Apple declares 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2012 'obsolete'

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware
Apple has added the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display released in late 2012 to its list of obsolete products.

Credit: Apple
Credit: Apple


The specific model was first released in October 2012, and was Apple's first 13-inch MacBook Pro model to include a Retina Display. The obsolescence comes about nine years after the product's first release.

In June 2020, Apple also added the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display to its list of obsolete devices. That model was the first 15-inch portable Mac with Apple's Retina display technology.

Apple defines "vintage" devices as those that have not been manufactured for more than five years but fewer than seven years. "Obsolete" products, on the other hand, are those that have been discontinued for more than seven years.

Obsolete products are not able to receive hardware service from Apple technicians or Authorized Service Providers, with "no exceptions."

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    I know a lot of people that still use the 2012 MBP.  They're solid machines and a testament to Apple's quality.

    That being said, somewhere out there someone is going to complain that Apple is no longer supporting a 9-year-old computer.
    killroymistergsf80s_Apple_Guywatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 18
    lylehmlylehm Posts: 8member
    sflocal said:
    I know a lot of people that still use the 2012 MBP.  They're solid machines and a testament to Apple's quality.

    That being said, somewhere out there someone is going to complain that Apple is no longer supporting a 9-year-old computer.
    I can't believe they're no longer able to repair my 9-year-old computer!!  ;-)
    applguywatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 18
    cincyteecincytee Posts: 403member
    I don't expect Apple to support obsolete products the same way they do current models, but I wish they'd authorize third parties to manufacture key replacement parts. It seems wrong that I can get key parts to a 1948 Buick (although not necessarily from GM) but not a 2012 MacBook.
    elijahgdewmebaconstang80s_Apple_Guymuthuk_vanalingamfrantisek
  • Reply 4 of 18
    dtidmoredtidmore Posts: 145member
    I am among those still using a mid 2012 non-retina 15" MBP.  My daughter gave me this machine as a christmas present in late 2012.  Without question, a fine example of solid engineering.  This machine was the last of the totally user repairable notebooks Apple made.  This machine has a full compliment of ports with NO dongles needed!  I upgraded the ram over time to its max 16GB.  I upgraded the HDD several times (started life as a 256MB HDD).  I swapped out the super drive (CD/DVD burner) for an SSD (initially a relatively small one to just hold the OS).  I upgraded the SSD to a larger one and rolled the SSD and HDD into a FUSION drive using the tools apple made available to anyone comfortable with the command line, which I ran with zero issues for several years.  I upgraded to 1TB SSD and a 1TB HDD and moved to APFS once Catalina came along using the HDD as an in-machine daily clone backup drive (used SuperDuper until Big Sur negated the ability to easily create a bootable clone).  The 1TB HDD is still used as an in-machine Time Machine drive for Big Sur.   I have replaced the keyboard only ONCE in that entire time. I have replaced the battery twice.  Both fans have been replaced and most recently I replaced the right side speakers as the woofer section had started to rattle. I upgraded the machine to Big Sur using a popular patching program along with an upgrade to the latest Broadcom WiFi/BT card (thanks to an enterprising young man) and am running 11.2 currently with no issues outside the ones that are plaguing even the newest MBPs.  The logic board nor the display on this machine have ever faltered. This machine is fast, reliable and delight to use.  While the new MBPs are lighter and have longer battery life, they hold little performance edge over this machine in my day to day use of the machine as INTEL has done little to really advance processors in a meaningful way over the years since this machine was designed.

    I am aware that eventually, I will have to break down and buy a new MBP.  The new M series processors are a harbinger that the time for such a change is approaching sooner than later.  However,  I will never again own a computing device that will work as hard, as reliably, for such a long time as my trusty mid 2012 15" MBP.    
    DavidEsratielijahgAutigerMarkbaconstang80s_Apple_Guymuthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 18
    My 2012 MBP still has a problem where it would freeze with screen being all scrambled and restart on its own.  This started happening couple of years into my ownership, so I wasn't able to get it fixed.  I waited for any recalls(because i still think it had to do something with the graphic card in it), but never came about.  I'm still using it and i'm typing this on it right now.  Other than that and the fact that Catalina is the latest MacOS that i can install on it, I love it. I'm waiting for M1x version of MBP or MBAir.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 18
    The last great, user upgradeable Mac.
    Sad.
    No dongles. A good keyboard. Ports galore.
    I'd give anything for the exact same thing- with a USB C port, USB A port, Mag Safe power as well as USB C as an option. I'd be willing to concede the DVD drive- although I'm really starting to wonder about archiving all this 4K video- if someone is going to come out with a new solution....
    Hard drives go bad...
    80s_Apple_Guy
  • Reply 7 of 18
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    My newest Mac is a 2014 Mac mini. My iMac and MacBook Pro are even older. I have no doubt that all of my Macs will be on the Obsolete List very soon. No big deal, as long as I can still get the stuff I need to get done on them. 

    The current crop of M1 Macs are all impressive in their own right. I see them as gap fillers that will be resoundingly overshadowed by the next couple rounds of Apple Silicon optimized Macs that are built from the ground up to maximize the full potential of Apple’s chips. 

    My legacy Macs only have to survive long enough until Apple builds an Apple Silicon Mac that is dramatically better in every way compared to what I’m currently using. Over the past decade Apple’s release to release upgrades were largely incremental, in large part due to Intel’s chips but also Apple not making any great leaps for its mainstream products. 

    But the bottom line is that my current “obsolete” or soon to be “obsolete” Macs are still serving me quite well. The clock is ticking, no doubt about that, but I’m not feeling the pain, not yet - and won’t until Apple blows incrementalism away with some truly revolutionary products. I’m hopeful that Apple Silicon is setting the table for seriously recalibrating my (and everyone’s) expectations.

    The ball is in Apple’s court. They need to bring it on or we’ll all be living in Obsolescenceville with our vintage Macs for several more years. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 18
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    I have a 2015 MacBook Pro that’s my main computer but I still have a 2009 C2D.   I’ve put two SSD’s in it, a battery, and replaced the charger.  The latter two need to be done again, though I don’t use it really.  I recently performed a fresh install of the max OS.  

    I can’t say I really have an issue with declaring something that was eight years old to be obsolete. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 18
    killroykillroy Posts: 271member
    sflocal said:
    I know a lot of people that still use the 2012 MBP.  They're solid machines and a testament to Apple's quality.

    That being said, somewhere out there someone is going to complain that Apple is no longer supporting a 9-year-old computer.

    I have 3.1 Mac Pro Tower. I can run Mojave but some apps look for a newer Intel chip and crash. So if your CPU chip is too old, yes it's not supported and newer apps will not run.



    edited March 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 18
    Oh no fuck apple what happens ehen mine goes defective now jeez

    sflocal said:
    I know a lot of people that still use the 2012 MBP.  They're solid machines and a testament to Apple's quality.

    That being said, somewhere out there someone is going to complain that Apple is no longer supporting a 9-year-old computer.

  • Reply 11 of 18
    mistergsfmistergsf Posts: 241member
    sflocal said:
    I know a lot of people that still use the 2012 MBP.  They're solid machines and a testament to Apple's quality.

    That being said, somewhere out there someone is going to complain that Apple is no longer supporting a 9-year-old computer.
    I love my 2012 MBP 15" (non Retina).  I still use it as a secondary Mac at home but it is also "obsolete".  In 2015, I replaced the HD with an SSD and it continues to be a solid and fast machine.  I've kept it in pristine condition and get compliments on it all the time.  I mainly use it for my photography hobby and archiving family photos.  I connect my older Canon scanner and Canon Pro 9500 MKll photo printer to it because they are no longer supported with current drivers after High Sierra.

    I get that products can't be supported forever, but when I look at the amazing photos that my Canon Pro 9500 MKll still produces, I feel like I'd be wasting money on a newer and comparable printer.  I'd have to spend at least $600-800 or more. The only way I see myself getting rid of it is if they stop manufacturing the OEM Lucia inks. 

    That said, I don't understand why authorized repair shops are forbidden to do any repairs on a "obsolete" Mac if a part is still readily available.  The keyboard backlight recently went out on mine and I bought an OEM replacement from OWC. I have to do it myself because I can't pay a repair shop to do it.  There are YouTube videos online that have step-by-step instructions which I'm capable of doing. I just don't look forward to keeping track of over 70 tiny screws!
    edited March 2021 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 12 of 18
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,275member
    dtidmore said:
    This machine has a full compliment of ports with NO dongles needed!

    That's not actually true. The TB1/miniDisplayPort port in the 2012 is useless without a dongle. Also the USB-A ports on that, are quaintly slow compared to USB-C. But useful still. I still have my non-Retina mid-2012 MBP and, like you, I've done a number of upgrades on it (I went straight to SSD when they become affordable; I cannot stand using any machine with a hard drive anymore).

    These were great machines, to be sure, and upgradeable if you wanted to fiddle with the incredibly tight and easy-to-damage engineering (which 97+ percent of users do not wish to do). I keep that machine around for a couple of specific outdated/unsupported 32-bit things (an old game or two, and an audio-plugin I like), and thus I'm keeping it at Mojave (though in fact the mid-2012s can run Big Sur).

    All that said, if I had to depend on that machine for my day-to-day I'd be tearing my hair out at its slowness. My main driver is a 2019 i9 15-MBP and it runs rings around the 2012 for any task you care to name. In truth I don't need the four USB-C/TB3 ports on this machine, as I use a grand total of ONE -- going to a small hub -- that handles all the various type ports I might need, including power, and wasn't expensive. This 15" weighs half a pound less than the mid-2012 13-inch because all those mostly-extraneous ports and those bulky mechanical hard drives. I have a LARGE bag full of dongles and wires I had to bring with me when I did presentations with the older machine in order to connect to various projectors, TVs, screens, audio systems, etc.

    Now everything's HDMI and USB-C (which carries video) and life is fast and great, with no extra bag needed. Progress marches on!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 18
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,104member
    My 11" MBA mid 2013 (6,1) can't be too far behind.
    Probably still use it for another couple of years.  That's when I'll go ASi for an iMac and laptop.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 18
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    My 11" MBA mid 2013 (6,1) can't be too far behind.
    Probably still use it for another couple of years.  That's when I'll go ASi for an iMac and laptop.
    The 2011 MacBook Air is already obsolete. I found out that my spouse's 2011 MacBook Air is no longer supported by TurboTax so I had to loan out my 2013 MacBook Pro to complete my taxes. I suspect my 2013 MacBook Pro will be okay for a year or two more because it supports Big Sur. As time passes more and more apps are being dropped from older machines. If the app that’s dropped isn’t time sensitive, like tax preparation software, you can usually limp along on the old version, but not always. GarageBand is not even supported on Catalina. My third generation Apple TV no longer supports YouTube at all, except for casting, and the iCloud related features seem to be a bit wonky, so I retired it to the closet of things that need to be recycled.
    edited March 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 18
    My main computer is a mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13”. RAM upgraded and 1TB SSD. Runs like a champ. Even the DVD drive still works.  I also use a 2014 11” MBA and a 2015 MBP on the side. 

    Hoping they make a 14” Apple silicon soon that will finally make me upgrade. However the loss of upgrade ability will be missed. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 18
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    cincytee said:
    I don't expect Apple to support obsolete products the same way they do current models, but I wish they'd authorize third parties to manufacture key replacement parts. It seems wrong that I can get key parts to a 1948 Buick (although not necessarily from GM) but not a 2012 MacBook.

    If Apple is going to treat their cars similar way we are heading into huge ecar waste problem in 10 years from introduction.

    When 2012 MBP is obsolet what is then my 2009 MBP running macOS 10.15 Catalina? :D :o
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 18
    Fred257Fred257 Posts: 236member
    I’m an professional electronic musician.  My 2013 13’ MBP still runs perfectly with no repairs (knock on wood).  There is absolutely no reason for me to upgrade at this time.  This computer does everything I need it to do.  If you optimize your setup it can do most any intensive effects processing reliably well.  With the new chips I can’t run most of my setups (software not running on M1 yet).  If you’re smart you can do with much less.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 18
    damankasdamankas Posts: 12member
    That’s fine. After SSD and maxed out ram my 2012 still runs better than my 2015 retina MBP. 
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