Apple has announced a Vintage Repair Program for older devices which will extend the ‘end-of-life’ date for many of Apple’s older products. The program will at first include very limited devices, but according to sources, other devices will be added over time. At launch, the program will include only the following devices from Apple.
On November 30, Apple is said to include more devices into the Vintage Program like the iPhone 4s and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) followed by the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012), MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013), MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), Mac Pro (Mid 2012), and iPhone 5 (GSM) on December, 30. The Vintage program means that devices which have been labelled by Apple as Vintage and Obsolete will now once again receive service, on some conditions.
The few caveats to the program are that service will only be offered based on availability of the part for the device in question. If a part is not available, service will be denied. In essence, your device being a part of the Vintage Program does not guarantee that you will be able to get service for it.