An internal document that was shared over the weekend with 9to5mac reveals that a trove of Apple-branded products will no longer be eligible to receive repairs from Apple Stores or Apple Authorized 3rd party service providers beginning June 30, 2017.
“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,” the memo reads, while providing a direct link to Apple’s continuously-updated list of vintage and/or out-of-coverage products.
Which Products Will Become Obsolete?
Among the myriad of MacBook models that will soon be laid out to pasture, Apple will be discontinuing support for both the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air from mid-2011, the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro models from late-2011, as well as the 17-inch MacBook Pro from mid-2009.
Joining those aforementioned MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models will be the company’s first-generation 802.11n AirPort Express wireless adapter. Likewise, Apple plans to transition both 16 GB and 32 GB variants of its 2009-era iPhone 3GS handset to obsolete status by June 30th.
Does Apple Usually Do This?
Apple has in the past called for similar transitions, where certain products are slated to be granted obsolete status. Typically, this transition occurs within 5-7 years of the product’s manufacturing being discontinued, and essentially implies that, at such point, customers will no longer be able to go through Apple’s standard or certified third-party service providers to have their devices repaired.
Most recently, back in November 2016, the iPhone-maker transitioned most of its mid-2009 line of MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, and the late-2009 Mac mini to obsolete status. And, prior to that, Apple in early 2016 transitioned its iPhone 4, late-2010 MacBook Air, as well as its 2nd and 3rd generation AirPort Extreme routers to obsolete status.
Interestingly, this round of Apple product transitions to obsolete status will be somewhat different, at least in comparison to similar product shifts in the past. That’s because, according to the screenshot below, Apple will apparently continue offering repairs and support for a number of the aforementioned devices for an additional two-years after they’ve transitioned to “obsolete status.” Apple claims that is because, at least in Turkey and California, the list of products — including MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, and more — will first transition to “vintage status” for two-years, during which the company will continue offering repair support, prior to the products becoming truly obsolete sometime in 2019.
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