Apple to Obsolete Select 2009 to 2011 Macs at End of Year

mac-mini-mbp-2009-to-2011Apple plans to add select 2009 to 2011 model Macs to its vintage and obsolete products list on December 31, 2016, according to an internal memo seen by MacRumors.

The following Macs will be classified as either vintage or obsolete in the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
• Mac mini (Early 2009)
• MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

The aforementioned Macs will no longer be eligible for hardware service or new parts from Apple or Apple Authorized Service Providers, except in Turkey and California, where Apple will continue to provide repairs and documentation for up to two years, or December 31, 2018 in this case, as required by local statutes.

Vintage products are those that have not been manufactured by Apple for between five and seven years. Obsolete products are those that were discontinued by Apple more than seven years ago. Apple and Authorized Service Providers make no distinction between obsolete and vintage products outside of Turkey and California.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac mini

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

TimCookMustGo Avatar
120 months ago
I have an early 2011 15" MBP. I have yet to find a worthy replacement worth my money. Apple, this is a problem. I waited all this time to have the following:

* Weak, under-powered machine
* Dongles are required
* Gimmicky Touchbar
* $2,400 Starting Price
* No Function Keys
* 16gb RAM cap

Let's get Tim out of there. Please. Seriously.
Score: 105 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
120 months ago
Hey, on the bright side, it's nice to see a Mac Mini on the MacRumors homepage.
Score: 71 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
120 months ago
For people that like old hardware from 2011, Apples sells the vintage 2013 Mac Pro that still sold in the original packaging that you might want to check out.
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
120 months ago
I had an early 2011 15" MBP that I replaced with the retina 2012 model. They aren't significantly different hardware wise. That 2011 model was and still should be pretty powerful. It has a quad-core i7 and SSD with a graphics card plenty powerful enough to drive a non-retina display. Can't remember, does this mean it won't get macOS updates either?

We're coming into a weird age where computers aren't getting much faster each year but companies are still having to obsolete older ones despite the fact that they still run fine. It's weird and seems wasteful.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LordQ Avatar
120 months ago
The 17" MacBook Pro was an extraordinary machine!
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
120 months ago
Guess my mid 2012 classic MBP is on the endangered species list.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)