Apple reportedly draws support for older Touch Bar MacBooks. The question here is that, could this be the end of the line for the device? The 2017 MacBook Pro from Apple is now vintage with the newest development from the company.
Apple Support for Touch Bar MacBooks
Tech Company Apple has just reportedly added the 2017 Touch Bar MacBook Pro to its list of vintage products around the globe, with both the 13- and 15-inch versions in question affected. The move here simply means that getting those laptops in question repaired could now be more difficult than ever before.
The Touch Bar for those that don’t know was initially introduced in 2016 and has since then largely been unloved ever since, but it is still very much available on just one of the modern laptops of Apple. The M2 13-inch MacBook Pro in question still ships with a Touch Bar, but for how long, one may ask?
Apple however seems to have generally accepted that the physical function keys are quite and a much better option despite continuing to ship the Touch Bar — but notably, it is not available on the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros of the company, which as you should know are among the best laptops out there at the moment. That however should probably tell us where the Touch Bar sits in the view of Apple.
Other Products on Apple’s Vintage List
The 2017 MacBook Pro as you should know is not the only new addition to the vintage product list, either. The mid-2015 15-inch MacBook Pro on the other hand (without a Touch Bar) was also added to the list.
MacRumors was the very first to notice that the MacBook Pro had found itself on the vintage list, and this is a move that could simply mean getting one repaired is now more difficult than it was prior to this.
What it means for a Product to Be on Apple’s Vintage List
Products that are seen on the vintage list for those that don’t know are no longer guaranteed to be eligible for repairs at any of the Apple Stores or even at Apple Authorized Service Providers. They will work on them for a fee, but only if it is that they have the parts available at the said time. That simply means that you might just find yourself having to buy a new laptop or even resort to making use of a third-party repair shop. And even at that, there is no guarantee that the parts in question will be available.
What Comes Next After This
And as for what comes next, it is very much possible to take this latest move as a sign that the Touch Bar in question is not long for this very life, especially now with a refreshed M3 version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro very much likely to be announced during the rumored October event of Apple. However, this very move might not be quite as foreshadowing as you might get to think. Apple routinely includes products to the vintage list five years after it is that they were last sold. And this is a timeframe that this laptop has now passed.
Still, we can only just hope the Touch Bar is going the way of the dodo. It would really be a shame, though. There is however no denying that the Touch Bar in question was a missed opportunity for Apple.
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