Apple has officially classified the iPhone X as ‘vintage,’ sending one of the most important modern iPhones off into the sunset. At the same time, the company gave the same classification to the original HomePod and the first-generation AirPods, putting them out to pasture alongside the iPhone X.
What does the vintage tag mean? According to Apple’s support website, this title gets applied to a device if between five and seven years have passed since Apple stopped distributing it for sale. When something becomes vintage, Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will continue to repair it for up to two years, provided parts are still available. It’s like an early warning that the product will soon hit its end-of-life stage.
As well as the vintage label, Apple also classifies some of its older products as ‘obsolete’ if it stopped distributing them for sale more than seven years ago. When that happens, Apple will not service them, and repair shops will not be able to order genuine parts for them. Devices such as the original iPhone, the first iPod touch and the Apple I – launched in 1976 as the first computer Apple ever built – are categorized as obsolete.
Trailblazing products
(Image credit: TechRadar)
The iPhone X was the first iPhone to ditch the Home button and use an all-screen design with a gesture-based navigation system. It was a huge leap forward for the iPhone when it launched in 2017, and its design still influences Apple products today, including the latest iPhone 15 line.
The original AirPods, meanwhile, were Apple’s first foray into wireless headphones (excluding the short-lived and not very good iPhone Bluetooth Headset). They showed that Apple was serious about exploring new products beyond the usual phones and computers, and seven years after the first-generation model debuted, AirPods remain some of the best wireless earbuds you can buy.
The first-generation HomePod, though, was not such a success story. When it first hit the shelves in 2018 it received mixed reviews due to its combination of excellent audio and sky-high price tag, with Apple not offering the cheaper HomePod mini until until a couple of years later. It was such a poor seller that Apple discontinued it in 2021, before releasing a retooled Apple HomePod 2 in 2023.
With these three devices all being reclassified as vintage, there’s no doubt it’s the end of an era for a set of (mostly) trailblazing Apple products. If you own any of them, it might be time to ensure they’ve got all the parts they need to continue working, as soon you could struggle when it comes to repairs.
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