Apple added the 2017 Retina 12-inch MacBook to its obsolete products list this week, a designation that now covers every 12-inch MacBook the company ever sold.
The sixth-generation iPad, in both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular configurations, joined it in the same update, along with several BeatsX earphone colorways, 9to5Mac reported on October 14.
Obsolete status generally ends Apple-authorized hardware repair and parts ordering for these devices. Apple's support policy addresses hardware service specifically; the classification itself does not determine operating system or security-update support.
With the 2017 model's addition, the entire 12-inch MacBook lineup, spanning 2015, 2016, and 2017, now sits on Apple's obsolete list. The iPad 6 loses the same standard hardware-service access. Anyone still relying on either device should know exactly what changed and what the designation doesn't tell them before assuming every repair option is gone.
Apple vintage vs. obsolete products: how the classification works
Apple sorts products into two tiers based on how long ago it stopped distributing them for sale, including sales to resellers. A product counts as vintage once more than five and less than seven years have passed since its last distribution, and as obsolete once that gap exceeds seven years.
Vintage products may still receive service, though parts availability can be limited. For obsolete products, Apple discontinues hardware service and Apple service providers can't order parts.
The classification covers hardware service. It doesn't mean a device suddenly stops working, and obsolete status by itself doesn't establish whether Apple will or won't release another software or security update for that device.
That distinction matters for the iPad 6 in particular. Apple released iPadOS 17.7.11 for the sixth-generation iPad in May 2026, only months before moving the hardware onto its obsolete list.
Apple's policy provides service and parts for a minimum of five years after the company last distributed a product for sale. Service may continue longer where required by law or for up to seven years, subject to parts availability.
Mac laptops have an additional exception: they may qualify for battery-only repairs for up to 10 years after Apple last distributed the model, subject to parts availability.
The 2017 MacBook and iPad 6 were added to the obsolete list under Apple's seven-year policy. Apple's support page doesn't state the exact last-distribution date for either model, so the precise date each crossed the threshold isn't established there.
Apple 12-inch MacBook obsolete list: what owners should check
The 2017 Retina 12-inch MacBook was the final version Apple released before discontinuing the line, and it now joins the 2015 and 2016 models that were already marked obsolete.
For the 2017 MacBook specifically, standard Apple hardware service has now ended except for the potential battery-only exception.
Mac laptops can qualify for a battery-only repair window running up to 10 years after their last distribution date, subject to parts availability. That's an eligibility window, not confirmation that Apple currently has a replacement battery available for the 2017 MacBook.
Owners dealing with a battery problem should first confirm which MacBook they have. Apple's model information identifies the 2017 version as the MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017), with model identifier MacBook10,1.
They can then contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to ask whether a battery-only repair is currently available for that specific model.
For other hardware problems, such as a failed logic board, cracked display, or dead keyboard or trackpad, Apple's obsolete policy ends its standard hardware-service and parts-ordering path.
Independent repair shops remain an option to investigate. Apple's obsolete designation doesn't indicate whether an independent shop has compatible parts or can complete a particular repair, so parts availability, cost, and warranty terms should be checked separately.
iPad 6 obsolete service list: what changes for owners
Both sixth-generation iPad configurations, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular, are now listed as obsolete on Apple's support page.
The same seven-year threshold applies, but the battery exception does not. Apple's published extended battery-only provision specifically covers Mac laptops and doesn't provide an equivalent extension for iPads.
That means owners facing a screen crack, battery failure, or another hardware problem no longer have a standard Apple-authorized hardware-service path for the iPad 6.
The hardware designation shouldn't be confused with software history. The sixth-generation iPad received iPadOS 17.7.11 in May 2026, showing that Apple can provide a software security update to a device even as its hardware-service status approaches or crosses the obsolete threshold.
Obsolete status doesn't guarantee another update, however. It simply doesn't answer that software-support question.
Anyone still using an iPad 6 regularly can confirm the model in Settings and keep its data backed up before a hardware failure rather than after one. Whether the tablet still suits a particular workload depends on its condition and software requirements, not the obsolete label alone.
Also added: BeatsX color variants
Apple's update also moved BeatsX and several specifically named BeatsX color variants onto its worldwide obsolete list.
Apple lists the affected variants as Burned Red, Defiant Black-Red, Deep Black, Pure White, and Sky Blue. That resolves inconsistent naming in some secondary coverage: Apple's own support page uses "Burned Red."
The same hardware rules apply here as with other obsolete products. Apple no longer provides standard hardware service for the affected BeatsX models, and service providers can't order replacement parts for them through Apple's service system.
Owners of a failed pair can investigate independent repair, although for older wireless earphones the cost and availability of third-party repair may make replacement more practical.
What to do next
MacBook owners dealing with a battery issue have one Apple-service possibility worth checking: confirm that the machine is the 2017 Retina 12-inch MacBook and ask Apple or an authorized provider whether a battery-only repair is still available under the extended Mac laptop policy.
Other hardware failures on the 2017 MacBook, along with hardware problems affecting the newly obsolete iPad 6 and BeatsX models, no longer have Apple's standard authorized repair and parts-ordering path.
That doesn't make the devices unusable, and it doesn't automatically determine their software-support status.
Independent repair remains an option, but Apple's obsolete designation says nothing about an outside shop's parts quality, pricing, workmanship, or warranty. Check those separately before committing an older MacBook, iPad, or pair of BeatsX earphones to a repair outside Apple's authorized network.
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