Even with Apple, time does not mean a standstill. Older devices sooner or later end up on the siding and are put out of action. Now the MacBooks have some new changes, but what does this mean for the users? What do you have to consider now?
The MacBook (Retina) with a 12-inch display was Apple’s big surprise when it was presented to the world in the spring of 2015. It differed significantly from the previous models and should be groundbreaking for the future of mobile Macs.
Premiere celebrated, for example, a very flat keyboard, USB-C as the only port or the omission of the shining apple on the case lid. All this is now available on every MacBook Air or Pro. Apple also dared for the first time more courage to color because different colorations of the aluminum housing did not exist before. In short: The MacBook with 12-inch Retina display was far ahead of its time, but today’s day, it will now be a “vintage product” at Apple.
Apple’s MacBook from 2015 now “Vintage”: What now?
Apple classifies with this classification “vintage” all products whose sale was discontinued more than five and less than seven years ago. Now it hits said MacBook, which first landed in March 2015 in the sale. What do users have to fear now? What applies from now on?
First of all: Of course, even such a “vintage MacBook” from 2015 still works perfectly. Even the current operating system (macOS 11 Big Sur) is compatible. Only macOS 12 Monterey will no longer be supported in autumn. But there will still be security updates. The situation looks even more complicated when repairing the computer.
Apple only gives a guarantee for at least five years. The period ends with the classification as a vintage device. For such products, the following is now limited: “Services and spare parts can be purchased for longer, as required by law, or for up to seven years, depending on the availability of spare parts.” In other words, if spare parts are still available, a repair can be carried out by Apple and independent repair providers. Still, there is no guarantee for this unless there is a legal obligation beyond that. Ergo: Ultimately, you are now dependent on “goodwill.”
Battery replacement takes longer
There’s another exception: Apple replaces the MacBook battery up to 10 years after the sale, but also tied to the availability. Therefore, in practice, not too much will change at first because Apple should still have enough spare parts in stock, primarily because the essentially identical successor of the 2015 model has not yet been classified as “vintage.”