The iPhone 5 that launched back in 2012 is now considered obsolete, according to Apple's list of vintage and obsolete products. Apple moved the iPhone 5 and the 8GB iPhone 4 from the vintage list to the obsolete list today.
A device is "vintage" when it has been five years since it was last distributed for sale, and "obsolete" at the seven-year mark, though Apple sometimes stretches its timelines. For vintage products, Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers can provide repairs if the required parts are available. Devices that are obsolete are generally not eligible for repair and Apple stops providing repair components.
Apple released the iPhone 5 in 2012 and discontinued it in 2013 after launching the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. The iPhone 5 was added to the vintage products list in 2018, at which point repairs became limited based on parts availability. Now that the device has moved to the obsolete list, repairs will be largely unavailable.
The iPhone 5 featured an updated design with a glass and aluminum body, a taller 4-inch display, LTE support, and the first-ever Lightning port that replaced the 30-pin connector.
As for the 8GB iPhone 4 that was also added to the obsolete list, Apple introduced it in 2011 and then discontinued it in 2013. Both the 8GB iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5 were sold as low-cost devices in emerging markets after being discontinued in the United States.
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