iPhone 5

Apple adds iPhone 5 to list of ‘vintage and obsolete’ products, officially ending repair support

Chance Miller | Oct 31 2018 - 8:02 pm PT

Update: Apple has launched a new vintage repair pilot program to fix aging iPhones including iPhone 5.

Apple this week has updated its list of vintage and obsolete products to make a notable addition. As of October 30th, the iPhone 5 is now categorized as vintage in the United States and obsolete in the rest of the world.

For those unfamiliar, Apple supports products with parts and repairs for at least five years after the end of production. After those five years, Apple begins the process transitioning products to “obsolete” or “vintage.”

The difference between obsolete and vintage only generally applies to California and Turkey, both of which require limited support for certain products be available for two years after they are marked “obsolete” elsewhere.

In this case, Turkey’s requirements do not apply to the iPhone 5. Regulations in Turkey apply to the iPad and Mac, but not the iPhone. This is why the iPhone 5 is “obsolete” in every country except the United States, where it is “vintage” to comply with California statute.

Apple maintains a full list of vintage and obsolete products on its website. The iPhone 5 is the only change as part of the most recent update to the page, which was first spotted by Japanese blog Macotakara. Other than updates to the vintage and obsolete webpage, Apple does not inform customers when products are they’re transitioned.

The iPhone 5 was a milestone iPhone in many ways, being the first to feature a larger display – measuring in at a whopping 4-inches. Do you have any notable memories of the iPhone 5? Let us know down in the comments.