RIP: Apple's first Lightning iPad is now officially obsolete

iPad 4 with Lightning (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple has marked the fourth-generation iPad as obsolete.
Obsolete items were last sold more than seven years ago.
Two Mac mini models have also been added to the obsolete pile.

The world might seem to want Apple to ditch as many connectors as possible but there was once a time where the use of Lightning was a big deal. That was when Apple moved the iPad line away from the 30-pin Dock Connector with the fourth-generation iPad — an iPad that's now officially obsolete.

MacRumors reports that the iPad was actually marked as obsolete internally as far back as November, but that it's taken until today for the device to be added to Apple's official obsolete list. The fourth-generation iPad launched in November of 2012 and came after the iPhone 5 ushered in the Lightning era just months prior.

The same obsolete list now also includes the Mid-2010 and Late 2012 Mac mini machines.

Here's how Apple describes an obsolete product on its website:

Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago. Monster-branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased.Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, with the sole exception of Mac notebooks that are eligible for an additional battery-only repair period. Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.

Interested in picking up a new iPad? The rather special iPad Air is probably the best iPad for most people — although the iPad Pro might have something to say about that!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.