Last week, while all the attention was on the half dozen products Apple unveiled, the company quietly discontinued 15 of its relatively recent products, according to MacRumors.
As PCMag reports, when Apple discontinues a product, it only means the company will stop selling the product through its own online and physical stores. The products will continue to be sold by third-party retailers until stock runs out, and receive software and security updates.
It’s quite common for the company to clear older models from its inventory after announcing new products. This helps it streamline its lineup and push customers toward its latest devices. Here’s a list of products Apple discontinued after its recent series of launches:
- iPhone 16e
- iPad Air M3 (11-inch and 13-inch)
- MacBook Air M4 (13-inch and 15-inch)
- MacBook Pro M5 (14-inch, 512GB storage)
- MacBook Pro M4 Pro (14-inch and 16-inch)
- MacBook Pro M4 Max (14-inch and 16-inch)
- Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and 512GB memory
- Studio Display with A13 Bionic
- Pro Display XDR
- Pro Stand
- Pro Display XDR VESA Mount Adapter
Though some of these products, such as the iPhone 16e, iPad Air M3, and MacBook Air M4, were launched just last year, their discontinuation is self-explanatory. Apple replaced the 16e with the iPhone 17e, the iPad Air M3 with the iPad Air M4, and the MacBook Air M4 with MacBook Air M5. The company also refreshed the Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, and updated the MacBook Pros with the more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
The MacBook Pro is still available with an M5 chip, but storage now starts at 1TB instead of 512GB. It can also be configured with 2TB or 4TB.
Customers only need to be concerned when Apple starts adding products to its vintage and obsolete lists. Products are usually added to the vintage list five years after Apple stops distributing them, and to the obsolete list after seven years.
Service for products on the vintage list depends on spare parts availability, whereas Apple does not provide hardware service or parts for products on the obsolete list.
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