Original iPad Mini From 2012 Now Considered 'Vintage' by Apple

Apple today updated its list of Vintage and Obsolete products to add the original 7.9-inch iPad mini, which was first released in 2012.

ipadmini2
Apple's vintage products list includes devices that have not been sold for more than five and less than seven years ago, while the obsolete list includes products whose sales were discontinued more than seven years ago.

Devices on the vintage list are able to continue to receive hardware service from Apple and Apple service providers, subject to the availability of repair components and where required by law. Obsolete products, meanwhile, have no hardware service available with no exceptions.

The first ‌iPad mini‌, Apple's smallest tablet released to date, was replaced in 2013 when the second-generation ‌iPad mini‌ was released, but Apple continued to sell it until 2015. Since then, there have been third, fourth, and fifth-generation ‌iPad mini‌ models made available, with a sixth-generation version with a mini-LED display said to be coming in the not too distant future.

Apple's original ‌iPad mini‌ featured an A5 chip, 512MB RAM, up to 64GB of storage, and a 1024 x 768 display, which was not considered Retina. The ‌iPad mini‌ has not seen many design changes since it was launched, and the current release version continues to feature thick bezels and a Touch ID Home button.

In addition to adding the original ‌iPad mini‌ to the vintage list, Apple today also added the late 2011 21.5-inch iMac to its obsolete list.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
ios 19 messages app

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:52 am PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a mockup of what he says the Messages app will look like in iOS 19, demoing an interface with rounded, translucent bubble-shaped navigation buttons at the top and softer, rounder corners for the keyboard and word suggestions. Jon Prosser's Messages app mockup The return button, a button for going back to the Messages list, and the FaceTime button have a deeper...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), which...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...

Top Rated Comments

TheAustrianGuy Avatar
61 months ago
512GB RAM? Wow!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
61 months ago
Still using the original mini with iOS 6.1.3 on it, mainly for Spotify. The old UI is so much better than the current one.

Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
61 months ago

It was unofficially classified as ‘useless’ a long time ago.
Except by all the people in this very thread who have listed specific uses for it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FSMBP Avatar
61 months ago

512GB RAM? Wow!
Yeah, you could have 299 tabs in Safari open at once (kind like my grandma inadvertently keeps doing) :P
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
61 months ago
The original iPad mini from 2012 has slimmer top and bottom bezels than the 2019 5th Generation. What a shame.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
61 months ago

The iPad mini has not seen many design changes since it was launched, and the current release version continues to feature thick bezels and a Touch ID Home button.

Jesus, calm down about the bezels. It's a tablet. You need somewhere to hold onto it that isn't an active touch surface.

TouchID still works quite nicely, thanks, in the dark and at any device orientation. And if it contributes to a lower cost for the device in question, I'm all for it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)