Apple added the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Apple Watch Series 3 to its vintage list this week. According to Apple’s policy, a product is designated as vintage five years after the company stops selling it. A product on the vintage list is only eligible for repairs at an Apple Store or an Apple-authorized service provider if parts are still available.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max was released in 2019, but its smaller sibling, the iPhone 11 Pro, has not yet been added to the list. This discrepancy likely suggests that Apple continued to distribute the iPhone 11 Pro to third-party resellers for a longer period. It’s notable that all three iPhone 11 models still support iOS 26, so they will continue to receive feature updates and bug fixes. The Apple Watch Series 3, which debuted in 2017, was sold by Apple until September 2022. It outlasted its successor, the Apple Watch Series 4, which was added to the vintage list earlier this year.
From Vintage to Obsolete
Two years after a product is added to the vintage list, it moves to the company’s obsolete list. At this stage, Apple no longer offers any hardware repairs for the product. However, there is a rare exception for MacBooks, as certain models may remain eligible for battery replacements for up to 10 years after they were last distributed. Apple updates its vintage and obsolete lists on a regular basis. Last month, it added the 2015 11-inch MacBook Air and the 2017 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros to its obsolete list. During the same period, the iPhone 8 Plus was moved to the vintage list, joining other phones added this year, including the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, and iPhone XS.
Author’s Opinion
This latest update to Apple’s vintage list serves as a tangible reminder of the product lifecycle in consumer technology. While a device may feel new and essential when it launches, its journey to becoming “vintage” and then “obsolete” is a clear and inevitable path. This policy, while sometimes frustrating for users who wish to extend the life of their devices, is a pragmatic move by Apple to manage its supply chain and focus resources on newer products. The fact that the iPhone 11 Pro Max, a once-flagship device, is now entering this phase underscores the relentless pace of innovation in the tech industry and the challenge of balancing long-term support with the constant push for the next new thing.
Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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