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Apple Says Three More Products Are Now 'Vintage' or 'Obsolete'

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Apple today added the MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) to its "vintage" products list, meaning the device is now only eligible for repairs at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers if parts remain available.

apple-tv-4k-new-orange.jpg

The MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) was the final MacBook Air model released before Apple redesigned the laptop and gave it a Retina display in 2018.

Apple also added all iPad mini 4 and Apple TV HD (32GB) configurations to its "obsolete" products list, meaning those devices are no longer eligible for service whatsoever.

iPad mini 4 launched in 2015, and it was discontinued in 2019.

Apple TV HD was first released in 2015 and discontinued in October 2022, when the third-generation Apple TV 4K launched. However, only Apple TV HD units with 32GB of storage are considered obsolete for now.

A "vintage" device was last distributed by Apple for sale more than five years ago, while for "obsolete" that timeframe rises to seven years.

Article Link: Apple Says Three More Products Are Now 'Vintage' or 'Obsolete'
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/31/three-more-apple-products-vintage-or-obsolete/
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Just 2 weeks ago I took my old Apple TV HD (4th Gen) 64GB model offline, replacing it with my 4K 1st Gen from the living room after upgrading the living room model with an old 2nd Gen I got somewhere else. I'm chomping at the bit to replace both with new Apple TV boxes. I don't see why they don't just release them now; I don't even care about the AI "features" (in fact, I'll likely disable as much of the AI crippety-crap as I can).
 
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I still have an iPad Mini 4. I was an idiot and kept updating the OS as long as it allowed me to (up to iPadOS 15.8) and now it’s crazy slow. I remember it being pretty snappy when I first got it, too. It’s still kind of usable for a few things so I keep it around.
 
It is luck of the draw once a product is "vintage" to receive service.
Sometimes the part still exist, sometimes they don't. That is the scary part.
With them soldering everything, it is not gonna be fun to fix something that they simply ran out of parts themselves. 🥲
 
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That's right, folks, Apple has discovered that these products just don't quite truly delight customers anymore. Not to worry, though, for Apple has already started the year at a break-neck pace of innovation, never before seen from tiny startups like Apple. Apple can't wait to see the incredible things customers are able to do with the ALL NEW MacBook Air, iPad mini, and Apple TV. Apple thinks you're gonna love them!
 
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goonie4life9 said:
That's right, folks, Apple has discovered that these products just don't quite truly delight customers anymore. Not to worry, though, for Apple has already started the year at a break-neck pace of innovation, never before seen from tiny startups like Apple. Apple can't wait to see the incredible things customers are able to do with the ALL NEW MacBook Air, iPad mini, and Apple TV. Apple thinks you're gonna love them!
Click to expand...

Not as much as this third-person marketing thing they're doing lately.
 
blcamp said:
Just 2 weeks ago I took my old Apple TV HD (4th Gen) 64GB model offline, replacing it with my 4K 1st Gen from the living room after upgrading the living room model with an old 2nd Gen I got somewhere else. I'm chomping at the bit to replace both with new Apple TV boxes. I don't see why they don't just release them now; I don't even care about the AI "features" (in fact, I'll likely disable as much of the AI crippety-crap as I can).
Click to expand...
What do you want from a new one that current models can’t do then? You should be fine with yours until they break.
 
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UltimaKilo said:
What do you want from a new one that current models can’t do then? You should be fine with yours until they break.
Click to expand...
128GB of local storage is a good start. Faster processing so that I don't have to worry about UI sluggishness is another Good Thing.

I don't upgrade the Apple TV boxes as often as I do other devices, but the time has come now, to do so.
 
Apple TV (the box) started as a hobby for Apple and it has evolved a great deal since its inception, but not nearly as much as it should or could have. In my opinion the Apple TV is the best streaming device out there and the only one the doesn't bombard you with ads. There is so much potential there but Apple doesn't have enough focus on development an willingness to take a leap forward. Right now the Apple TV is essentially just an iPhone that connects to a big screen, tvOS needs to be reimagined with a new Home Screen other than just a grid of app icons. I would love to see a smart home dashboard with widgets like weather, a better watch list and a separate continue watching list. Things have got better but still a lot of room for improvement. Right now Apple is accepting good enough and not striving to be the best in the category. The lack of hardware updates hold them back and prevent them from adding many new features, there should be a steady cadence of updates no more than every two years to with the latest processor.
 
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