- Apple marked the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 as “vintage”
- This means that there are fewer repair options if you need it
- The next step is to declare them “obsolete”, but it has not yet happened
If you always swing an iPhone 7 Plus or an iPhone 8, we have bad news: Apple has just added them to its list of “vintage” products, which means that your repair options have become a little more limited.
Apple declares a vintage product when the company has ceased to sell it more than five but less than seven years. Apple from time to time with older devices – after all, it cannot offer continuous support for each device that it has ever produced on an indefinite basis. But the news will always be a disappointment for anyone who still uses one of these phones.
What does this mean in practice? Well, when Apple classifies a product as “vintage”, it reduces the support it will offer to owners. In theory, you can always have one of these products repaired by Apple or an Apple authorized service provider (AASP), but it depends if the parts are still available. If they are not, you will not be able to get real components when it is time to repair your phone.
Once a product has been classified vintage, the next step is Apple to label it “obsolete”, and this generally happens when more than seven years have passed since Apple offered the device to sell for the last time. The iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 were abandoned in 2019 and 2020, respectively, which means that you have another year or two until they are classified as obsolete.
Old -fashioned charm
Launched in 2016, the iPhone 7 Plus was the larger version of the iPhone 7, and it came with resistance to water and dust, a solid statement button, new color options and revised antenna strips. He also marked controversial the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack once and for all.
The iPhone 8, on the other hand, was released in 2017 and came with a wireless load, a True Tone tone technology, a better chip and improved cameras. He launched alongside the iPhone X, which was the first all-screen iPhone and recorded the home button in history.
This is the second time in recent months that Apple has added devices to its vintage product list. In mid-April, the iPhone 6S was marked as vintage, alongside the Mac Mini 2018. Do not be surprised to see other products added to the Apple list in the next year.
