Three iconic and seemingly modern Apple products were this week officially classified as ‘Vintage,’ in a blow to those of us who feel like 2017 was maybe a couple of years ago at the most.
The iPhone X, the first Apple smartphone without a home button and the vanguard for the company’s current all-screen design was launched in the fall of 2017. It was discontinued in fall 2018, to make way for the iPhone XS and XR. The very first AirPods model, meanwhile, came out in fall 2016 and was discontinued in spring 2019. And the first HomePod launched near the start of 2018 and was famously killed off in spring 2021.
Despite their varied timespans, all three models were added to Apple’s list of vintage and obsolete products on July 1, as spotted by MacRumors. They are now classed as vintage.
Apple products are considered vintage when the company “stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.” (It’s unclear how this applies to the HomePod, which was discontinued less than three and a half years ago, but it’s possible Apple stopped actively making the device earlier than that, and was working its way through legacy stock for some time before officially pulling the plug.) Once a product is vintage, Apple can no longer guarantee servicing and parts for any repairs it may need, although the rules are different in France.
In a couple more years these devices will move from vintage to obsolete, at which point all hardware service ceases, and service providers are no longer able to order parts.
