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Apple Classifies 2011 Mac Mini as Obsolete

Monday December 4, 2017 6:36 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple this week added all Mac mini models released in mid 2011 to its public-facing vintage and obsolete products list.


Mid 2011 models have officially been classified as vintage or obsolete as of November 30, 2017, according to an internal memo distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers and later obtained by MacRumors.

The distinction means that Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers will no longer repair or service the 2011 Mac mini, given over five years have passed since it was last manufactured, except where required by law.

The only regions exempted include California and Turkey, where customers may still obtain service for up to two additional years.

Apple repairs and services products for up to five years after they are no longer manufactured, and 2011 Mac mini models have now eclipsed that coverage period after being discontinued in late 2012.

2011 Mac mini models were the first with a Thunderbolt port, and the first without an optical disc drive for CDs/DVDs.

It has been over 1,100 days since Apple last refreshed the Mac mini, according to the MacRumors Buyer's Guide. The computer is still powered by Intel's dual-core Haswell processors, now five generations old.

When Apple announced plans for a modular Mac Pro, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said the Mac mini "is an important product" in the company's lineup, but he didn't confirm if a new machine is in the works.

Apple CEO Tim Cook likewise said the Mac mini will be an "important part" of Apple's product lineup going forward in a recent email.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Tag: vintage and obsolete
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Don't Buy)
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sers
12 months ago
The 2017 mini should also be on that list.
Rating: 109 Votes
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MacFather
12 months ago
Late 2014 "upgrade" should be considered a crime.

Rating: 66 Votes
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adamjackson
12 months ago
Wow. I'm drooling looking at all of those ports. That's amazing.





Rating: 51 Votes
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gugy
12 months ago
Come on Apple, get your act together. Update the Mini, Mac Pro, iMac and displays now!
Rating: 45 Votes
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Moonjumper
12 months ago
Hopefully they will update the Mini before the current model becomes obsolete.
Rating: 40 Votes
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Strelok
12 months ago

Mine's crawling nowadays... good for storing media but not too much beyond that.

Throw an SSD in there and it should be good as new.
Rating: 26 Votes
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Naraxus
12 months ago
Apple's entire product line is obsolete
Rating: 21 Votes
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Menel
12 months ago
It's shame, quad core, dual drive kit with intel SSD, ram upgrade to 8GB. runs really really good. Apple still have no replacement.
Rating: 19 Votes
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le_cagou
12 months ago

My 'Late 2012' Mini w/ the i7 is still performing nicely. It's sad to think that it will be classified as 'obsolete' within the year.


indeed. the late 2012 i7 quad-core is still a very capable machine. I'm using one (with 16 gigs of ram and ssd) as my main computer and I never feel the need for a newer mac. it's a fantastic little machine.
Rating: 18 Votes
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mabhatter
12 months ago

I’m sure all Macs will see some upgrades next year given that they are pretty tied up this year with the X.

Because Apple still only has ONE team that designs things and writes OS code... obviously no one else can barely patch a bug lately.

People keep saying they’re overextended but I don’t see it. They haven’t updated the Mac Mini or Mac Pro in many years. They shut down the AirPort team. They only update iPods every three years. They make three laptops, three desktops, a watch, and some phones. Stop listening to “we have great things coming”! A company is only as good as what they ship this Quarter. And all the things they shipped in the last three months are broken. iOS, macOS, & iphones all have major issues that are inappropriately severe.
Rating: 17 Votes

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