Apple has declared one of its older iPhones “obsolete,” meaning if it’s broken, it stays broken.
Once a product is roughly 10 years old, Apple will no longer be able to order parts for repairs.
In April, the iPhone 6 Plus, which was released in 2014, was added to the list of discontinued products.
Now the iPhone 5s will join them.
The iPhone 5s, released in 2013, was a model with improved camera capabilities compared to the standard iPhone 5.
With the addition of the iPhone 5s to the discontinued list, the number of phones on the discontinued list now stands at 15.
All 15 iPhones on the list are:
- iPhone
- iPhone 3G (China mainland) 8GB
- iPhone 3G 8GB, 16GB
- iPhone 3GS (China mainland) 16GB, 32GB
- iPhone 3GS (8GB)
- iPhone 3GS 16GB, 32GB
- iPhone 4 CDMA
- iPhone 4 CDMA (8GB)
- iPhone 4 16GB, 32GB
- iPhone 4 GSM (8GB), Black
- iPhone 4S
- iPhone 4S (8GB)
- About iPhone5C
- iPhone 6 Plus
“A product is considered vintage if it has been discontinued by Apple for more than five years but less than seven years,” Apple’s support page explains.
“A product is considered obsolete if Apple stopped selling it more than seven years ago.”
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Apple added that it will “discontinue all hardware services for older products.”
This typically occurs long after the device has stopped receiving software and security updates.
Most iPhones offer six to eight years of software support.
It’s not just the iPhone that’s becoming obsolete.
The iPad will eventually suffer the same fate and join Apple’s technology graveyard.
The iPad Mini 4 would probably be considered vintage now.
Vintage is still in its final stages, so users can still get software and hardware updates for their iPad Mini 4.
Why does Apple make their products obsolete?
There are many reasons why Apple makes its products obsolete…
The main reason Apple’s products are on the discontinued list is because technology has changed and improved over time.
Also, it is not economically feasible for Apple to repair all of their hardware, not just their new products but their old ones as well.
Apple explains on its website: “Products that Apple stopped selling more than seven years ago are considered obsolete.
“Monster branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased.
“Apple has discontinued all hardware service for older products and service providers cannot order parts for older products.
“Mac laptops may be eligible for extended battery-only repairs for up to 10 years after the product was last sold, depending on parts availability.”