The original 12-inch MacBook, first released in 2015, has been added to Apple’s list of “vintage” machines. It could make getting official repairs more difficult, but limited support from Apple is still available for now.
The 12-inch MacBook series was discontinued for good in 2019, just four years after being on the market. It was popular among those who needed an ultraportable Mac, despite offering rather lackluster performance.
The compact machine is seen as a turning point for Apple’s notebook line as a whole, introducing many of the technologies that eventually rolled out to other devices, such as USB-C and the butterfly keyboard.
Now, more than six years after its introduction, the 12-inch MacBook has been listed as “vintage” for the first time. But it’s not quite the end of the line for Apple support just yet.
12-inch MacBook falls into Apple’s ‘vintage’ category
Apple considers devices to be vintage when they haven’t been distributed for more than five (but fewer then seven) years. It doesn’t drop support completely, but repairs become subject to parts availability.
After seven years, vintage products become “obsolete,” at which point support from Apple is no longer available. Users are forced to turn to third-party repairers — or into upgrading — when things go wrong.
Recent reports claim Apple is now looking to undo some of the changes made to its notebook line since the 12-inch MacBook’s introduction. It has already done away with the widely-loathed butterfly keyboard.
It is believed future MacBook refreshes could also bring back some of the more traditional connectivity options — like the handy HDMI port and SD card reader — that were eliminated with the 12-inch MacBook.
