What Does It Mean When Your Apple Products Become “vintage” or “obsolete”
Every technology product you own has a “lifespan” after it’s released. For example, Apple’s policy guarantees five years of support , starting from the date of release of the device (not from the date of purchase). After these five years, Apple will be able to recognize the device as “vintage.”
In fact, Apple recently classified three of its products as vintage: the iPhone X (2017), the first-generation AirPods (2016), and the first-generation HomePod (2017). This may come as news to you if you are still using one or more of these products yourself.
With that in mind, what exactly does it mean for an Apple product to become “vintage” and what happens when a vintage product becomes “obsolete”?
Vintage Apple Products
“Vintage” in Apple land doesn’t actually mean the product is “old” or that you should stop using it, and it doesn’t mean you can sell it to collectors for a profit. Once an Apple device becomes vintage, Apple no longer guarantees that the product can be repaired by an Apple Store or authorized service provider. In many cases, Apple also stops releasing regular device software updates.
Despite the reduction in support, older Apple devices will still work (this is not some kind of internal kill switch), and some devices may even receive system updates from time to time if they support the latest operating systems or if a serious security flaw needs to be fixed . . You can even repair one if parts are available. Don’t be surprised if Apple Genius or an Apple Authorized Provider turns you down.
Apple does not automatically consider a product to be vintage five years after the original sale date. Take a look at the newest products on the list: The iPhone X could have gone vintage in 2022, but Apple waited another year and a half. Apple’s official definition of “vintage” is a product that is more than five years old but less than seven years old. AirPods are exactly seven years old, so they’ll be arriving right at the very end. (A list of all legacy and legacy devices can be found on the Apple Support site .)
However, once a product is more than seven years old, it will move into another category: “Obsolete.”
Apple’s “outdated” list
Like vintage products, devices marked as “obsolete” will function normally as long as the equipment is in working order. However, legacy products lose virtually all hardware support. The only exception is MacBooks, which allow battery replacement for 10 years after the product was last sold.
However, an older device may still receive some software support. Note, don’t expect iOS 18 on an older iPhone. But back in March, Apple released a security update for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus , both of which are out of date.
These changes in maintenance priorities can be frustrating if you’re still using older technology and don’t feel like upgrading, but the policy makes sense given the current market realities: With the rate of iteration of both hardware and software, resources are being diverted to maintaining legacy versions. devices afloat are difficult and expensive. However, even if the Apple Store refuses to repair your iPhone X, independent repair shops may still be able to help you for some time, even when the X eventually becomes obsolete.
Just don’t expect much help repairing your AirPods: they’re virtually beyond repair .