As 2023 comes to an end, we’re looking back on the products Apple discontinued this year. Whether it found a suitable replacement or the company decided it was time to move on, these are all the products you can no longer buy at the Apple Store – not including the recently banned Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Discontinued Apple products in 2023
Apple discontinued products from several of its device lines this year, including iPhones, Macs, AirPods, and accessories. X user Basic Apple Guy highlighted some of them, but a few other products had to say goodbye in 2023 as well:
No more iPhone mini
After Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 lineup, the company immediately stopped selling the iPhone 13 mini. Apple’s two iPhone models with a 5.4-inch display are no longer available. Although there are consumers who claim they would do anything for another mini model, the petite iPhones didn’t sell well enough for Apple to keep making them.
It had a nice form factor, but the battery drained too fast. If Apple can make a worthy battery, I’m sure the company will consider reviving the iPhone mini, but for now, you’ll have to live with the larger iPhones of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 lines.
MagSafe Battery Pack
Since there’s no more iPhone mini, there’s no need for a MagSafe Battery Pack. This discontinued Apple product had everything users wanted: a battery pack made by Apple with a sleek and compact design. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t quite there.
The MagSafe Battery Pack charged iPhones poorly, barely holding a charge. It wasn’t enough to charge any iPhone model to 100%, even though it cost more than third-party solutions. I’m sad Apple didn’t make a better product, but I’m glad it’s gone now.
What’s a Touch Bar anyway?
I’ll die on the hill that the MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar was peak design. Unfortunately, Apple’s other choices made this design impractical. With the announcement of the M3 Macs, the company decided to discontinue this problematic feature.
Now, people planning to buy an M3 MacBook can choose between 14- and 16-inch options. Entry-level customers now finally get Pro features, such as ProMotion, more ports, and an industrial design. It was definitely for the better.
MagSafe Duo
I’m a proud owner of the MagSafe Duo charger, and I’m terribly sad that Apple designed this accessory so poorly. While it worked great with the iPhone 12 models, it didn’t properly fit the iPhone 13 Pro. With the camera modules only getting bigger, charging new Pro models got tricker. Then, when the Apple Watch Ultra arrived, it also didn’t fit the MagSafe Duo charger – such a shame.
There are rumors that Apple might release a second iteration of the MagSafe Duo. I hope a new model emerges soon and Apple fixes these annoying connectivity issues.
Leather accessories
Apple discontinued a number of leather accessories in 2023. In its mission to become carbon neutral by 2030, the company decided it would no longer sell leather accessories, which included products for the AirTag, Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Apple ditched leather for FineWoven, which is a pretty controversial material. At least customers can still opt for silicone cases.
Lightning AirPods Pro 2
Last but not least, Apple discontinued the 2022 AirPods Pro 2 with a Lightning port in favor of a model with USB-C. We first thought Apple would simply offer a new case, but the company released the second-gen AirPods Pro 2 with Bluetooth lossless audio for Apple Vision Pro and IP54 certification for water and dust resistance.
It’s a shame that the company couldn’t add these features to the 2022 model, but we don’t make the rules. I’ll stick with my “first-gen” AirPods Pro 2 for now.
Wrap up
These were the products Apple discontinued this year. Since there were no iPads, Apple didn’t change the lineup other than launching a new USB-C Apple Pencil.
Looking ahead, I think Apple might discontinue the AirPods 2, its Lightning Magic accessories, the M1 MacBook Air, and the first-gen Apple Pencil in 2024.
