If you are still using an older MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, it might be time to consider an upgrade. Apple has officially classified three of its laptop models as “obsolete,” a move that significantly impacts the options for getting them repaired.
The models now on the obsolete list are the 11-inch MacBook Air from 2015, and both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros from 2017.
According to Apple’s own policy, a product becomes obsolete seven years after the company stopped selling it. This means that for these laptops, Apple and its authorized service providers will no longer offer any hardware repairs or services. They also cannot order official replacement parts from Apple.
See also: How to check if your MacBook is new or refurbished
In layman’s terms, this means if your obsolete MacBook experiences a hardware failure, like a broken screen or a faulty logic board, getting it fixed will be very difficult. Your only options would be to find an independent repair shop that happens to have old parts in stock, or to salvage components from another broken machine.
There is one small exception. Apple sometimes continues to offer battery replacement services for MacBooks for up to 10 years, but only if parts are still available. This means you might be able to replace an old battery for a little while longer, but there is no guarantee.
This official obsolescence notice serves as a final reminder for owners of these devices to upgrade. These particular MacBooks have not been able to run the latest several versions of Apple’s macOS operating system for a while. Using an outdated operating system can leave a computer more vulnerable to security risks, as it no longer receives critical software updates.