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Apple to Obsolete Select 2009 to 2011 Macs at End of Year

mac-mini-mbp-2009-to-2011Apple plans to add select 2009 to 2011 model Macs to its vintage and obsolete products list on December 31, 2016, according to an internal memo seen by MacRumors.

The following Macs will be classified as either vintage or obsolete in the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
• Mac mini (Early 2009)
• MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

The aforementioned Macs will no longer be eligible for hardware service or new parts from Apple or Apple Authorized Service Providers, except in Turkey and California, where Apple will continue to provide repairs and documentation for up to two years, or December 31, 2018 in this case, as required by local statutes.

Vintage products are those that have not been manufactured by Apple for between five and seven years. Obsolete products are those that were discontinued by Apple more than seven years ago. Apple and Authorized Service Providers make no distinction between obsolete and vintage products outside of Turkey and California.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Don't Buy)
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Top Rated Comments

TimCookMustGo Avatar
126 months ago
I have an early 2011 15" MBP. I have yet to find a worthy replacement worth my money. Apple, this is a problem. I waited all this time to have the following:

* Weak, under-powered machine
* Dongles are required
* Gimmicky Touchbar
* $2,400 Starting Price
* No Function Keys
* 16gb RAM cap

Let's get Tim out of there. Please. Seriously.
Score: 105 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
126 months ago
Hey, on the bright side, it's nice to see a Mac Mini on the MacRumors homepage.
Score: 71 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
126 months ago
For people that like old hardware from 2011, Apples sells the vintage 2013 Mac Pro that still sold in the original packaging that you might want to check out.
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
126 months ago
I had an early 2011 15" MBP that I replaced with the retina 2012 model. They aren't significantly different hardware wise. That 2011 model was and still should be pretty powerful. It has a quad-core i7 and SSD with a graphics card plenty powerful enough to drive a non-retina display. Can't remember, does this mean it won't get macOS updates either?

We're coming into a weird age where computers aren't getting much faster each year but companies are still having to obsolete older ones despite the fact that they still run fine. It's weird and seems wasteful.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LordQ Avatar
126 months ago
The 17" MacBook Pro was an extraordinary machine!
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
126 months ago
I have an early 2011 15" MBP. I still have yet to find a worth replacement worth my money. Apple, this is a problem. I waited all this time to have the following:


* Weak, under-powered machine
* Dongles are requires
* Gimmicky touchbar
* insane prices

Thanks Tim!
Totally agree - I was ready to buy when the late 2016 models came out, but they are totally underwhelming, especially considering they are mostly glue and solder.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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