Apple officially discontinues iPhone 3GS
updated 03:11 pm EDT, Thu September 13, 2012
Apple's last pre-A-series device vanishes
Apple is officially discontinuing the iPhone 3GS, a spokesperson tells AllThingsD. The move was expected after the introduction of the iPhone 5, which has also seen the iPhone 4 and 4S shift to lower and middle tiers. With the phone no longer on sale, Apple is also likely to taper off support.
The 3GS was launched in 2009, and was Apple's first interim update of the iPhone, mostly holding ground until the release of the iPhone 4 a year later. It was also the last iPhone to use a non-proprietary processor. With the buyout of PA Semi, Apple began manufacturing the A series of processors, leading up to the A6 found in the iPhone 5. When it moved to the bottom of Apple's iPhone lineup in October 2011, the 3GS was offered for free on contract.
