Latest news with #obsolete
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Six popular Apple devices are now classed as VINTAGE - and may leave users unable to get repairs if they break
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. 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). 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. '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. For some dated phones, you might struggle to find a retailer that'll give you much money, or any at all, according to Which? In this instance, your best option is to recycle your phone directly. National recycling campaign Recycle Now can check if you can recycle your mobile phone at home or at a nearby recycling point so its materials can be used again elsewhere. If you enter your postcode, it will give you a list of local recycling facilities where you can take your devices - preventing them from ending up in landfill. After a device is discarded and e-waste is warmed up, toxic chemicals are released into the air, damaging the atmosphere. E-waste in landfills can also seep toxic materials into groundwater, affecting animals and plants.
The Sun
13-07-2025
- The Sun
Five Apple gadgets declared ‘obsolete' including popular iPad model now on ‘kill list' & there's a costly consequence
APPLE has declared several more of its gadgets "vintage" and "obsolete", including a popular iPad model, macs and accessories. The updated status of these electronics could make them more costly for people to keep using. 1 Apple considers a product "vintage" five years after it was last distributed for sale, which then becomes "obsolete" two years later. One addition that finally made it to the vintage list is the 2013 "Trash Can" Mac Pro, 12 years after being sold. This was because the computer was on the market for so long, that it did not discontinue selling until December 2019. Apple was unable to introduce a new Mac Pro to replace the cyclindrical version due to design limitations, the company admitted in 2017. It was much smaller than the previous generation of Mac Pro, and there was not space to upgrade internal components like GPUs. Apple's hardware chief at the time, Craig Federighi, admitted: "I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner." Along with the 2013 Mac Pro, several other Apple devices were added to the vintage products list. These include: 2019 13-inch MacBook Air 2019 iMac 2018 11-inch iPad Pro 2018 third-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro iPhone 8 128GB The 128GB version of the iPhone 8 was sold for longer than its 64GB and 256GB counterparts, however has now joined them on the vintage list. Apples's big announcements from WWDC with a flurry new features for the gadgets you already own A number of devices were also transitioned from Apple's vintage list to "obsolete". These include: Second-generation AirPort Express 2TB and 3TB AirPort Time Capsules 802.11ac AirPort Extreme Apple retail stores and Apple Authorised Service Providers (AASPs) still offer repairs for vintage products if the required parts are availablle. If these parts are not available, repairs are unlikely to be possible. Products that are obsolete are not repaired by Apple stores or AASPs. Apple also no longer provided parts for them. However, some Mac laptops may be eligible for a battery-only repair for a period of up to 10 years from when the product was last distributed for sale. This is subject to the availability of parts.
Bloomberg
06-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Newark Airport's Floppy-Disk Era Needs to End
Save This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, an official badge of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. Sign up here. Tell me, reader, do you know anyone who still uses floppy disks? I don't. In fact, I haven't seen one of those babies in 20+ years. It seems crazy that anyone would still be reliant on a technology that came of age in 1978 and was phased out in 2010, right? Right.
