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Apple has moved three older MacBook models from its vintage list to the obsolete list this week. The change affects the 2018 Retina MacBook Air, the 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro with two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Apple announced the update in its support document on August 31. Owners of these laptops will now find it harder to get official repairs from Apple stores or authorized service providers.
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Apple's policy follows a simple timeline. A product enters the vintage category five years after the company stops selling it. It becomes obsolete once seven years have passed.
These three MacBooks had spent recent years on the vintage list, where repairs were still possible if Apple had spare parts. That option is now largely gone. Apple stops manufacturing replacement components once a device becomes obsolete, so most stores and authorized centers will decline hardware repairs.
There is one exception, though. Apple runs a battery-only repair program for Mac laptops that lasts up to ten years after a model stops selling. Owners of these three MacBooks may still get a battery swap if parts remain available.
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Every Intel-powered MacBook now falls under either the vintage or obsolete category. Apple stopped selling Intel-based Macs in 2023, and support for these machines keeps shrinking each year. Users who are still holding on to older MacBooks should back up their data and consider third-party repair shops for future issues.
