Apple has made the decision to cease all support for the first generation of its smartwatches, according to an internal memo obtained by the specialized news site, MacRumors.
The company placed all models of the first-generation Apple Watch on its “Obsolete” list at the end of September last year, Apple defines its older products as those that “have been discontinued for more than 7 years.”
Apple has stopped “providing all hardware services for older products, and service providers cannot request spare parts for these products,” as stated by the company on its official website.
Owners of the first-generation Apple Watches will no longer be able to seek repair services for them at official Apple stores or through authorized dealers, Apple discontinued the sale of the first generation of its smartwatches in 2016, and support for its operating system ended in 2018 with the release of watchOS 5.
This decision applies to all versions of the first generation, whether 38mm or 42mm, regardless of the manufacturing materials, whether aluminum, stainless steel, or the 18-karat gold edition, which the company once sold for $17,000.
Apple first unveiled its smartwatch in April 2015, and it quickly became the world’s best-selling wearable device. The number of Apple Watch users was estimated to exceed 115 million by the end of last year in 2022.
