APPLE has doomed five more much-loved gadgets owned by millions to the scrapheap.
And it includes a popular iPhone model, as well as one of the iPads.
The tech giant routinely designates older kit to the dreaded “obsolete” list after so many years.
When a product is made obsolete it means the device is beyond repair.
Apple has two key end phases for aging products, vintage and obsolete.
A gadget gets classed as vintage when Apple has stopped distributing it for sale more than five and less than seven years ago.
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It’s still possible to get repairs arranged from authorised service providers during this stage but there’s no guarantee as the parts become limited.
The next phase after vintage is obsolete, which is when you can’t get any repairs sorted at all.
A device is considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than seven years ago.
Apple has been around for 49 years, so understandably has hundreds of discontinued products now.
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The latest to join that list includes the first ever iPhone SE, released back in 2016.
Apple’s first generation iPhone SE was the start of a new budget series for the company.
Another top product now on the updated obsolete list is the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (second generation) from 2017.
Here’s the full list:
- iPhone SE (first generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (second generation)
- Apple Watch Series 4 Hermes models
- Apple Watch Series 4 Nike models
- Beats Pill 2.0
Interestingly, the standard Apple Watch Series 4 hasn’t been added alongside the Hermes and Nike editions yet – for now that model still sits on the vintage list.
WHY DO GADGETS GET DISCONTINUED?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
It’s never good news to hear that your favourite gadget is no longer repairable and you’ll have to buy an expensive new one altogether.
But Apple is fairly good for making tech last as long as possible, providing plenty of software updates for years after a product was released.
However, there comes a point when even they have to stop.
For something like a mobile or smartwatch it’s simply not financially viable to keep producing parts for items that few people now own.
Given the iPhone SE was released nine years ago, a lot has changed since then.
If you do still own one, chances are it’s probably quite battered and slow now.
It also no longer receives important security updates which keeps your data safe.
So if you’re still using one it’s well worth upgrading now.
