Apple quietly updated one of its least glamorous support pages this week, and three familiar gadgets fell off the edge of its repair program. On Wednesday, October 14, the company added the 2017 12-inch MacBook, the sixth-generation iPad, and the BeatsX wireless earphones to its list of “obsolete” products, as first spotted by MacRumors.
The timing was a little awkward. The update landed one day after Apple’s “Welcome Home” event, where it showed off a new Apple TV 4K, the HomePod mini 2, and the HomeView smart display. Out with the old, in with the new. But if you still own one of these three devices, the label matters more than the headline suggests: it decides whether an Apple Store will fix your gadget at all.
The short version
- Apple added the MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017), iPad (6th generation, Wi-Fi and Cellular) and BeatsX to its obsolete list on October 14, 2026.
- “Obsolete” means Apple stopped distributing the product more than 7 years ago. Apple Stores and authorized providers stop hardware service and cannot order parts.
- One exception: Mac laptops can still get battery-only repairs for up to 10 years after Apple last sold them, if parts exist.
- The devices keep working. The MacBook’s last macOS patch arrived in August 2025, and the iPad’s last iPadOS 17 patch in May 2026.
The three products Apple just retired
All three were introduced in 2017 or 2018, and all three were already off store shelves years ago. What changed this week is their service status, not their availability.
The 12-inch MacBook (2017) is the headline casualty, because it was the final version of a laptop that still has a devoted fan base. Apple introduced this last revision on June 5, 2017, with seventh-generation Intel “Kaby Lake” processors, and discontinued the 12-inch line entirely on July 9, 2019, when it cut the price of the Retina MacBook Air. The 2015 and 2016 models were already on the obsolete list, so as 9to5Mac points out, the whole 12-inch MacBook family is now outside Apple’s hardware service. It was an ambitious machine: fanless, under a kilogram, and one of the first Macs to bet everything on USB-C and the Force Touch trackpad. It also carried the much-criticized butterfly keyboard. As MacRumors notes, Apple has never released a sub-13-inch MacBook with Apple silicon to replace it.
The iPad (6th generation) launched on March 27, 2018, with Apple’s A10 Fusion chip and a 9.7-inch display. It was the first entry-level iPad to support the Apple Pencil. Apple replaced it with the 10.2-inch seventh-generation iPad on September 10, 2019. Both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular versions are now on the obsolete list.
BeatsX were Beats’ neckband-style wireless earbuds, built around Apple’s W1 chip. Apple’s list names every color variant, from Defiant Black-Red to Sky Blue. In October 2020, Beats released the $49 Beats Flex, which MacRumors described at the time as identical in design to BeatsX but with longer battery life. Apple has not said exactly when it stopped shipping BeatsX, but under its own rules, an obsolete listing means Apple last distributed the product more than seven years ago.
| Product | Launched | Replaced or discontinued | Last supported software | What Apple still offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) | June 5, 2017 | July 9, 2019 | macOS Ventura 13 (last patch 13.7.8, Aug 20, 2025) | Battery-only repair, up to 10 years after last sale, if parts exist |
| iPad (6th generation) | March 27, 2018 | September 10, 2019 | iPadOS 17 (last patch 17.7.11, May 11, 2026) | No hardware service |
| BeatsX (all colors) | 2017 | Successor Beats Flex arrived October 2020 | Not applicable (firmware only) | No hardware service |
Vintage vs obsolete: how Apple’s clock works
Apple runs a two-stage retirement process, and the clock starts not when a product launches but when Apple last distributed it for sale, including to resellers. According to Apple’s support page on service after an expired warranty, owners of iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, Beats and other products can get service and parts from Apple service providers for a minimum of five years from that date. Apple says service may be available for longer, “as required by law or for up to 7 years,” subject to parts availability.
- Vintage: Apple stopped distributing the product more than five and less than seven years ago. Repairs are still possible, but only if parts are on hand.
- Obsolete: Apple stopped distributing the product more than seven years ago. In Apple’s words, it “discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts.”
The new additions followed that script almost to the day. On October 8, 2024, 9to5Mac reported that the 2017 12-inch MacBook and the sixth-generation iPad had just been moved to the vintage list. Two years later, they have graduated to obsolete.
The battery exception is the one genuinely useful detail for MacBook owners. Apple says Mac laptops “may be eligible for an extended battery-only repair period for up to 10 years from when the product was last distributed for sale, subject to parts availability.” Since the 12-inch MacBook was discontinued in July 2019, that window could stretch to around mid-2029, though Apple does not publish model-specific end dates and parts can run out sooner. There is no equivalent exception for the iPad or BeatsX.
What obsolete does and does not mean for your device
It is worth separating three things that often get blurred together: hardware repairs, software updates and everyday usability.
Repairs. This is the part that actually changed. Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers are instructed to discontinue hardware service for obsolete products and generally cannot order parts, as MacRumors explains. Apple’s support page does note that service may be available for longer where the law requires it. In France, for example, Apple says owners of a new iPhone or Mac laptop bought after December 31, 2020, or a new iPad bought after June 24, 2024, can get service and parts for 7 years from when the model was last supplied there. A sixth-generation iPad bought in 2018 or 2019 falls outside that window.
Software updates. These ended separately and earlier. The 2017 MacBook topped out at macOS Ventura 13, and Apple’s own security release log shows its last Ventura patch, version 13.7.8, on August 20, 2025. No Ventura update has appeared since. The sixth-generation iPad tops out at iPadOS 17. Here Apple has been more generous: its security page lists iPadOS 17.7.11 for the iPad 6th generation, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro on May 11, 2026. That is a patch for an iPad discontinued almost seven years earlier, but there is no promise of more.
Daily use. Everything still turns on, connects and runs the apps it already has. The practical risk grows slowly: as app developers raise their minimum OS requirements and browsers stop supporting older systems, an unpatched machine becomes both less capable and less safe to use online.
What owners should do now
If one of these three products is still part of your daily routine, you do not need to panic, but you should plan.
- 12-inch MacBook owners with a tired battery: check the battery’s condition in System Settings, then contact Apple about a battery-only repair sooner rather than later. The 10-year window is real, but it is “subject to parts availability,” and stock for a laptop discontinued in 2019 will not last forever.
- Back up everything. With no Apple repair path for a logic board, display or keyboard failure, the data on an obsolete device is more fragile than it was last week. Time Machine for the Mac and iCloud or a computer backup for the iPad take minutes to set up.
- Look to independent repair. The obsolete label only governs Apple and its authorized providers. Independent repair shops and parts suppliers are not bound by it, and keyboards, screens and batteries for popular older models often remain available through third parties.
- Be realistic about security. A MacBook that stopped getting macOS patches in August 2025 is fine for offline writing or media, but think twice before using it for banking or work accounts. The iPad is in better shape for now, thanks to the May 2026 patch.
- Plan the upgrade or the exit. If you are shopping, our look at whether a refurbished MacBook makes sense in 2026 walks through the math. When you are done with the old device, Apple’s trade-in and recycling programs accept products regardless of their service status.
A routine update with a sentimental twist
Apple updates its vintage and obsolete lists several times a year, usually without fanfare, and this round arrived alongside a busy week of hardware news. Our preview of the October 13 Welcome Home event covered what Apple was expected to launch, and UNILAD Tech, which also covered the obsolete list, noted the timing of old products leaving as new ones arrive.
What makes this particular batch stand out is the MacBook. The 12-inch model was flawed, and its butterfly keyboard became one of Apple’s most criticized designs, but it was also the clearest sign of where Apple laptops were heading: thin, fanless and USB-C only. Today’s Apple silicon MacBook Air delivers on that idea far better. Still, many fans have spent years asking Apple for a true successor at that size, and as of this week, the original is officially out of Apple’s hands.
Sources and further reading
- Apple Support: Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty (vintage and obsolete products)
- Apple Support: Apple security releases
- MacRumors: Apple Says These Products Are Now Obsolete
- 9to5Mac: Apple says beloved MacBook is now ‘obsolete,’ more products too
- 9to5Mac: Apple marks MacBook and iPad models ‘vintage’ (October 2024)
- AppleInsider: Apple kills support for last 12-inch MacBook and more
- Appleosophy: Apple declared both 2017 12-inch MacBook and 6th-generation iPad as ‘obsolete’
- MacRumors: Beats Flex launch coverage (October 2020)
- UNILAD Tech: Apple officially declares three more products obsolete
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