Apple Has Declared This 18-Karat Gold Apple Watch As Obsolete: Here’s Why – News18

Apple’s first-generation Apple Watches, also known as the ‘Series Zero,’ have been added to the company’s list of obsolete products. This means that the watches, including the $17,000 gold Apple Watch, will no longer be supported for repairs, as reported by MacRumors.

According to the report, the list includes the solid gold first-generation Apple Watch, which used to cost up to $17,000 (around Rs 14 lakh). The watch was made from 18-karat gold and was discontinued in 2016 after its original release in 2014. Furthermore, software support for these watches was also discontinued in 2018, with WatchOS 5 being the last supported version.

The report further states that other variants of the Apple Watch Series Zero, including the 38mm and 42mm aluminium and stainless steel versions, as well as the Hermès variants, are also now classified as obsolete.

What Is ‘Obsolete’?

Once a product gets past its life cycle, classifies a product in two categories: Obsolete or Vintage. Products become ‘Obsolete’ when “Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago,” and thus, “Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products,” and service providers can’t order parts for repairs.

Now, considering it has been more than 7 years since the original watches were released to the public, it makes sense for Apple to finally discontinue them.

With that said, you can still attempt to have these obsolete products repaired at third-party outlets and service centers, but whether you will be able to get repairs done solely depends on the availability of parts and trained labor.