Apple adds 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air, Pro models to vintage and obsolete list

The vintage/obsolete list makes me wonder when they'll discontinue parts for the 2013 trashcan MP. Will they really keep manufacturing parts until 2024, by which time the MP will be 11 years old? 

On the other hand, 5 years seems like a pretty short lifetime for a premium machine, often which is still perfectly functional after 8 or 9 years - especially now that Moore's Law is very much dead. My 2012 iMac is absolutely fine and isn't slow in the slightest, but if the hinge defect  manifests itself again you're SOL. Manufacturers of cars sold in Europe have to keep spare parts on the shelf for 10 years, not sure why manufacturers of other expensive, premium equipment aren't held to the same standard. Arguably most car parts use much much more physical space to store than computer parts too.

elijahg said:

The vintage/obsolete list makes me wonder when they'll discontinue parts for the 2013 trashcan MP. Will they really keep manufacturing parts until 2024, by which time the MP will be 11 years old? 

On the other hand, 5 years seems like a pretty short lifetime for a premium machine, often which is still perfectly functional after 8 or 9 years - especially now that Moore's Law is very much dead. My 2012 iMac is absolutely fine and isn't slow in the slightest, but if the hinge defect  manifests itself again you're SOL. Manufacturers of cars sold in Europe have to keep spare parts on the shelf for 10 years, not sure why manufacturers of other expensive, premium equipment aren't held to the same standard. Arguably most car parts use much much more physical space to store than computer parts too.

If your Mac is running fine, then this is a non-issue.  Worst-case is that your Mac no longer gets access to next-gen MacOS.  It doesn't mean your Mac suddenly stops working.  

A certain level of sadness ensues when another one of your prized Apple devices ends up on the obsolete list. Sigh...

sflocal said:

elijahg said:

The vintage/obsolete list makes me wonder when they'll discontinue parts for the 2013 trashcan MP. Will they really keep manufacturing parts until 2024, by which time the MP will be 11 years old? 

On the other hand, 5 years seems like a pretty short lifetime for a premium machine, often which is still perfectly functional after 8 or 9 years - especially now that Moore's Law is very much dead. My 2012 iMac is absolutely fine and isn't slow in the slightest, but if the hinge defect  manifests itself again you're SOL. Manufacturers of cars sold in Europe have to keep spare parts on the shelf for 10 years, not sure why manufacturers of other expensive, premium equipment aren't held to the same standard. Arguably most car parts use much much more physical space to store than computer parts too.

If your Mac is running fine, then this is a non-issue.  Worst-case is that your Mac no longer gets access to next-gen MacOS.  It doesn't mean your Mac suddenly stops working.  

Well no, worst case is that it breaks or becomes unusable because of a custom part that is no longer available after the 5/7 years. And of course it is a non-issue when the computer is running fine, if there were never any problems the vintage/obsolete lists would be, well, obsolete. This is nothing really to do with software, Apple generally supports macOS on Macs for a few years they've become obsolete, then artificially cuts off support. But that's a different matter.

Most parts can be found on eBay. I’ve seen part for really old Mac machines available on eBay making repair of entire machines possible. If I had the $ I would be buying, rebuilding, and selling older Mac hardware in a heartbeat.

sflocal said:

elijahg said:

The vintage/obsolete list makes me wonder when they'll discontinue parts for the 2013 trashcan MP. Will they really keep manufacturing parts until 2024, by which time the MP will be 11 years old? 

On the other hand, 5 years seems like a pretty short lifetime for a premium machine, often which is still perfectly functional after 8 or 9 years - especially now that Moore's Law is very much dead. My 2012 iMac is absolutely fine and isn't slow in the slightest, but if the hinge defect  manifests itself again you're SOL. Manufacturers of cars sold in Europe have to keep spare parts on the shelf for 10 years, not sure why manufacturers of other expensive, premium equipment aren't held to the same standard. Arguably most car parts use much much more physical space to store than computer parts too.

If your Mac is running fine, then this is a non-issue.  Worst-case is that your Mac no longer gets access to next-gen MacOS.  It doesn't mean your Mac suddenly stops working.  

Well no, worst case is that it breaks or becomes unusable because of a custom part that is no longer available after the 5/7 years. And of course it is a non-issue when the computer is running fine, if there were never any problems the vintage/obsolete lists would be, well, obsolete. This is nothing really to do with software, Apple generally supports macOS on Macs for a few years they've become obsolete, then artificially cuts off support. But that's a different matter.