Rumor: Apple launches repair service for ‘obsolete’ products

Apple plans to offer a Repair Vintage Apple Products Pilot, which will allow customers to repair products that are now on the brink of being phased out. The iPhone 4s, among others, would be eligible for repair.

The rumor comes from 9to5Mac, which relies on sources familiar with the plan. Initially, the Repair Vintage Apple Products Pilot would support the repair of the iPhone 5, mid-2012 MacBook Airs, and 2011 iMacs, with the iMac being models from the US and Turkey.

The iPhone 4S and 5 and Macbook Pros from 2012 and 2013, as well as the Mac Pro from mid-2012, are expected to follow in late November and late December. After that, products are considered ‘old’ or ‘obsolete’ and the company no longer keeps spare parts in stock. With the new service, the company will support products that are about to be added to the list for a while, although it is not known how long.

In any case, with the new Pilot program, Apple applies the principle of ‘while supplies last’, so that customers have no certainty that their product can actually be repaired.