Apple technology can be found almost anywhere. Many people have multiple Apple products and sometimes many versions of the same product as Apple frequently updates their devices. What people may not know is that they may own some vintage Apple products.
On their website, Apple keeps an extensive list of their own products that they’ve deemed to be “vintage” or “obsolete.” The list is split up by device and by country for the most part. The different sections explain which products are “vintage” and which are “obsolete.”
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Many of the items on the list seem well placed, like the 1999 iBook and the iPod shuffle — which may still be in use, but have been around for many years. However, some of the devices that have been deemed “vintage” are likely still in use as they’re not very old. For example, the iPhone 5 is on the list of products considered to be “vintage” in the U.S. and “obsolete” in the rest of the world.
Apple explains how they determine which products are added to the list. In the U.S. and Turkey, devices categorized as “vintage” haven’t been manufactured for more than five years, but less than seven years. Once a device has been discontinued for at least seven years, it is deemed “obsolete.” It is further explained that all the parts for obsolete products are also taken out of production, so repairing your old iPod nano is not an option.
While distinctions are made between vintage and obsolete in Turkey and the U.S., in Canada, Europe, South America and Asia-Pacific no distinction is made; the products on the list are the same, but they’re all simply classified as obsolete.
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The discontinued devices could score owners a windfall. An Apple 1 computer sold for $42,766 on eBay in 2010. Not all devices have reached a coveted status, but even the more common devices can go for a large sum. The iBook was approximately $1,599 American when it was released, but the devices now go for just over $1,700 on eBay if the product is still in the box.
Are you the proud owner of some vintage devices? The extensive list can be viewed here: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201624.
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