Today, was the end of an era, of sorts: That's because Apple added the mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro—the last model to include a built-in optical drive for reading and writing CDs or DVDs—to its list of products that it considers obsolete.
Macrumors said that this MacBook Pro model, “remained for sale until October 2016 as a lower-priced option.”
Apple says that it "discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products." But Apple also says that, "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."
Of course, I'm sure there are many of you out there that still own large collections of CDs and DVDs, even if you won't admit it. (Maybe you own the entire collection of ABBA or Bee Gees on CDs. Or perhaps you want a way to covertly play your "'Weird Al' Yankovic's Ultimate Video Collection" DVD, which is just one DVD, by the way). Well, anyways, if you have CDs and DVDs you want to play, you still can: Apple still sells the Apple USB SuperDrive for $79. However, you'll most likely need a USB adapter to use it, depending on the Mac laptop you have.
What “obsolete” products do you miss or still use?
But you might be wondering how Apple determines what products are obsolete?
According to Apple's support page, "Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago. Monster-branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased."
Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products. 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."
They also have a section that explains when Apple deems its products to be "vintage:" Products are "considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago."
Macrumors also said that, on the software side, “Apple dropped support for the Mid 2012 model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with macOS Big Sur in 2020.” It also noted that “Apple discontinued the 13-inch MacBook Pro entirely last year.”
