iPhone 5 is Now Officially Obsolete

Apple officially updated its support documentation to classify the iPhone 5 as an obsolete product worldwide, marking the final chapter for the device that originally debuted the Lightning port in 2012, as spotted by MacRumors.

Alongside the iPhone 5, Apple also added the 8GB variant of the iPhone 4 to the obsolete category. While these devices have long been out of the hands of most mainstream users, the official “obsolete” label has significant implications for those still holding onto these.

The shift from vintage to obsolete is more than just a change in terminology. According to Apple’s long-standing policy, a product is considered vintage when the company stopped distributing it for sale more than five years ago but less than seven. During the vintage stage, users can still occasionally get repairs at Apple Stores or Authorized Service Providers.

However, once a device hits the seven-year mark since its last distribution, it is declared obsolete. At this point, Apple completely discontinues all hardware service. This means that Apple Geniuses and authorized technicians are no longer permitted to order parts or perform repairs on the iPhone 5.

For a user with a broken screen or a dead battery, the only remaining options are third-party repair shops that might have harvested parts from other old devices.

The iPhone 5 holds a special place in the history of the smartphone. When it launched in September 2012, it was a massive departure from the iPhone 4s. It featured a taller 4-inch Retina display, moving away from the 3.5-inch screen that Steve Jobs had famously championed.

Perhaps most notably, it was the first iPhone to ditch the bulky 30-pin connector in favour of the Lightning port, setting the standard for Apple’s charging cables for over a decade until the eventual shift to USB-C. It was also the first iPhone to support LTE cellular networks, bringing high-speed mobile data to the palm of the hand.