Apple declares millions of devices ‘obsolete’ as popular iPhone is added to gadget danger list without further updates

APPLE has declared one of its older iPhones “obsolete,” meaning if it’s broken, it will stay broken.

Once a product reaches approximately its tenth anniversary, Apple can no longer order repair parts for it.

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In April, the iPhone 6 Plus, launched in 2014, was added to the list of obsolete products.

Now, the iPhone 5s will join it.

Released in 2013, the iPhone 5s offered consumers a camera bump compared to the standard iPhone 5.

The addition of the iPhone 5s to the obsolete list means it now has 15 phones.

All 15 iPhones on the list are as follows:

• iPhone
• iPhone 3G (Mainland China) 8GB
• iPhone 3G 8GB, 16GB
• iPhone 3GS (Mainland China) 16GB, 32GB
• iPhone 3GS (8GB)
• iPhone 3GS 16GB, 32GB
• iPhone 4 CDMA
• iPhone 4 CDMA (8GB)
• iPhone 4 16GB, 32GB
• iPhone 4 GSM (8 GB), black
• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4S (8GB)
• iPhone 5C
• iPhone 6 Plus

“Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped offering them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago,” Apple Support Page explains.

“Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped offering them for sale more than 7 years ago.”

Apple added that it “discontinues all hardware services for obsolete products.”

This often occurs long after the device stops receiving software and security updates.

Most iPhones receive between six and eight years of software support.

It’s not just iPhones that could become obsolete.

iPads will also eventually suffer the same fate and join Apple’s technology graveyard.

The iPad Mini 4 will now be considered vintage.

Vintage is the stage before obsolete, so users will still be able to get software and hardware updates for the iPad Mini 4.

Why does Apple make products obsolete?

By Millie Turner, technology and science reporter

There are several reasons why Apple makes products obsolete – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The main reason for Apple’s obsolete list of products is that technology has changed and improved over time.

It is also not financially viable for Apple to repair the hardware of all old products as well as new ones.

While it’s frustrating to know that your iPhone is truly at its limit, it’s for the best.

iPhones that have become “obsolete,” by Apple’s definition, have likely already lost their software and security support.

This means the device is much more vulnerable to cyberattacks than newer iPhones that still receive iOS updates.

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