Apple has updated its list of obsolete and vintage products with a variety of fresh additions (via MacRumors), including the 2013 Mac Pro, 2019 Macs, 2018 iPads, and more. Perhaps one of the most significant changes is that several AirPort products have now been marked ‘obsolete.’ Here’s what that means.
New additions to Apple’s vintage and obsolete product list
When Apple stops selling a product, a clock starts ticking for when that product can be labeled vintage or obsolete by the company.
That’s because Apple guarantees a certain amount of ongoing support after a product is discontinued.
Five years after Apple stops selling a product, it’s marked vintage
Two years after that, it becomes obsolete
Essentially, for vintage products Apple should still be able to offer service and parts for making repairs.
With obsolete products, however, Apple no longer offers any support. All hardware servicing is discontinued.
The latest updates to Apple’s vintage and obsolete lists include:
Vintage
iPhone 8 128GB
2019 13-inch MacBook Air
2019 iMac
2018 11-inch iPad Pro
2018 12.9-inch iPad Pro
2013 Mac Pro with trash can design
Obsolete
Airport Extreme 802.11AC
AirPort Express (2nd Generation)
Airport Time Capsule (2TB)
Airport Time Capsule (3TB)
The newly obsolete AirPort products stand out as especially noteworthy, because now there’s only a single non-obsolete AirPort product remaining.
Apple’s AirPort Express 802.11n (1st generation) is still on the vintage list, the lone offering in the product line that Apple may still be able to service.
I’m still holding out hope that if Apple’s rumored new smart home push comes to fruition, the company will get back in the router game with a new AirPort product. But at this point that’s just wishful thinking.
In the meantime, eero remains one of the best options for Wi-Fi networking, and current Prime Day deals offer steep discounts.
Are you still using an AirPort product? Which one? Let us know in the comments.
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