Oliver Haslam·

iPhone 5 Is Now Officially Obsolete As Apple Ends Repair Support For It

Apple has updated its ongoing list of vintage and obsolete products with one addition being made that will catch the eye of many. The iPhone 5 is now marked as vintage in the United States and obsolete in the rest of the world.

Then iPhone 5 was added on October 30th and it joins the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 on a list that includes mainly Macs, although there are peripherals such as the Time Capsule (4th generation) and Apple TV (2nd generation) as well as a few iPads.

Apple calls items obsolete or vintage once five years have passed since they were last manufactured, with the distinction between the two simply being down to where the device was sold.

In the case of the iPhone 5, California requires devices are supported for an additional two years, hence the vintage tag rather than obsolete. Interestingly, the list also includes many Beats products, and once a device is classed as obsolete they cannot be repaired by Apple or its authorized service providers.

Obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than 7 years ago. Monster-branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased. Apple has discontinued all hardware service for obsolete products with no exceptions. Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products. All Apple Retail Stores and the Canadian, European, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific operating regions follow the U.S. product list, but make no distinction between vintage and obsolete. When applied to Apple Retail Stores and these operating regions, products on the U.S. vintage list (all models) are considered obsolete.

The iPhone 5 is one product that will hold a special place in many hearts, being the first time that Apple opted to increase the iPhone’s screen size to what at the time was a huge 4-inches. The industrial design also saw the move away from a glass-backed design to one made of metal.

(Source: Apple)

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