And I'd agree. But the N64 still functions exactly the same today as it did when it was released. It still does it's job. It will still entertain 1-4 players. Same with the S/NES.

How usable is an original iPhone? Is it acceptable as a phone these days? Is it even functional? Hell, can you even get the OS image it needs and software to run on it?

Nintendo still has people on staff at the 1-800 number listed on their machines who will help you troubleshoot your system.[1] They don't have replacement parts anymore though, but they might help you source some.

Good design just keeps working and working. Style might change, but a design's utility should not.

[1] http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/04/random_nintendos_sn...

Perhaps more importantly, does it do anything a modern iPhone can’t? An original Nintendo 64 is the only way to run Nintendo 64 games unemulated.

Play music over wired headphones. Connect to peripherals that use the original wide connector. Talk with dongles that communicate over the headphone port, like those credit card readers.

Oh shit. I totally didn't realize that Apple royally boned everyone using Square readers.

Did they though? Seems like magnetic stripe readers in general are on their way out.

Apple has adapters so a modern iPhone can play music over wired headphones or connect to 30pin devices. These probably also work with these credit card readers. Or get a new one after 10 years, they’re only $50.

Modern iPhones can play music over wired headphones! Sure, not all wired headphones. But then again, the original iPhone can't play music over all wired headphones either.

I believe both GSM carriers in the US turned off their 2G compatibility a few years ago.

I don’t have an original iPhone, but I do have a N original iPod touch with basically the same hardware.

The built in apps still work except for Youtube. You can still sync music to it from iTunes and Google backed Apple Maps still works. You can still restore it from iTunes as far as I know.

The original iPad and any device running iOS 5 is a better story. If you go to the App Store and try to download an app that at one time had a iOS 5 version, you can download “the last compatible version”. Netflix, Crackle, Hulu, Plex, and Spotify still work. Also all of Apple’s iWork and iLife apps still work and sync with newer versions. Google Drive also still works. I can read PDFs stored on it.

Most websites are unusable though. HN being an exception.

Of course I have newer devices.

The 2G modem in the original iPhone is obsolete I think, like they upgraded the towers a couple of years ago and now they can't talk to them anymore.

Other than that the old standalone software (stuff that didn't require a cloud service) still works fine. I use mine as a music player sometimes.