10 products Apple is leaving behind in 2026

10 products Apple is leaving behind in 2026 While Apple usually supports its devices for a long time, nothing can last forever. It's important to know which products the company is no longer selling or supporting, so you can plan when to make the most of an upgrade and avoid getting burned by buying something outdated. Apple "leaving behind" a particular model can refer to a few different changes. The two most common are removing the device from its online storefront, or not offering the latest major OS upgrade for it. The former usually happens to products that are a year or two old when a new model arrives, so you'll still find them at third-party retailers and Apple's refurbished shop. When the latter occurs, it's no longer a good idea to buy that model, and you should consider upgrading if you're already using it. As Apple continues to upgrade its line of watches, tablets, smartphones, laptops, and even displays, it's constantly leaving behind older models, forcing users to consider newly supported alternatives. 1. iPhone 16e For a time, the iPhone SE series was Apple's "budget phone" offering. These stayed available for multiple years before getting replaced. The iPhone 16e, released in February 2025, replaced the iPhone SE as Apple's lowest-cost phone. Unlike its older siblings, however, the iPhone 16e received a direct successor a year later. The iPhone 17e arrived in March 2026, coinciding with Apple dropping the 16e from its lineup. The iPhone 17e comes at the same base price of $599, but with double the storage (256GB instead of 128GB). It also includes proper MagSafe charging, which the 16e lacks. If you're looking for a lower-cost iPhone, the 16e is only worth it if you find it on a heavy discount. If you already have a 16e, expect support for many more years. With iOS 27, Apple is continuing to support models dating back to 2019's iPhone 11, so the iPhone 16e still has plenty of life in it. 2. AirTags (first generation) AirTags have worked well since they were released in 2021, so they weren't in dire need of an update. Despite this, Apple slightly updated the AirTag in January 2026 and phased out the older version. The new AirTags, identifiable by the all-caps text on the back, have an updated U2 chip for longer range (200 feet max, compared to the original's max of 100 feet) and the ability to be tracked by compatible Apple Watch models. They also have a louder speaker, so you won't have as much trouble hearing the chime inside your suitcase or when it's noisier around you. Otherwise, second-gen AirTags are functionally identical to the original model. Both are the same size and use the same 2032 battery. If you find a great deal on first-gen AirTags and don't need the small enhancements, they're still a fine purchase. Same with upgrading; don't feel the need to get rid of your original AirTags. If the new features entice you, it's worth waiting for a sale, as AirTags drop in price frequently (including the bundle of four that's already discounted compared to buying individually). 3. Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (first generation) You likely don't think about upgrading your Apple TV as often as your phone or laptop, but it might be time this year. tvOS 27, expected to release later in 2026, will drop support for the 2015 Apple TV HD and the first-generation Apple TV 4K from 2017. The Apple TV HD (originally called the fourth-generation Apple TV) was the last model that lacked 4K output. Given how affordable 4K TVs have become since then, it's likely that many 1080p Apple TV owners have upgraded long ago. Similarly, the first-gen Apple TV 4K is also a dated device, limited by its aging chip while lacking support for Hybrid Log-Gamma and HDR10+. If you have either of these models, you should wait a bit longer to buy a new Apple TV. The current third-gen Apple TV 4K has been around since 2022, and a refresh is expected later in 2026. tvOS 27 is focused on improving speed, so you'll notice a huge difference with a brand-new model running the latest OS. 4. iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max Apple continues to sell last year's base iPhone model as a more affordable option, but this isn't the case with the Pro models. When the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max presumably hit shelves in September, expect the 17 Pro series models to disappear from Apple's store. You'll have to look at third-party sellers or Apple's refurbished store to pick up last year's Pro phones. Of course, the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will still be great phones for years to come, so there's no need to jump ship once Apple stops featuring them. Like with the iPhone 16e, these recent phones will receive years of software support. They're also fully compatible with Apple Intelligence, and their cameras are excellent. Complicating this, there are strong rumors that the base iPhone 18 series won't go on sale until spring 2027, instead of the usual September release. This means you'll have fewer options for a new iPhone this fall. They're also expected to be more expensive due to RAM and chip costs surging globally, which has affected many devices outside of Apple's lineup. 5. M4 MacBook Air Unlike the iPhone, Apple doesn't tend to keep older MacBook models available online for long. After the M5 MacBook Air's debut in 2026, you can't buy last year's M4 model new directly from Apple. Thankfully, the MacBook enjoys a strong secondhand market, letting you pick up an older model that still has life in it. The M5 MacBook Air doubles the base storage, offering 512GB instead of the M4 model's 256GB. However, the latest MacBook Air has also been affected by Apple's hardware price increases that happened in June, seeing a $200 jump on both the 13-inch and 15-inch models. If you need a laptop upgrade but aren't enticed by the M5's power, a used or refurbished M4 MacBook Air is still a great option. macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with Apple silicon Macs going back to M1 models from 2020, so the M4 should enjoy support for many more years. 6. M4 MacBook Pro series Similar to the MacBook Air, Apple's MacBook Pro series received its usual direct upgrade to the latest generation of processors in 2026. The MacBook Pro now comes standard with the base M5 chip, but for those who need more power, the M5 Pro and M5 Pro Max provide Apple's best laptop performance. MacBook Pro models with last year's M4 Pro and Max chips aren't available from Apple as a cheaper option anymore, so you'll have to find them refurbished or used. The Pro machines offer extreme performance with a price tag to match, with the base M5 model starting at $1,999. If the MacBook Air isn't enough of a workhorse for you, and the M5 MacBook Pro is too costly, the M4 MacBook Pro should still be enough for quite a while. It's worth seeking out a deal on last year's model, which will also help you get more for your money when factoring in Apple's recent price hike. 7. iPad Air M3 The iPad Air is no longer referred to by generational numbers, which ended with 2020's 5th-gen iPad Air. Instead, Apple put the M2 chip in the 2024 model and has continued to upgrade it each year since. The M3 iPad Air came out in March 2025, then was dropped when Apple released the M4 model in March 2026. Light-to-moderate iPad users don't need the latest chip; watching Netflix and taking notes will work just fine on an older model. If a $749 iPad Air M4 is out of your price range, a used iPad Air M3 is a good alternative. Don't count out the base iPad either; the 11th-gen iPad (also known as iPad A16) is a great entry point into the line at $449. It's not a great option for people who work on an iPad all day, but it offers plenty of power for general usage. 8. Apple Studio Display (first generation) and Pro Display XDR While displays don't need updates as often as the machines connected to them, Apple still saw fit to refresh the 2022 Studio Display in 2026. If you're in the market for a $1,600 monitor, the new version has some upgrades like a more modern Thunderbolt connection and improved camera. But old Studio Display models will continue to work fine, and you have many other options for great monitors if you don't want to go the costlier Apple route. Meanwhile, 2019's Pro Display XDR had one of the highest base prices of any Apple product, at a wild $4,999 for standard glass (and another $1,000 if you wanted upgraded glass). In 2026, Apple replaced it with the Studio Display XDR at a slightly more tolerable price of $3,299. One of the standout upgrades is the 120Hz refresh rate, which was sorely needed compared to the 60Hz panel on the original model. 9. Apple Watch (2022 and earlier) watchOS 27's arrival brings a huge support cut for older Apple Watch models, a departure from Apple's typical ongoing device support across its other gadgets. While the current watchOS 26 works on all models that the prior version (watchOS 11) was compatible with, Apple isn't providing the latest OS for the Apple Watch Series 6 through 8, first-generation Apple Watch Ultra, or second-generation Apple Watch SE. This means only Apple Watch models from 2023 and later can run watchOS 27. Four years is not a long time for software support, so this one stings more than others on the list. The small silver lining is that Apple initially leaving the Series 9 off the compatibility list was a mistake; it quickly clarified that the 2023 models of Apple Watch are compatible with watchOS 27. Older Apple Watch owners will still get security updates for watchOS 26 but won't be able to enjoy any of the new features coming in watchOS 27, like the more context-aware app grid. 10. Mac Pro The Mac Pro has always been targeted at power users, and the original 2019 model Mac Pro was designed to be easily upgradable at home. You could swap the RAM, replace the processor, and change the graphics card. However, when Apple refreshed the 2019 "cheese grater" model in 2023 with an M2 Ultra chip and a few other spec bumps, it heavily limited the user-upgradability. The memory and CPU are hardwired into the motherboard, so you can't swap them out down the line. Its PCIe slots also don't let you add your own graphics cards. The 2019 Mac Pro was one of the last Intel Macs; its two iterations show how Apple silicon's power has a trade-off with flexibility. That's not to mention how its high price ($5,999 for a paltry 256GB of storage) and huge physical footprint made the Mac Pro a hard sell compared to other high-end Mac models, especially as time went on. Apple accordingly discontinued the Mac Pro in 2026 and now positions the Mac Studio as the high-end option. The Mac Studio is a powerhouse and worth considering if you want a desktop Mac with more horsepower than the Mac mini. Skip the Mac Pro, as there's no value to be had now.