Apple puts some devices on the Vintage list every time in its product cycles. It is the iPhone 6 Plus turn this year. According to a memo spotted by MacRumours, this 2014 smartphone is going to be placed on the list at the end of this month.
Most devices don't age well because of the older components and chipsets' inability to keep up with the latest software. It does not mean that the device will stop working, but it's going to get harder to get repair parts for these. That is expected to happen next year with the iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple explains on its support page that the products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 years ago. The iPhones that are currently on Apple's Vintage list include the iPhone 4 8 GB iPhone 4 S, iPhone 4 S 8 GB iPhone 5 and iPhone 5 C.
This list also includes a whole host of iPad models like the iPad 4th generation iPad Air WiFi, iPad mini, etc. and the first-generation Apple Watch in 38 mm and 42 mm.
To understand exactly how Apple classifies these Vintage devices, it is important to understand its repairability clauses. Apple provides the parts needed to fix a device through the Apple Stores and authorised repair outlets. Apple will offer both repair parts and services for a minimum of five years after a product is distributed. For example, if Apple stops producing on the iPhone, users will be able to obtain service and repair parts for it for at least five years from the time the distribution has stopped. If a device is available, service and parts could be available for a maximum of seven years. It can still be considered vintage over this time.
It is considered Obsolete Classifying a product as Vintage means that the device is about to die, tagging it Obsolete means that it has been dead and buried after it has not been distributed for sale for seven years.
Apple discontinues all hardware service for Obsolete products, with the exception of Mac notebooks that are eligible for an additional battery-only repair period. The service providers can't order parts for Obsolete products, the company said. Some of the iPhone models that have become Obsolete are - the iPhone 3 G, iPhone 4, etc.
There are still a couple of years left for the iPhone 6 to join the Vintage list and more for it to become Obsolete.
In the year 2019 the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus lost software support after iOS 13 was rolled out. In order to keep up with the ever-expanding screen sizes of Android devices, Apple launched the iPhone 6 devices earlier in the day, and the company decided to offer the iPhone 6 with a 4.7 inch display and the Plus model with a 5.5 inch screen. This worked for Apple because of the screens on the iPhone 6 series that were larger than the 4 - inch iPhone 5 S and the iPhone 5 C which was launched in 2013 Apple discontinued the iPhone 6 Plus in 2016 but the iPhone 6 remained popular in some regions like India until 2018. The iPhone 6 Plus is also on the Vintage list this year, ahead of the iPhone 6. By 2023, the iPhone 6 will join this list.