Still using iPhone 5s? Apple declares device 'obsolete'; what it means for users

If you are currently holding an iPhone 5s while reading this article, here's a reality check: That phone is now almost 11 years old*. And, recently, Apple officially declared it 'obsolete' — but what does it mean?

Apple regularly updates a full list of devices which it considers 'obsolete'. These are products that the tech giant stopped selling more than seven years ago.

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Remember when the iPhone 5s was launched to much fanfare in September 2013? Back then, it was touted 'the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world' — with its A7 chip. It was world's first smartphone with "64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance", Apple said.

Everybody wanted to have it as shown by sales records in the UAE and elsewhere in the world. That year, until the next, it topped the charts.

It was a reliable phone for many, so it wouldn't be a surprise if some were still using the same iPhone more than 10 years later.

Here's the catch, though: Now that Apple has tagged it 'obsolete', there would be changes:

With outdated hardware, iPhone 5s and other obsolete Apple gadgets would also not be able to receive or instal software and security updates.

Here are other iPhone models on the 'obsolete' list:

Before the phone was added to this list, it was first classified 'vintage' — or those that hadn't been distributed for sale more than five and less than seven years ago, Apple said.

For these 'vintage' devices, some repairs could still be possible, depending on the availability of parts.

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