Apple this week updated its list of vintage and obsolete products to add a remarkable device. iPhone 5c, the first colorful iPhone launched by Apple, is now considered a vintage product — which means technical support for this model is now limited.
As Apple describes on its website, a product is considered vintage when it hasn’t been sold for more than five years. This applies to the Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, as well as other Apple accessories. In the past, Apple used to restrict technical support for vintage products to its stores in the United States, but in 2018, the company began to extend support for vintage products.
Now, consumers may find technical support for a vintage device at Apple Stores and authorized service providers anywhere in the world. This, of course, depends on the inventory availability of components for that device.
iPhone 5c was introduced in September 2013 as a cheaper version of iPhone 5. It features the A6 chip, a 4-inch LCD display, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The smartphone was built with a glossy plastic body, and it was available in five different colors: white, blue, green, pink, and yellow.
Vintage products are those that have not been sold for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago. Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV vintage products continue to receive hardware service from Apple service providers, including Apple Retail Stores, subject to availability of inventory, or as required by law.
Apple will discontinue and make iPhone 5c obsolete in 2022, which will permanently end technical support for it. iPhone 5s, which was introduced on the same day as the iPhone 5c, is not yet considered a vintage device as it remained available in stores for a longer time.
