In a move that signals the end of an era, Apple has officially classified all Mac Minis with Intel processors as either “vintage” or “obsolete.” This decision aligns with Apple’s broader transition to its proprietary Apple Silicon chips, which began in 2020 with the introduction of the M1 chip.
Transition to Apple’s Silicon
The Intel Mac Mini, once favored by enterprise and education sectors for its configurability, has been removed from Apple’s online store as of January 2023.
The current Mac Mini lineup now features models powered by Apple’s M2 and M2 Pro chips, offering enhanced performance and efficiency.
Implications for Intel Mac Users
With the discontinuation of the Intel Mac Mini, Apple has updated its vintage and obsolete products list. For instance, the 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro is now classified as vintage, while models like the 2016 12-inch MacBook and the 27-inch 5K iMac from late 2015 are deemed obsolete.
Vintage products are those that have not been sold for more than five and less than seven years and may still be eligible for service depending on parts availability. Obsolete products, on the other hand, have been discontinued for over seven years and are generally no longer serviced by Apple.
This shift underscores Apple’s commitment to its Apple Silicon architecture, which offers significant performance and efficiency improvements over the previous Intel-based systems. Users with Intel-based Macs may experience diminishing software support, as newer macOS updates and applications are optimized for Apple Silicon.
With the Intel-based Mac Mini discontinued, Apple’s highest-end Mac Mini is now its M2 Pro-powered version, which starts with 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage at a price of $1,299.
The Mac Pro remains the only Mac model still utilizing Intel processors, but Apple is expected to release an Apple Silicon version in the near future.
As Apple continues to innovate with its silicon, users can anticipate further advancements in performance, efficiency, and integration across the Mac lineup.
