Apple's First MacBook Pro With a Retina Display Will Become 'Obsolete' in 30 Days

If you are still hanging on to a Mid 2012 model of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display, and require a new battery or other repairs, be sure to book an appointment with a service provider as soon as possible.

2012 macbook pro retina
In an internal memo today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has indicated that this particular MacBook Pro model will be marked as "obsolete" worldwide on June 30, 2020, just over eight years after its release. In a support document, Apple notes that obsolete products are no longer eligible for hardware service, with "no exceptions."

Apple already classified the 2012 MacBook Pro as "vintage" in 2018, but it has still continued to service the notebook as part of a pilot program, subject to parts availability. With the 2012 MacBook Pro transitioning to "obsolete" status at the end of this month, it would appear that the notebook will no longer be eligible for any official repairs.

Of course, if you own a 2012 MacBook Pro, there is nothing stopping you from following one of iFixit's many do-it-yourself repair guides. Independent repair shops are another avenue, although many do not use official Apple parts.

In addition to being the first MacBook Pro with a Retina display, the 2012 model had a much slimmer design compared to previous models, after Apple removed the built-in Ethernet port and optical disc drive for CDs/DVDs. It still had a wide array of I/O, however, including pairs of Thunderbolt and USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot.

Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Tuesday March 4, 2025 3:15 pm PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
Apple MacBook Air hero

Apple Announces New MacBook Air With M4 and 'Sky Blue' Color Option

Wednesday March 5, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple today announced refreshed 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models, now featuring the M4 chip, an upgraded camera, and a new "Sky Blue" color option. "Sky Blue" is an all-new blue finish that joins Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Apple describes it as a "beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface." Space Gray is no longer available. ...
ipad 11 feature

Apple Unveils 11th-Gen iPad With A16 Chip and More Storage

Tuesday March 4, 2025 6:06 am PST by
Apple today announced the 11th-generation iPad, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage. The announcement came alongside the debut of the new iPad Air, which now features the M3 chip. From Apple's press release: The A16 chip provides a jump in performance for everyday tasks and experiences in iPadOS, while still providing all-day battery life. Compared to the previous generation, the...
M3 iPad Air

Apple Announces New iPad Air With M3 Chip, Updated Magic Keyboard

Tuesday March 4, 2025 6:04 am PST by
Apple today introduced new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models with the M3 chip, along with an updated Magic Keyboard for the device. With the M3 chip, the new iPad Air should offer up to 20% faster performance compared to the previous-generation model with the M2 chip, which was released in May 2024. In addition, the M3 chip brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the iPad Air for the...
CarPlay Hero

iOS 18.4 Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Tuesday March 4, 2025 8:39 am PST by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes two smaller but meaningful improvements for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. First, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a 14-inch...
Apple MacBook Air hero

Apple Has Finally Solved One of the MacBook Air's Biggest Limitations

Wednesday March 5, 2025 11:29 am PST by
The new MacBook Air has a useful upgrade: it natively supports up to two external displays, in addition to the laptop's built-in display. In other words, the latest MacBook Air can be used with a pair of external displays without needing to keep the laptop's lid closed. Apple's tech specs for the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air:Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the...
Mac Studio 2025

Apple Announces New Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips, Thunderbolt 5, and More

Wednesday March 5, 2025 6:01 am PST by
Apple today announced that it has updated the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options, Thunderbolt 5 ports, and more. The M4 Max chip was already released last year in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It can be configured with up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified RAM. Geekbench 6 benchmark results indicate that the M4 Max is up to 75% faster than...
Apple MacBook Air hero

Here Are Real-World Photos of the New Sky Blue MacBook Air

Wednesday March 5, 2025 1:47 pm PST by
Apple today updated the MacBook Air with the M4 chip, and the laptop is also available in an all-new Sky Blue finish alongside Silver, Starlight, and Midnight. YouTuber Andru Edwards has showed off the Sky Blue color in a few real-world photos. Keep in mind that the Sky Blue finish is not very saturated. However, the color's appearance will vary based on lighting conditions. View ...
ipad air magic keyboard

Apple Announces Redesigned Magic Keyboard for iPad Air

Tuesday March 4, 2025 6:36 am PST by
Apple today announced a completely redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory for the iPad Air. The new keyboard features a larger built-in trackpad, a 14-key function row, and a new aluminum hinge. From Apple's press release: The all-new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air expands what users can do at an even lower price. The larger built-in trackpad brings greater precision for detail-oriented...

Top Rated Comments

GeoStructural Avatar
62 months ago
The first thing that catches my eyes is that MagSafe connector. Glorious little thing, they should have never gotten rid of it.

(Yes, I want both USB C and MagSafe).
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jay42 Avatar
62 months ago
8 years of official hardware support is pretty good.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
62 months ago
Looks like its time to retire my 2012 MBP, it had a good run.

This was the best MBP Apple ever produced imo

[edit]
Clarification, I'm retiring the machine, not because of the announcement but its not able to run the apps that my daughter needs. We came to that conclusion this weekend, not due to this news story
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pugxiwawa Avatar
62 months ago
Machine's built like a tank. Just got a LG 4K screen to connect to this and works perfectly for kids school work and their daily zoom call. Find me a Windows laptop that still works this well after 8 years. Just amazing.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
62 months ago
Meanwhile...:)



Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Queen6 Avatar
62 months ago
Well at least it beat the 2016 design as that one was obsolete on day one :)

Q-6
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)