Apple has quietly shuffled its aging devices into vintage and absolute categories, nudging some iPhones closer to the end of the repair road—and bidding a final farewell to a couple of older iPads.
As of today, the iPhone 7 Plus and certain iPhone 8 models have been officially designated vintage. That means they’re no longer guaranteed service or repairs, though Apple Stores and authorised providers might still fix them if spare parts happen to be in stock. Specifically, the 64GB and 256GB iPhone 8 variants made the cut this time; the 128GB model escapes vintage status for now, likely because Apple sold it a bit longer.
Meanwhile, two iPads have crossed the final threshold into obsolescence: the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 2. These are now officially unsupported, seven years after they disappeared from Apple’s shelves. No more service, no more parts—not even a polite Genius Bar shrug.
What are obsolete Apple products?
As per Apple, “Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago.” So, no updates and no repairs at all for obsolete products. Even if you go to third-party repair providers, they won’t be able to order parts for them from Apple.
What are vintage Apple products?
There’s a difference between vintage and obsolete products. According to Apple, vintage products do not get any regular software updates.
On its support page, Apple explains, “Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.” This doesn’t mean that the device will stop working but it’s just that the shelf life is further refused when a user doesn’t get regular updates.
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