APPLE has added two more gadgets, including a popular iPhone model, to its doomed list of “vintage” products.
The tech giant demotes gadgets to this list fairly regularly, and just a couple of years before the devices become “obsolete” – to use Apple’s language.
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Five years after the product was last sold, Apple declares it “vintage”.
After seven years, Apple moves it to the even more cutting “obsolete” list.
The affected gadgets are the iPhone 6s and the 2018 Mac mini.
While the iPhone 6s hit shelves in 2015, Apple retained it as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only making it onto the “vintage” list now.
It was the first iPhone with 3D Touch – the feature that can make pictures move with a long-press, and the last to have a headphone jack.
Every piece of tech has a lifespan.
When a device becomes “vintage”, Apple can no longer guarantee that it can be repaired due to limited parts being available.
Your local Apple Store or Apple’s authorised service providers may still be able to repair the devices, but only if the required parts are on hand.
Like vintage products, devices listed as obsolete will continue to work as normal.
But they will lose nearly all hardware support, even for battery replacements.
The only exception is MacBooks, which may allow for a battery replacement up to 10 years after the product was last sold.
In January, Apple customers were warned the Apple Watch Series 4 would be added to the “vintage” list of unwarranted products.
Several months earlier, the company declared the iconic iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle as “vintage”, alongside the iPhone 6.
The larger iPhone 6 Plus was made obsolete back in April.
The devices will continue to work until the hardware eventually fails.
However, it is advised that once your gadget is on one of these lists, you should upgrade to a newer device.
Here is the full list of obsolete iPhones you need to be aware of:
- 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
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6s Plus (32GB)
And here is the full list of “vintage” iPhones to be aware of:
- iPhone 4 (8GB)
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 6s (32GB)
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 8 Red
- iPhone 8 Plus Red
- iPhone X
Time to upgrade?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
The gadgets listed above have all long been discontinued so you can no longer buy them.
Due to their age, they won’t be eligible for free iOS upgrades either.
Given these include important security updates, you should have already moved on to keep the contents of your phone safe.
It’s annoying to have to buy a new smartphone – especially when they don’t come cheap – but now you won’t even be able to get it repaired.
The safest option is to upgrade to a newer handset.