Another iPad is being ferried across the waters of Lake Vintage straight toward Obsolete Island.
In an internal memo obtained by MacRumors, the company announced that it would be adding all WiFi and Cellular models of the third-generation iPad mini to its list of obsolete products. According to the memo, the change hasn't been made just yet but will in a couple of weeks, so Apple seems to be giving its teams a heads-up to be ready for the change.
The report notes that "a specific cellular variant of the iPad mini 3 is marked as obsolete" already, but that is now being extended to the entire third-generation lineup.
What happens if my iPad mini is obsolete?
Once the third-generation iPad mini models are officially on the obsolete list, they will no longer be able to receive hardware service from a repair center, meaning that customers can no longer get them repaired by Apple or one of its Authorized Service Providers. They can still get it repaired by a third party, but those repairs will no longer be backed by Apple's warranty.
Products that are obsolete are different than those that have been added to the company's vintage list. You still have some support options with Apple when your product becomes vintage. Owners of an iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, or Apple TV can still get service or parts for the device from Apple or a third-party service provider for at least five years after the company last sold the device. In some cases where the law requires, that amount of time jumps to seven years for parts and service.
However, that ship has sailed for the third-generation iPad mini. Have one? The iPad mini 6 is out now and is an enormous upgrade from that model. In fact, it's a huge upgrade from the fourth and fifth generation as well, so just pick that up no matter which other iPad mini you have.
