The original 12-inch MacBook, which was released by Apple in 2015, has been included in Apple’s “obsolete” machine list. However, it doesn’t mean that the notebook has suddenly become useless. Rather, it will now become more challenging to obtain service for these laptops.
Apple products remain functional for many years, contrary to what the term “obsolete” suggests. Each product can receive service for a minimum of five years, and even older Macs, iPhones, and iPads continue to receive operating system updates.
This compact device is considered a pivotal moment for Apple’s entire notebook lineup. It introduced various technologies that were subsequently adopted by other devices, including USB-C and the controversial butterfly keyboard.
It was equipped with 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The processor used was a dual-core Intel Core M running at 1.1 GHz, 1.2 GHz, or 1.3 GHz. To illustrate the progress made, the first 12-inch MacBook with a 1.3 GHz chip achieved a Geekbench 6 benchmarking score of 1323. In contrast, the 13-inch MacBook Air, unveiled in 2022, powered by Apple’s innovative silicon, attained an impressive score of 9585 in the identical assessment, exhibiting a performance that exceeded sevenfold the speed of its predecessor.
MacOS computers are categorized as vintage five years after their last production date. This classification also applied to the original 12-inch MacBook in 2021. Vintage products can still receive service from Apple and authorized service providers, although availability of inventory may impact this.
After an additional two years, products are labeled as obsolete, which marks the end of authorized repairs. Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers are unable to order parts for them, as stated by the Mac maker.
Consequently, the 2015 12-inch MacBook now falls under the obsolete category. The initial release of the MacBook in 2016 is now deemed as a vintage model, while the 2017 edition, which ceased production in 2019, is on the verge of becoming a relic