Your Old MacBook May Soon Be Obsolete

This week the folks at Apple have been tipped to add several models of old Mac computers to their list of vintage and obsolete products. Being added to this list would effectively kick devices off the repair availability charts for Apple Stores around the world. Once a device has been added to the vintage and obsolete products list, users will be unable to access hardware service or new parts from official Apple sources.

The list has been tipped by an anonymous source within Apple speaking with MacRumors. There, the list has grown with four hardware models in the Mac lineup from 2009 and 2011. This list of obsoleted products now includes the following devices.

• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)

• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)

• Mac mini (Early 2009)

• MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

On the plus side, if this list turns out to be legitimate, come the end of the year they'll be a lot cheaper. Not through Apple, mind you – they wont suddenly become available anywhere they weren't before. But through 3rd-party sources, these devices might soon be kicked down to bargain-basement prices – with good reason.

Once a product is no longer supported by its manufacturer, it's effectively on its own. No more software updates and no more support on hardware means the product is no longer as secure as it once was. It also means that any repairs that need to be made will end up costing large amounts of cash.

Being on an obsolete and/or vintage list means not all software will necessarily run, or run well. Oddly it would appear that the document referenced above suggests that these products will continue to be provided repairs and documentation for "up to two years" – December 31st, 2018 at latest – per local laws.

The products above will likely be rendered vintage or obsolete by the 31st of December, 2016. These will be turned obsolete in the United States (except California), Canada, the EU, Latin America, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.