Nowadays, technology seems to be evolving at lightning speed. Just when you’ve settled into a new device, something better and more powerful pops up on the market. Apple’s MacBook lineup is no different. Buying the latest model may seem like an investment at the start, but with each passing year, you’ll notice that holding on to the device for too long has its drawbacks.

With Apple’s yearly releases, the changes happen quite fast, and older models quickly get left behind. While there may be good reasons to consider a used MacBook for your next laptop, you need to know what happens to Apple’s portable computers after some time.

If you’ve been using your MacBook for years, you might notice how it starts to feel behind the curve after about five years. That’s because, alongside Apple’s yearly releases, the company updates its categories for existing models, classifying them based on support windows for their hardware. Models that Apple stopped selling more than five but less than seven years ago are categorized as vintage.

These machines can still be serviced through Apple or authorized providers, but only for as long as replacement parts last. In case something fails and that component is no longer available, direct repairs from Apple may no longer be possible. Apple’s vintage status also means the device will start slowing down because it’s unlikely to receive regular macOS software updates like before.