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Apple Officially Obsoletes iPhone 5, Ending Repair Support

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Apple has updated its vintage and obsolete products list to include the iPhone 5, six years after the smartphone's launch.

The iPhone 5 is now classified by the company as vintage in the United States and Turkey, and obsolete in the rest of the world. The addition was spotted by Japanese blog Mac Otakara.

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Apple defines vintage products as those that have not been manufactured for more than five but less than seven years. Macs and other products on the vintage and obsolete list are generally no longer eligible for hardware service.

The iPhone 5 introduced some major design changes to Apple's smartphone lineup when it was announced in September 2012.

New features included a lighter aluminum-based body, a taller screen with a nearly 16:9 aspect ratio, LTE support, and Apple's A6 system-on-chip.

The iPhone 5 was also the first Apple smartphone to include a Lightning port, replacing the 30-pin design used by previous iPhone models.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

japanime Avatar
96 months ago
I will rue the day that the iPhone 5's younger sibling, the iPhone SE, is added to that list of "obsolete" devices. It will mark the end of an era of iPhones that can be operated one-handed in a comfortable, natural way.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
96 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
quagmire Avatar
96 months ago
The 5's design still looks good today. It has really aged well.

So far IMHO the 3G/S, 6/S, 7/S, and 8 designs won't age well. The original, 4/S 5/S/SE, and X/S designs so far will be the classic designs that define what an iPhone looks like.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
96 months ago
I remember upgrading from a 4s to a 5 and thinking I’d been given a shop dummy device as the weight difference was insane. It honestly felt like they’d forgotten to install the insides.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moonjumper Avatar
96 months ago
It isn’t long since I upgraded from a 5 to an SE, a continuation of my favourite iPhone form factor. I don’t see anything I want to upgrade to, so I hope it is a long time before the SE is classified as obsolete.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
96 months ago
I remember how much people here hated this phone when it was introduced :)

In fairness, it wasn't that great. Had massive issues with flaking on the case and the battery failure rate was appalling. It was my least favourite iPhone I've ever used at just 6 months of ownership, but the 5S the following year was almost perfect.

Most people's criticism came from the lack of a 30 pin charger/adapter, though! Crazy how times change.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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