They were some of the hottest gadgets in Apple’s recent history.
But the tech giant has added another six products to its official ‘vintage’ list – most of them not even a decade after their release.
Unfortunately, ‘vintage’ doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to sell them for large amounts online.
In fact, if you still own a vintage Apple product, it means you may not be able to get it repaired by Apple if and when it breaks.
Meanwhile, three Apple products have gone from the vintage list to the dreaded ‘obsolete’ list – signifying their days are nearly numbered.
All Apple products progress through three categories – current, vintage, and obsolete.
Even the new iPhone 16 will become obsolete one day, consigning it to the great technology scrap heap.
But Apple and other tech companies have received criticism for giving their devices such a short lifespan as it fuels the problem of electronic waste.
Apple has added another six products to its ‘vintage’ list and three products to its ‘obsolete’ list (file photo)
As first noticed by MacRumors, the six products Apple has just added to its vintage list include the 2013 Mac Pro, nicknamed ‘trash can’ due to its appearance.
This cylindrical desktop computer, also compared with a rice cooker and R2-D2 from Star Wars, originally cost $2,999 when released over a decade ago.
Something of a cult favourite, the 2013 Mac Pro was criticised for an ‘unsustainable’ design that didn’t meet the needs of professional users.
The 2013 Mac Pro was discontinued in 2019 when its successor – the $6,000 ‘cheese grater’ – was released, but it is finally officially ‘vintage’.
A ‘vintage’ product means Apple stopped selling it more than five years ago and as a result it may or may not be able to receive Apple services.
Apple retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers are still able to offer repairs for ‘vintage’ devices, but only if the required parts are available.
The other five products now ‘vintage’ are not as old as the 2013 Mac Pro, making their addition to the list rather more surprising.
They are the 13-inch MacBook Air (2019), iMac (2019), 11-inch iPad Pro (2018), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2018) and iPhone 8 with 128GB of storage (2017).
The 2013 Mac Pro, nicknamed ‘trash can’ due to its appearance, is among the Apple devices added to Apple’s ‘vintage’ list
At the time of its release in 2016, MailOnline called iPhone 8 ‘the best handset Apple has ever made’ with its all-glass back and wireless charging
At the time of its release in 2017, MailOnline called the $699/£699 iPhone 8 ‘the best handset Apple has ever made’ with its all-glass back and wireless charging.
But the new update means all three iPhone 8 storage options (64GB, 128GB and 256GB) are now vintage.
Meanwhile, the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, released in 2018, was described by MailOnline as ‘the best tablet out there’ with a ‘stunning screen’ and ‘blazingly fast’ processing speeds.
Also, three Apple routers – AirPort Express, 2TB and 3TB AirPort Time Capsules, and 802.11ac AirPort Extreme – have become ‘obsolete’.
Apple considers a product ‘obsolete’ when it stopped distributing it for sale more than seven years ago.
As Apple explains, an obsolete device has lost support and is no longer eligible for repair at an Apple Store or an authorised third-party service.
Essentially it means if the product stops working Apple is not obliged to fix it – rendering it barely more than a relic from the past.
Apple explains on its website: ‘Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.
Pictured, the 11-inch iPad Pro, released in November 2018 – now one of Apple’s vintage products, not even seven years later
Apple and other tech companies have received criticism for giving their devices such a short lifespan as it fuels the problem of electronic waste (file photo)
‘Mac laptops may be eligible for an extended battery-only repair period for up to 10 years from when the product was last distributed for sale, subject to parts availability.’
Although Apple releases several devices to feverish fanfare every year, even more are quietly consigned to the technology scrap heap.
But environmental campaigners believe a lifetime of less than a decade isn’t reasonable for a tech device retailing for several hundreds of pounds.
Tech companies including Apple have faced fierce criticism for fuelling an ‘e-waste crisis’, where piles of electronic waste are building up in landfill.
A 2020 report from MPs said companies like Apple and Amazon have been ‘dodging their environmental responsibilities’ for the products they sell.
‘Too many devices have a limited, and sometimes decreasing, lifespan and end up in bins, eventually going to landfill or incineration,’ said former Environment Audit Committee chair Philip Dunne.
