APPLE has discontinued some 15 products this autumn as the company moves ahead with flashy new gadgets.
And this includes some beloved iPhone models.
3
3
3
The tech giant and rivals routinely stops selling older kit in favour of new.
Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that your expensive iPhone is rendered useless – far from it.
Apple continues to provide updates for years to come, as well as access to repairs (for a fee).
The firm moves products into two categories, vintage then obsoletely but that usually comes way after they’ve been discontinued.
Here are all the products Apple has discontinued recently.
Three iPhones
Three iPhone models were discontinued after Apple announced the iPhone 16 line-up.
This is pretty standard procedure for the predecessor of a flagship, as Apple wants you to go for the most recent model instead.
As such, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were discontinued.
But another model was also dealt the chop – the iPhone 13.
This model was released back in 2021.
iPad Mini
Apple revealed a brand new iPad Mini in October infused with its new Apple Intelligence AI.
It’s been three years since we saw a new iPad Mini model – and was something on the top of fans’ most desired list.
And with it, the previous version, iPad Mini 6 was discontinued.
Apple Watch
In the wearable category, the Apple Watch Series 9 was also discontinued over the autumn.
That’s because the tech firm released a new Apple Watch Series 10 and there isn’t much of a price difference between that and the Apple Watch SE range.
Three versions of AirPods
AirPods with a Lightning port have also disappeared for good.
After the launch of AirPods 4 and USB-C AirPods Max, the remaining models featuring Apple’s old port were discontinued.
This includes the AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Max (Lightning).
Three Mac devices
This year was a busy one in the Mac space too due to powerful new chips.
The M3 MacBook Pro was discontinued late last month with the arrival of new MacBook Pro with M4.
Then the M2 Mac Mini disappeared from sale with the launch of an updated version with the M4 chip in it.
And the M3 iMac also received a similar refresh, jumping to an M4 iMac.
Three Lightning Magic accessories
It wasn’t just AirPods that went USB-C only – Magic accessories for Mac also made the switch.
This means that the Lightning version of the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard all went.
FineWoven iPhone cases
Perhaps the one item that won’t be missed is the ill-fated FineWoven iPhone cases.
When the iPhone 15 range launched, Apple revealed new cases described as an “environmentally friendly” replacement for leather.
But many people complained they scratched too much.
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best…
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
