Apple on Tuesday added three more of its products to its “Vintage” and “Obsolete” products lists. Apple considers a device to be “vintage” once five years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. “Obsolete” products are those that were discontinued more than 7 years ago.
Apple added the MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) to its “vintage” list, will now receive more limited service and repair support, due to now being considered vintage. The MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) was the final MacBook Air model before Apple’s redesign of the laptop that brought a Retina display to the device in 2018.
Apple also added all iPad mini 4 and Apple TV HD (32GB) configurations to its “obsolete” products list, meaning those devices are no longer eligible for service whatsoever.
The iPad mini 4 launched in 2015, and it was discontinued in 2019. The Apple TV HD was first released in 2015 and discontinued in October 2022, with the launch of the third-generation Apple TV 4K. It should be noted that only Apple TV HD units with 32GB of storage are currently considered obsolete.
What’s Vintage, and What’s Obsolete?
Apple’s website explains the difference:
Vintage products are those that have not been manufactured for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago. Apple has discontinued hardware service for vintage products with the following exceptions:
- Mac products purchased in the country of Turkey. Owners of vintage Mac products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers within the country of Turkey.
- Products purchased in the state of California, United States, as required by statute
- Owners of vintage Mac products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers within the state of California, United States.
- Owners of vintage iPod products in the state of California may obtain service from Apple Retail Stores or by contacting AppleCare at 1-800-APL-CARE.
- Owners of vintage iPhone products in the state of California may obtain service from Apple Retail Stores or by contacting AppleCare at 1-800-APL-CARE.
For products purchased in France, see Statutory Warranties of Seller and Spare Parts.
Obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than 7 years ago. Monster-branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased. Apple has discontinued all hardware service for obsolete products with no exceptions. Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products. All Apple Retail Stores and the Canadian, European, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific operating regions follow the U.S. product list, but make no distinction between vintage and obsolete. When applied to Apple Retail Stores and these operating regions, products on the U.S. vintage list (all models) are considered obsolete.
