This time, the company might be forcing your hand by adding the mid-2013 and early-2014 MacBook Air, and the mid-2014 MacBook Pro models to its “vintage” list. Laptops on this list are between 5 and 7 years old and don’t receive the same service at the Genius Bar in Apple stores or at Apple Authorized Service Providers.
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You can still get hardware help if your old MacBook is acting up but only if the Apple store or authorized repair service has the parts in stock. The exact phrases used by Apple on whether your laptop can be serviced is “subject to availability of inventory, or as required by law.” Additionally, these devices won’t get routine software updates like their newer counterparts. It’s possible a vintage laptop can get bumped to the next major OS or get critical security patches, but it won’t receive the same cadence of updates as before. Before you plump down $1,000 on a new MacBook, keep in mind that the devices on Apple’s vintage list – like the 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air and 2014 MacBook Pro – will continue to function as normal. However, vintage devices eventually get moved over to the obsolete list and lose all support – hardware and software. At that point, it’s time to upgrade your machine as it will no longer receive crucial security updates.
