Apple just declared three MacBooks are now obsolete – here’s what that means and why you need to upgrade more than ever

• Three more MacBooks are now considered obsolete
• 2015’s 11-inch MacBook Air, and 2017’s MacBook Pros (13-inch and 15-inch)
• Apple doesn't repair obsolete tech, though it might still replace the battery

Apple has just declared three of its MacBooks are now obsolete – a designation it awards to its tech sometime after it turns seven years old (starting from when the tech was first available to purchase, not when you specifically bought it).

These newly designated MacBooks are 2015’s 11-inch MacBook Air, as well as 2017’s MacBook Pros (13-inch and 15-inch).

This is hardly a surprise as I reported a few years ago when these laptops were declared “Vintage” by Apple – the first step towards being made obsolete.

But this announcement serves as a reminder that it’s time to retire that decade-old (or close-to-a-decade-old) machine and replace it with something new. If you’re looking for tips on what to pick up next check out our guides to the best MacBooks and Macs or the best laptops (if you aren’t so married to Apple).

As Apple’s own website explains it won’t service the hardware of obsolete gadgets, and service providers will no longer be able to order parts for them either.

This means that when your obsolete Apple product breaks, it’s broken for good unless you can salvage a part from another machine – or are lucky enough to find a repair shop with a supply of old parts.

For MacBooks the only exception is Apple sometimes offers an extended battery-only repair system for up to 10 years (based on part availability). So there’s a chance you might be able to keep your ancient laptop chugging along for a little while longer, but don’t count on it as you might be out of luck if Apple’s battery supply has run dry.

Though we would hope you might have upgraded your tech a little sooner than this designation being handed out as none of these MacBooks has supported the latest macOS release for a few cycles. This means your aging laptop could be at a higher security risk.

Beyond that you’ll also be missing out on everything the latest generation of macOS Tahoe 26 has to offer – including the snazzy new ‘Liquid Glass’ look.

You might also like

• I love my M1 MacBook Pro and have never considered upgrading it, but these new M6 rumors might just change my mind
• Love the MacBook Pro? A new model could be on the way, with some significant upgrades
• MacBooks are now legitimate gaming machines – and the future looks promising