Overview
- Apple updated its support list on Monday to move the 2018 Retina MacBook Air, the 13‑inch 2018 MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and the 13‑inch 2017 MacBook Pro with two Thunderbolt 3 ports to its obsolete products list.
- Under Apple’s lifecycle rules a product becomes vintage after five years and obsolete after seven years which means Apple Stores and authorized providers generally stop ordering replacement parts for obsolete devices.
- Mac laptops keep a limited exception for battery service up to ten years after last sale so owners of these models may still get battery replacements if parts remain available.
- Each affected model already tops out on older macOS releases — Ventura for the 2017 13‑inch Pro, Sonoma for the 2018 Air, and Sequoia for the 2018 13‑inch Pro — which reduces security and feature updates compared with current Macs.
- All Intel MacBooks are now vintage or obsolete as Apple completes its shift to Apple Silicon, so many owners will face higher repair costs or lower repair options while a few Intel desktop Macs still retain official support.