granted these days, but saying the 2013 Mac Pro is their "new" Mac Pro is a little disingenuous. 
    No, they did not just introduce new Mac Pros, unless I missed something. 

    They introduced new laptops. 

    The Mac Pro is from 2013. 
    afrodri
  • Reply 12 of 33
    hanging on to my final 17" model for dear life.
    SpamSandwichafrodri
  • Reply 13 of 33
    altivec88 said:
    Soon the current top of the line 2013 MacPro will be considered Vintage and its still for sale (as if it were new pricing). A wise man named Phil Schiller once said that its "really sad" that more than 600 million PCs still being used are more than 5 years old. I am really interested to know if he thinks its "sad" that Apple is selling their NEW MacPro's that soon will be heading into its fourth year without an update? or is it the people that buy them today will be considered "sad" in one years time because they own new 5 year old tech?
    You beat me to it  ;)
  • Reply 14 of 33

    altivec88 said:
    I wish you were right but I'm not be disingenuous at all. The MacPros they released in 2013 are the exact same ones they are selling today. No update, no speed bumps, nothing. and to top it all off, they are selling them at the same price as they were in 2013. Meanwhile, Dell, and HP have updated their competing workstations twice in that time. In other words, Intel has updated the processor that goes into the MacPro twice (E5v4 vs E5v2) but Apple chose to ignore to speed bump them.
    Your post is 100% factual. Everything you say in this post is indisputable. Yet you got a "dislike" for it. I conclude that some people dislike facts that fail to fit with their opinions. i think that's a big part of why Kosh said that humans aren't ready for immortality and why a person paraphrasing a German physicist (never directly quote German physicists --paraphrase only) said that science progresses one funeral at a time.
    sandoravon b7SpamSandwichwaverboyafrodriapres587
  • Reply 15 of 33
    blastdoor said:

    altivec88 said:
    I wish you were right but I'm not be disingenuous at all. The MacPros they released in 2013 are the exact same ones they are selling today. No update, no speed bumps, nothing. and to top it all off, they are selling them at the same price as they were in 2013. Meanwhile, Dell, and HP have updated their competing workstations twice in that time. In other words, Intel has updated the processor that goes into the MacPro twice (E5v4 vs E5v2) but Apple chose to ignore to speed bump them.
    Your post is 100% factual. Everything you say in this post is indisputable. Yet you got a "dislike" for it. I conclude that some people dislike facts that fail to fit with their opinions. i think that's a big part of why Kosh said that humans aren't ready for immortality and why a person paraphrasing a German physicist (never directly quote German physicists --paraphrase only) said that science progresses one funeral at a time.
    There...I disliked your dislike for altivec being disliked. Why do people care about these stupid likes and dislikes so much...does it really matter?
    nhtapres587
  • Reply 16 of 33
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Seems like Apple is taking "Planned Obsolescence" to a whole new level.

    They have the hardware and software completely locked down -- so when they declare something to be too old then it is, by definition, too old.

    Can you spell:   " 1 9 8 4 "?
  • Reply 17 of 33
    ChompsterChompster Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    Does it even make a difference they're "vintage" or "obsolete" and ineligible for repairs? Their current lineup with everything soldered in is effectively unrepairable anyway. Older units actually stand a better chance of getting fixed compared to the newer machines. 
  • Reply 18 of 33
    Still using a 2011 MacBook Pro that is showing no signs of age whatsoever.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 19 of 33
    larryjwlarryjw Posts: 1,031member
    Still no new 17" MBPs, *sigh*!
    Well, my early 17" Mbp will finally make the vintage list. From my perspective, Apple hasn't made any functionally upgraded laptops in now 6 years. I checked recently the price for newest machine that could replace my 17" mbp and found it would cost $4100, and the SSD is soldered in. I don't see Apple building any machine that can adequately replace what I currently have. Apple now only builds computers for point-and-shoot crowd but at exorbitant prices.
    avon b7
  • Reply 20 of 33
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    I don't really care about repairability since the older Macs, if they are still running (mine are), have been maintained and upgraded by the user, not Apple. Once AppleCare ends, it's up to the user anyway so Apple's normal change in equipment status doesn't really bother me.

    What bothers me more is when macOS doesn't run on my Macs and I'm hoping Apple doesn't use the same correlation between vintage/obsolete hardware and its ability to run the current version of macOS. I have a perfectly usable early 2011 15" MBP (with replacement motherboard covered under Apple's program a couple years ago). 

    I went to the Apple link listed above, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624, and don't find any 2011 devices listed so the assumption is these are vintage products but not obsolete. Of course, there are Apple Service Providers who have older parts who will sell them to customers along with generic third-party parts (disk, RAM).

    "Vintage products are those that have not been manufactured for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago. "
    "Obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than 7 years ago." 
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