When 2015 MacBook Pro is obsoleted

[applesed]

I was reading that Mac laptops are vintage after 5 years and obsoleted after 7 years, in the latter case no way to get repairs from Apple and in the former under certain exceptions. (That was my take anyway, here is the link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624)

So if I buy a sealed mid-2015 MacBook Pro and buy AppleCare, but don’t open it/activate AppleCare until late 2019, I would expect it to be covered by warranty until late 2022, even though it would hit obsolete status mid-2022. So which applies during this mid to late 2022 period, AppleCare or Obsolete status?

 

[maflynn]

So if I buy a sealed mid-2015 MacBook Pro and buy AppleCare, but don’t open it/activate AppleCare until late 2019

You're auto registered in AC if you buy the Mac and AC together. If you buy them separately and don't register the mac, then after 365 days, you cannot add AC.

 

[applesed]

Ah, I think I missed the part where you cannot actually buy AC for a machine that was bought four years anytime once you open and register it.

If that’s the case, definitely some drawbacks of getting a 2015 laptop even if you like the keyboard more—Apple considers it vintage in one years and obsolete in three, and you’re relegated to what third party apple repair places can do.

 

[pshufd]

If you're worried about reliability, get two of them. If you're paranoid, get three.

I have two of my own and one from work. I'm not terribly worried about one failing. I can always get another one off Craigslist. I do expect that Apple will fix their problems by 2021.

 

[DeltaMac]

I think you can add a "more or less" to Apple's vintage/obsolete schedule.
The 5 to 7 year point, as a guideline, is often quite flexible.
Example: the iMac, Late 2011, discontinued in March 2013, still fully supported more than 6 years later.
Vintage/Obsolete updates are announced periodically, and you can't predict every time which models will be included.

Your example, a mid-2015 Macbook Pro, was a current seller until July 2018. The primary criteria is not sell date, but date of manufacture. So, in theory, a "brand-new, sealed box" mid-2015 could be left sealed in the box, purchased as new in July 2023, 5 years after the last date of manufacture. 2 more years to obsolete, in all probability.
So, in 2025, still supported, perhaps with warranty, 10 years after that model was first sold.
You would want to find out how Apple would list your MBPro. It should have, at minimum, the 1 year warranty. I think it would be unlikely that you could also add AppleCare, but a quick call to Apple Support would determine that.

2012 Macs, in most cases, are not yet vintage, with one (MacBook Pro, 13-inch, 2012) sold as current model until October 2016. Assuming the normal Obsolete schedule for THAT one, 7 years happens in October 2023.
(Not sure how the main battery would survive, after a number of years without any kind of maintenance in the box.)