What you need to know
- Apple's fourth-generation iPad is now considered obsolete by Apple.
- The iPad was first announced in 2012 and is now almost ten years old.
Apple's fourth-generation iPad, released in 2012, is now considered obsolete by Apple according to a new report. The tablet, which is almost ten years old, hasn't yet been added to Apple's list of obsolete devices on apple.com, however.
It's only a matter of time before it is, though. A new MacRumors report cites an internal memo when saying the 2012 iPad is now obsolete.
Apple classified the fourth-generation iPad as an obsolete product as of November 1, meaning the device is no longer eligible for hardware service worldwide, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. The fourth-generation iPad has yet to be added to Apple's public-facing vintage and obsolete products list, but it should be soon.
The same memo also reportedly lists the Late 2012 Mac mini as being obsolete as of November 1, too. Anyone with these machines should probably look to upgrade at this point — technology has moved on quite a bit since 2012 and you'll benefit hugely from a new machine.
At the time of its release, the fourth-generation iPad saw the arrival of the Lightning port as well as an Apple A6X chip that offered considerable performance boosts over the previous model. That previous model was the ill-fated third-generation iPad, a tablet that lasted less than a year before being replaced.
The fourth-generation iPad also launched alongside the first iPad mini, a model that was refreshed not too long ago.
