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The term ‘vintage’ may sound reminiscent of brick cellphones and record players, but in Apple’s world, it means devices that have been discontinued for five years.
The tech giant has a rolling list of outdated iPhones and iPads, which are no longer sold or have available parts for maintenance.
The iPhone 6 Plus, released in 2014 was officially rendered obsolete this week as the company invests in producing more advanced products, and the once-popular 2015 iPad Mini 4 has been deemed ‘vintage.’
A device is considered ‘obsolete’ once it reaches the seven-year mark since Apple stopped selling it, but because ‘vintage’ devices were discontinued between five and seven years, users can get part replacements for another two years.
Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus received an ‘obsolete’ label because it was discontinued seven years ago
Users won’t be able to get parts to fix their iPhone 6 Plus if it breaks
Apple products are divided into two segments – vintage or obsolete – and explained on its site that it ‘discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.’
For those who are still holding on to the iPhone 6 Plus relic from the past, if it breaks, you’ll be hard-pressed to fix it because along with making the device obsolete, Apple has also stopped producing parts for the smartphone.
The iPhone 6 Plus was first released ten years ago for $300, a far cry from the $900 price tag of the company’s newest iPhone 15 Plus.
The company discontinued the iPhone 6 Plus in 2016 even though the iPhone 6 option remained available for another two years.
The iPad Mini 4 is now considered ‘vintage’ because it was discontinued by Apple five years ago
Vintage products can still receive parts if they need to be fixed and will transition to obsolete two years later
Meanwhile, the iPad Mini 4 has two more years before it is added to Apple’s growing list of obsolete devices.
The iPad Mini 4 cost $400 to $730, depending on the amount of gigabyte storage it had, while today’s iPad mini starts at $500.
Apple’s business model relies on people buying new products rather than falling back on devices they purchases years ago, which is why it makes them obsolete, according to a Fordham Law review.
‘Apple’s business relies on selling its products to a consumer and so, ‘value is monetized by a one-time payment,’ the review said.
It continued: ‘However, like all businesses, Apple has an interest in steady sales. This is where the tactic of planned obsolescence comes in.’
The news that the iPhone 6 Plus is becoming obsolete while the iPad Mini 4 is marked as vintage comes as Apple prepares to introduce the iOS 18 update in the fall.
New updates generally pushes Apple users to move on from older phones that can’t support the software updates which inadvertently leaves their data susceptible to cybercriminals.
IOS 18 won’t be compatible with iPhones released before 2018 including the 8 Plus model and the series SE which was labeled ‘vintage’ in December of last year.
Apple is expected to add AI features to Siri so it will give more accurate responses while the Message app will ‘field questions and auto-complete sentences,’ according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
‘I’m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates — if not the biggest — in the company’s history,’ Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter.
‘With that knowledge, Apple’s developers conference in June should be pretty exciting.’
