Apple adds the fourth-generation iPad to the 'obsolete' device list

Apple now considers the fourth-generation iPad from 2012 an obsolete device, meaning that the tablet is no longer eligible for hardware repairs.

The company added the fourth-generation iPad to its list of vintage and obsolete products on Nov. 2.

The fourth-generation iPad was first released in November 2012, and was the first apple tablet in the company's lineup to ditch the 30-pin connector for a Lightning port. It had an A6X chipset that provided up to twice the CPU and graphical performance of its preceding third-generation iPad.

Apple considers products vintage after it stops distributing them for more than five years and less than seven. Obsolete products are those that have not been available from Apple for more than seven years.

Although vintage products are still eligible for repair, subject to parts availability, obsolete products are not. However, even though it won't service obsolete products itself, it notes that there's a network of more than 5,000 Apple-certified technicians that may be able to repair a device.

However, repair of a fourth-generation iPad from those certified technicians will depend on parts availability from third-party sources, and it is in all likelihood not a cost-effective repair, given the age of the product.