Apple’s Obsolete list gets a new entry.
It has been more than seven years since Apple last sold its mid-2012 MacBook Pro, and hence, it has joined the ranks of its obsolete list.
Apple’s last MacBook equipped with an optical disc drive has officially joined the ranks of its obsolete products list. Unveiled in mid-2012, this model came with a 13.3-inch display, offering a choice between a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 or a 2.9GHz Core i7, along with up to 8GB of RAM and a hard disk drive with a capacity of up to 1TB.
The discontinuation of laptops featuring optical disc drives signifies the conclusion of an era, as they have fallen out of touch with the current market needs. Most laptops no longer incorporate this feature, with only a few exceptions.
Notably, Apple was one of the first companies to take a step in phasing out disc drives, with no future models featuring the same capability after the mid-2012 MacBook Pro.
For those uninitiated, Apple stopped the sales of this particular model in October 2016, which served as the entry-level option for a while. In fact, it has been several years since any updates were released for the model, rendering it unsupported since the release of macOS Big Sur.
What Are Obsolete And Vintage Products?
Apple, once a product gets past its life cycle, classifies a product into two categories: Obsolete or Vintage.
Products are vintage “when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago,” and products are considered obsolete when “Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago,” and thus, “Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products,” and service providers can’t order parts for repairs.
