An Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max sealed inside the America250 time capsule—scheduled to remain buried until 2276—will almost certainly be inoperable when future generations retrieve it. The capsule, which contains digital artifacts loaded into the device’s Notes app alongside physical records from all 50 states, faces fundamental preservation obstacles that render the smartphone little more than a historical curiosity.
America’s Time Capsule includes physical artifacts, archival documents, and digital records from all 50 states.
A Forbes analysis identifies the lithium-ion battery as a primary failure point; such cells degrade irreversibly over decades, let alone centuries. Even if the hardware somehow survived, Apple’s software ecosystem—specifically its practice of ending support for older models and reliance on active authentication servers—would likely prevent the device from booting or unlocking. The scenario also assumes that 23rd-century infrastructure will still provide compatible voltage, connectors, and charging standards.
The America Innovates event, co-hosted by Forbes and America250, has not clarified whether the iPhone’s inclusion was meant to critique the tech industry’s planned-obsolescence model. Representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
State-of-the-Art Today, E-Waste Tomorrow
Burying consumer electronics in time capsules serves symbolic rather than practical preservation goals. The hardware will fail long before the scheduled opening, yet the device functions as a cultural mirror—capturing what society in 2026 considered cutting-edge. A disclaimer acknowledging that today’s “ultimate digital age” will likely resemble non-biodegradable plastic waste in 250 years would be a fitting addition.
The pocket constitution is included inside America’s Time Capsule.
The 900-pound capsule also holds photographs, government documents, a stainless-steel rosary from Puerto Rico, and a Pocket Constitution signed by Supreme Court justices. Preservation experts caution that time capsules are notoriously unreliable: groundwater, material decay, and simple neglect destroy or render uninteresting an estimated 99% of them upon recovery.
“Burying something is literally the worst way to preserve it for future generations,” Paleofuture blogger Matt Novak told Mental Floss, “but we continue to do it.”
This is not Apple’s first subterranean appearance. In 2013, a long-lost “Steve Jobs Time Capsule” buried in 1983 was rediscovered containing a Lisa mouse, a six-pack of Ballantine beer, and a Rubik’s Cube—artifacts that survived intact precisely because they required no power, proprietary software, or cloud connectivity to be understood.
For 30 years, the location of the “Steve Jobs Time Capsule” was lost to history, until it was uncovered in 2013, containing the Apple founder’s Lisa mouse.