Apple designates a product as vintage if it was last sold between five and seven years ago.
Apple's iPhone 8 Plus (pictured) was launched in 2017
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple is all set to unveil the iPhone 17 series on September 9 at its 'Awe Dropping' event. Ahead of the launch of the new iPhone family, the Cupertino-based tech giant has updated its vintage and obsolete product lists. The iPhone 8 Plus, which was launched in 2017, is now marked as vintage, while the 11-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 15-inch MacBook Pro have been declared "obsolete" by the company. These devices are now classified as outdated, and their service and repairs will be limited.
Apple has added the 64GB and 256GB storage variants of the iPhone 8 Plus to its vintage device list. These join the iPhone 8 Plus Product RED edition, which was already on the list. The 128GB storage model of the phone has yet to be included in the vintage list yet.
The standard iPhone 8 and iPhone X, which were launched in 2017, were previously marked as vintage. The iPhone 8 Plus was launched at a starting price of Rs. 73,000 for the 64GB variant and Rs. 86,000 for the 256GB variant. The base variant was discontinued in India in 2020.
Besides the iPhone 8 Plus, the 11-inch MacBook Air launched in 2015, and the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models from 2017 have been categorised as obsolete
Apple considers products vintage when they haven't been sold for more than five years, but less than seven years have passed since they were introduced. During this period, limited hardware service might still be available, depending on availability of parts.
Apple labels products as obsolete once they haven't been sold for over seven years. At that point, all hardware services are discontinued, and service providers can no longer order parts for obsolete products. An exception exists for Monster-branded Beats products, which are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased. MacBooks may still qualify for battery-only repairs for up to 10 years after discontinuation, but this is subject to availability of components.
These changes to the vintage and obsolete product lists have been made days ahead of Apple's Awe Dropping launch event, which is scheduled to take place on September 9 at 10 am PT (10:30 pm IST). The iPhone 17 series, Apple Watch 11 series, and AirPods Pro 3 are also expected to be unveiled during the event.
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