New MacBook Pros using revised serial number scheme [u]

The change was first anticipated four years ago when Apple began telling its suppliers to update their in house systems to be able to service the new serial numbers.

Apple hardware formerly used an 11 digit alphanumeric serial number that could be decoded to reveal the manufacturing location, year and week of manufacture, a unique identifier and finally the model number.

Update:Information removed at the demand of Apple legal.

Users are often interested in deciphering the meaning of their serial number in order to determine when their machine was manufactured, and whether it is included in a batch of machines that may appear to be suffering from a similar defect.