Apple fans who own the original iPhone will have to get ready to relegate the iconic first-gen smartphone from the Cupertino giant to the antiques shelf starting June 11, when the device is set to become obsolete officially.
Per reports, a leaked document reveals that Apple's retail stores intend to officially label the iPhone as obsolete. Along with the iPhone, several Macs and Xserve models will also be classified as vintage and obsolete.
"According to internal Apple documentation, the original iPhone, which first debuted in 2007, will soon enter 'obsolete' status, with a few exceptions. The official switch will happen on June 11, 2013, when the iPhone, along with several other Macs and Xserve models will officially be classified as vintage and obsolete products by Apple," reports 9to5Mac.
Apple's support site considers devices discontinued more than seven years ago to be obsolete and does not offer any support for these products.
"Obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than seven years ago. Apple has discontinued all hardware service for obsolete products with no exceptions. Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products," notes Apple's support site.
Vintage products, on the other hand, are "those that were discontinued more than five and less than seven years ago."
The first-gen iPhone (iPhone 2G) will now be considered "obsolete" in the U.S. at brick and mortar Apple stores. However, globally, the "vintage" status will be applicable for AppleCare and Authorized Service Providers, which means that it would still be possible for customers to have their iDevice serviced.
Interestingly, U.S. carrier AT&T stopped activations for the original iPhone 18 months ago. However, AT&T as well as several other carriers offer the iPhone 5, which saw a bump in screen size from 3.5 inches to 4 inches since the device's launch.
With the purported launch of the iPhone 5S looming large and reports pointing to a June pre-order date, iFans could soon have another iPhone to look forward to, even as Apple's old warhorse becomes obsolete.
