Every time Apple announces new hardware some of its older products have to move out of the way to make space for its new babies. The September 12 2018 event was no different. We outline the Apple devices that didn’t make the cut.
iPhone X
The iPhone X was announced in September 2017 with a completely refreshed screen-centric design to celebrate the iPhone’s 10th birthday. Now at the grand old age of 11 it doesn’t need you pointing out the new iPhone XS is basically the same phone but with a faster processor, slightly longer battery life and IP68 waterproofing. It made sense for Apple to ditch the iPhone X, and so it has.
iPhone 6s
The last flagship iPhone to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack is now officially off sale. All iPhones in Apple’s line-up are now waterproof, too (rated IP67 or, for the XS and XS Max, IP68).
Apple’s iPhone 6s was announced in September 2015, and though Apple has discontinued the once-loved smartphone just three years later, you can still pick it up from various retailers at the attractive price of £439 (see Currys, John Lewis or Tesco).
Despite the 6s’ demise, the Rose Gold iPhone is not yet dead: you can still pick up an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus direct from Apple from £449.
iPhone SE
The 4in iPhone is dead. For all the talk of an iPhone SE 2 what we actually got was an iPhone XR, a phone that is neither as small nor as cheap as the original ‘cheap’ iPhone. We doubt we’ll see an iPhone SE 2 materialise any time soon, and for now the cheapest phone still officially sold by Apple is the £449 iPhone 7.
Apple Watch Series 1 & Watch Edition
When Apple first announced its Apple Watch back in 2014, there was a special ‘Watch Edition’ that cost upwards of £8k. It was insanely expensive. Now with the introduction of Series 4 Apple has canned its original Apple Watch and the pricey Watch Edition. Even so, you can still pay up to £1,449 for the Hermes Edition.
AirPower
No-one mention AirPower ever again. Announced in September last year, this wireless charging mat was supposed to power up three Apple devices at once – a feat that no other product on the market was capable of at the time. Well, we waited, and we waited, and we waited. Now Apple has removed all traces of the AirPower from its website with no official comment. We guess this one will never see the light of day.
…And this little guy
With no current iPhones including a 3.5mm headphone jack it’s time for Apple to stop bundling its 3.5mm- to Lightning adaptor in the box. This is important only if you want to use your existing 3.5mm earphones, since Apple supplies Lightning EarPods with all new iPhones.
The adaptor itself isn’t discontinued, but if you want one you’ll need to buy it separately. It costs £9 from the Apple Store.
Read all about the products that were announced during Apple’s September 2018 event.
Author: Marie Black, Editorial Director
Marie is Editorial Director at Foundry. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she's worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our EMEA and LatAm editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry's transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.