According to internal Apple documentation, the original iPhone which first debuted in 2007 will be entering an “obsolete” status, with a few exceptions. The official switch will happen on June 11, 2013 when the iPhone along with several other Macs and Xserve models officially being classified as vintage and obsolete products. For those of you interested, Apple’s support site defines vintage products as:
…those that were discontinued more than five and less than seven years ago. Apple has discontinued hardware service for vintage products with the following exception:
-Products purchased in the state of California, United States, as required by statute. -Owners of vintage Macintosh products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers within the state of California, United States.
-Owners of vintage iPod products in the state of California may obtain service from Apple Retail Stores or by contacting AppleCare at 1-800-APL-CARE.
To clarify, an obsolete product is one that is discontinued more than seven years ago and won’t be supported under any circumstance. It should be pointed out that over 18 months ago, AT&T even stopped activating the original iPhone, without any roundabout solution. While the original iPhone will now be considered obsolete in the U.S. at walk-in Apple stores and around the world, the “vintage” status will still apply with AppleCare and Authorized Service Providers, meaning it is possible to have the device if you call directly.
Does this affect you or anyone you know? It’s a bit hard to believe it does as the price of the newer models is relatively cheap compared to the cost of maintaining a first-gen iPhone as well as the sacrifice in features one has to experience to continue using it.
