Death knell sounds for last 17-inch MacBook Pro model, will be added to obsolete list June 30
Mike Wuerthele
Effective June 30, Apple will add the last of the 17-inch MacBook Pros to its running list of vintage and obsolete products, ending a lineage of large-screen portables that began in 2003 with the 17-inch G4 Powerbook.
In an internal document seen by AppleInsider, and first published by 9to5Mac, the list, Apple will make the Mid-2011 MacBook Air models, and all Late 2011 MacBook Pro models obsolete for most of the world, except California and Turkey. The first generation 802.11n AirPort Express will also be added to the list of equipment that Apple will no longer repair.
The Mid-2009 17-inch MacBook Pro, and the iPhone 3GS will be obsolete world-wide when the list goes into effect.
Apple's original 17-inch portable, the PowerBook G4 17-inch, had a 1 GHz G4 processor, with a 167 MHz system bus, 512 MB of RAM, and a 60 GB hard drive. The machine that shipped with OS X 10.2.4 retailed for $3299.
The last 17-inch MacBook Pro shipped in Late 2011, had either a 2.5 GHz or 2.7 GHz i7 processor, a 5 Gigatexels per second system bus, 4 GB of RAM, and a 750 GB hard drive. At launch, the 2.5 GHz version retailed for $2749.
Apple routinely obsoletes legacy devices as new hardware versions — or new products — take their place. Earlier in May, the company announcedthe end of support for the polycarbonate MacBook, and mid-2009 MacBook Pro models.
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