Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has been included in a time capsule marking the United States' 250th anniversary. The capsule is set to be opened in 2276 for the U.S. 500th anniversary, and attention is focused on whether the smartphone could still work after centuries.

IT outlet NineToFiveMac reported on July 5, local time, that a large time capsule created as part of the U.S. 250th anniversary project contains a Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max along with various items representing each U.S. state.

The time capsule was prepared to pass objects and records that represent the current era to future generations. The iPhone was selected as a representative product symbolising today's digital culture, rather than simply an electronic device.

In particular, so-called "digital relics" were also stored inside the device for later generations to check. It is known to be set up so that when the time capsule is opened in 2276, people can review records left by the current generation through the Notes app. It is an attempt to preserve digital content as well as hardware.

The biggest variables, however, are the durability of the battery and storage. Lithium-ion batteries for smartphones degrade naturally even when not used for long periods, raising the outlook that the possibility of normal operation after 250 years is very low. It is also difficult to guarantee whether storage media can preserve data over such a long period.

Even so, the case is assessed as meaningful in that it recorded a smartphone as a cultural heritage item representing the era. It also shows that digital devices, like cars, documents and household goods, are beginning to be recognised as artefacts that symbolise an era.

The outlet also mentioned the possibility that the technological environment itself could be completely different in 250 years. In the future, devices in the form of today's smartphones may have disappeared, or an era could open in which digital information is used in a completely different way.

Ultimately, the core of the project lies less in the iPhone itself than in conveying today's digital culture to future generations. It is unknown whether the iPhone 17 Pro Max will work when the time capsule is actually opened in 2276, but it is expected to be a symbolic artefact showing what devices people used today and how they kept records.