2017 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar now ‘vintage’, won’t receive macOS 14

Apple has officially designated the 2017 MacBook Pro as a “vintage product,” signaling the end of an era for this once cutting-edge device. Sadly, this means that finding spare parts for repairs may no longer be available. And that the device will not receive the latest macOS 14 update.

2017 MacBook Pro will still have security patches

The 2017 MacBook Pro is the second generation of Macs with a Touch Bar. The Touch Bar, located at the top of the keyboard, allows the user to use intuitive gestures.

Taps, swipes, and slides—can effortlessly adjust settings, access Siri, utilize function keys, and perform various tasks across multiple apps. And most importantly, it enables Touch ID.

It equipped the Intel Core i5 with up to 3.5GHz clock speed. And it had four Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Currently, only the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple M2 chip has a Touch Bar.

Meanwhile, the variant of 2017 MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar still has an extra year before becoming vintage. This is because Apple did not update the entry-level MacBook Pro for 2018 and continued selling the 2017 model throughout the year.

Moving forward, these 2017 MacBooks will only get security patches for at least two years.

Apple considers a product “vintage” five years after it has been discontinued for sales, which means that parts for repairs may no longer be available at Apple Stores or Authorized Service Providers (AASP).

Five years: Vintage and seven years: Obsolete

Apple has another category, rather a second tier, for discontinued products, namely “Obsolete products”. These are products that the company stopped distributing for sale more than seven years ago and are now considered obsolete.

In contrast being labeled as “vintage” means that parts may or may not be available for repair. On the other hand, “obsolete” means that repairs are completely off the table.

While Apple may be quick to label older products as “vintage” or “obsolete,” it’s worth noting that the MacBook battery is the exception to the rule. Despite being discontinued, Apple will still repair the battery for up to 10 years.

So, if you’re still holding onto that trusty old MacBook, it’s worth considering how much longer it will be able to keep up with your needs before it becomes too outdated to function.