The iPhone is only guaranteed to last for one YEAR, Apple admits in bombshell court documents
Do you remember the good old days were the appliances and gadgets you bought were meant to last a lifetime?
APPLE has revealed that its iPhones are only guaranteed to last for one year.
The tech giant said its warranty only covers iPhones for 12 months of use, meaning that anyone whose device fails outside this window will have to stump up repair costs unless they have paid for an extended warranty.
Apple prides itself on quality, design and value for money.
But it turns out the exact guaranteed life expectancy of an iPhone is a lot shorter than you'd hope - especially if you're planning on forking out £1,149 for its top range iPhone X.
Apple says that it is only responsible for ensuring the phones last just one year - the default warranty you get upon purchase.
The details were revealed thanks to a class action lawsuit that was launched after several iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus phones began suffering from "touch disease".
Touchscreens on tens of thousands of the phones stopped working - and three law firms have taken Apple to court over it.
Publically, Apple has often said that its phones are the "most durable".
Many people fork out far more than the market average for a smartphone to buy one on the basis that it is one of the highest quality phones.
Putting an expiry date on a product is called "planned obsolescence": a profit trick where manufacturers plan or design an item that has an artificially limited shelf life, so it will become obsolete and need to be bought again.
Apple brings out a new smartphone every year.
In comparison, people who purcahse appliances like hoovers, microwaves and fridges tend to buy just one item every few years.
Even Greg Joswiak. vice president of iPhone marketing, recently told Buzzfeed that the iPhone was the "most durable" around.
But in court, Apple's lawyers have argued that it is only responsible for keeping iPhones working for a year.
In a motion that was filed in April, it wrote: "Apple's Limited Warranty expressly provides for a return if the consumer does not agree to 'the terms of the warranty.'"
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"Plaintiffs' allegations about the duration of cellular telephone service plans or financing options cannot change the clearly stated one-year warranty that has always applied to Apple's iPhones."
The lawyers added: "Plaintiffs had the options of purchasing a smartphone from a third party or purchasing an extended service plan to extend the duration of the one-year warranty."
So in other words, if you want a phone that lasts longer than a year - shop elsewhere or pay more for a special service plan that will fix your phone after twelve months."
Apple previously said its iPhones were built to last three years.
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