It\u2019s tech-stinct.<\/p>\n
Apple fans are up in arms after the tech firm added the first-generation iPhone SE to its\u00a0obsolete products list.<\/p>\n
Effectively immediately, the device will no longer be eligible for repairs or other services at Apple Stores or authorized third-party vendors, MacRumors reported.<\/a><\/p>\n Launched in 2016 alongside the iPhone 7, the iPhone SE was widely considered Apple\u2019s first true budget smartphone, running buyers only $399, Mashable reported.<\/a> For reference, the starting price for the new iPhone 17 clocks in at a staggering $799.<\/a><\/p>\n Apple fans are up in arms after the tech firm added the first-generation iPhone SE to its\u00a0obsolete products list. ifeelstock \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n A customer tries an iPhone SE in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images<\/p>\n The discount device featured the best aspects of the iPhone 5, including a 4-inch display, a Touch ID home button and an iconic aluminum-and-glass frame.<\/p>\n It also came with an A9 chipset that made it markedly faster than other small phones on the market, and boasted longer battery life, double the processing power and better graphics than the iPhone 5.<\/p>\n Alas, the proletariat gadget was discontinued in 2018, meaning that it is effectively obsolete per Apple\u2019s policy<\/a>, which designates products as such when they\u2019ve stopped distributing \u201cthem for sale more than 7 years ago.\u201d <\/p>\n By comparison, products are labeled \u201cvintage\u201d after being out of circulation for five years.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll pry my 2016 iPhone SE from my cold, dead hands,\u201d griped one unhappy Apple fan. Getty Images<\/p>\n In accordance with the obsolete designation, the company is not obligated to repair the iPhone SE even if it stops working, rendering it no more than a relic form the past.<\/p>\n \u201cApple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products,\u201d the site specifies.<\/p>\n The iPhone SE\u2019s loyal fanbase was none too pleased with the tech firm putting their favorite product out to pasture.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll pry my 2016 iPhone SE from my cold, dead hands,\u201d griped one<\/a>, while another wrote,<\/a> \u201cI don\u2019t change mine until forced to. My SE iPhone works just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Some even accused Apple of purposefully scrapping products prematurely to boost their profits. \u201cNever ending push for you to spend more money,\u201d lamented one tech-head<\/a>. \u201cDigital planed obsolescence. There is nothing wrong with that generation of phone.\u201d<\/p>\n Apple rolled out the second-generation and third-generation iPhone SE models in April 2020 and March 2022, both of which feature similar designs to the iPhone 8,<\/p>\n The iPhone SE was\u00a0then given the axe entirely\u00a0for the foreseeable future, after getting swapped out for the iPhone 16e.<\/p>\n The iPhone SE joins a long list of Apple products relegated to obsolescence.<\/p>\n