Apple will soon accept some old iPhones, MacBooks, and Mac computers for repairs under a new “Repair Vintage Apple Products Pilot” program, 9to5Mac reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The new program will initially cover the following Apple devices:
- iPhone 5 (GSM/CDMA), released 2012
- 11-inch MacBook Air, released mid-2012
- 13-inch MacBook Air, released mid-2012
- 21.5-inch iMac, released mid-2011, for U.S. and Turkey only
- 27-inch iMac, released mid-2011, for U.S. and Turkey only
If the last two devices look familiar, it is because they are part of a pilot program by Apple in the U.S. that ran from March 31 and August 31. There was speculation that if the program proved popular, it would be expanded to include other products. It looks like that is exactly what is happening here.
Apple will then be adding more to the line-up of devices included in the new program over the year, starting with the following on November 30:
- iPhone 4s, released 2011
- 15-inch MacBook Pro, released mid-2012
Then, on December 30, Apple will add the following devices:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, released late 2012
- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, released early 2013
- MacBook Pro with Retina display, released mid-2012
- Mac Pro, released mid-2012
- iPhone 5 (GSM), released 2012
The new program focuses on products that Apple has tagged as “vintage,” which are devices that have not been manufactured for more than five years and less than seven years ago. All Apple Store and authorized service providers will start offering repairs for the aforementioned devices once the program is launched.
But just because an Apple device appears on the list, it does not mean that service is guaranteed. Repairs will only be offered depending on the availability of parts, but that is an upgrade from Apple’s previous stance of completely discontinuing repairs once a product is tagged as “vintage.” At the very least, the new program gives old Apple products a chance at being fixed, instead of being disposed of once they encounter issues.
The “Repair Vintage Apple Products Pilot” program comes after reports on Apple’s crackdown on third-party repairs for the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro. The computers must pass certain Apple Service Toolkit 2 tests for successful repairs, but only Apple’s authorized service providers have access to the software.
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