We've got potential bad news for anyone who owns a 2014 MacBook — a new report claims Apple will declare three models obsolete later this month.
According to MacRumors, which claims to have obtained an internal memo, the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs, the first Apple ever released, will be added to Apple’s obsolete list on April 30. The 13-inch MacBook Pro from that year is also said to be getting the same treatment, which would mean that they'd no longer qualify for official hardware support.
This wouldn't be a huge surprise if true, as all three models were added to Apple’s list of “vintage” devices in 2020. And, all things considered, eight years is a pretty good run for a laptop.
The memo is also said to detail how Apple decides what is considered “obsolete” and what it means for anyone who still has one of those devices. Seven years have to have passed since Apple “last distributed the product for sale,” and once officially obsolete Apple discontinues all hardware services.
Battery-only repairs may still be available in certain countries, but otherwise you likely have until the end of the month to take one of these machines to the Apple Store for repair.
On the plus side, it looks as if Apple is readying several new MacBooks for later this year, so this could be a good time to start thinking about an upgrade.
While Apple doesn’t sell any 11-inch MacBooks these days, we are expecting to see the 13- (or possibly 14-) inch MacBook Air 2022 and 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 later this year — both powered by the M2 chip.
When the two machines will arrive isn’t entirely clear right now. Previously, we’d heard rumors of a fall launch, though more recently reports have claimed the Air may arrive later. Apple has supposedly delayed the machine by choice, thanks to “higher than expected” demand for the 2021 MacBook Pro.
It’s not clear what this might mean for the launch of the 2022 MacBook Pro, which is set to have a smaller screen than the 2021 models. It would stand to reason that strong sales of last year’s machines would affect the incoming MacBook Pro just as much as the MacBook Air. However, none of this has been confirmed by Apple, so we’ll need to wait and see.
Given that a larger 15-inch MacBook Air is also rumored to arrive sometime in 2023, you should have plenty of choice when you decide to upgrade. Just make sure that any problems you're facing with your current machine get looked into right away, because the sun may be setting on official Apple support.
