Apple declares one of its most popular iPhones is now ‘obsolete’
- Apple regularly adds products to its ‘obsolete’ list
- A recent addition to the list includes an incredibly popular iPhone model
- Apple no longer makes parts for items on the list
Published on Jun 05, 2024 at 12:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jun 05, 2024 at 9:19 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Apple has announced that one of its popular iPhone models is now officially ‘obsolete’ and it could be bad news if you happen to own one.
As everyone knows, time, tide, and smartphone upgrades wait for no one, and every so often a brand new handset launches while some of the older ones are quietly retired.
This isn’t a big deal if you’re the sort of person who likes to upgrade the minute a new iPhone drops, but if you prefer to save your cash and are happy to rock around with an older model then I could have some bad news for you.
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Once an iPhone is 10 years old, the tech giant stops making parts for it – effectively meaning if you break it after that point, you’re in a bit of a pickle as you won’t be able to get it fixed.
Apple calls this old tech – which also includes Apple Watches, iPads, and Macbooks – ‘obsolete’ and explains on its site that you won’t be able to purchase new parts for them should anything go wrong.
The company explains: “Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.”
A recent addition to this ever-growing list is the popular iPhone 5s – which had record-breaking sales for Apple – and the iPhone 6. Ouch.
So if you’re still clinging to your 5s, it might be time to consider getting yourself an upgrade to a newer piece of tech – but if you insist on keeping your old one, you may be interested in these tips on how to boost your battery.
For those interested, here’s the full list of obsolete iPhones:
- 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)
- iPhone 5C
- iPhone 5S
- iPhone 6 Plus
According to Apple, products are considered obsolete when it stopped distributing them for sale over seven years ago.
Interestingly, before Apple brands them obsolete they go through a brief period of being ‘vintage’ – Apple explains: “Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than five and less than seven years ago.”
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
