Apple news: Ahead of the iPhone 17’s release next week, Apple has officially added four products to its list of vintage and obsolete devices. The list now includes the iPhone 8 Plus, MacBook Pro 15-inch (2017), MacBook Pro 13-inch (2017, four Thunderbolt 3 ports), and the MacBook Air 11-inch (early 2015). While the iPhone 8 Plus will continue to receive limited service from the manufacturer, the three Mac models are now part of Apple’s graveyard of unsupported products.
What ‘Vintage’ and ‘Obsolete’ Mean
Apple generally declares a product obsolete after it has been out of production for seven years, ending both software and hardware support. In some cases, Macs may still be eligible for battery-only repairs for up to 10 years after discontinuation, provided parts are available.
The 11-inch MacBook Air, first launched in 2010 with a sleek tapered unibody design, was regularly updated until 2015 before being discontinued. Meanwhile, the now-obsolete MacBook Pro models stem from Apple’s 2016 redesign, which introduced the controversial Touch Bar—an OLED strip replacing traditional function keys.
Throwback to the Butterfly Keyboard Scandal
These MacBook Pro models also serve as reminders of Apple’s infamous butterfly keyboard. The design led to widespread user complaints and ultimately a $50 million class-action lawsuit against the company.
As for iPhones, Apple has now classified the iPhone 8 Plus (64GB and 256GB) as a vintage product, meaning it has been off the market for more than five but fewer than seven years. Depending on component availability, Apple Stores and authorised service providers can still repair such devices, though they no longer receive operating system updates or new features.
Notably, the red editions of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus (64GB, 128GB, and 256GB) were previously placed on the vintage list. While the iPhone 8 series was introduced in 2017, some iPhone 8 Plus models remained available for purchase until 2020, when the second-generation iPhone SE arrived.
