The third-generation iPad Air, in all its variants, is now officially a "vintage product," as more than five years have passed since its launch.
The iPad Air debuted back in 2019, five years after the second-generation iPad Air. Relative to its predecessor, the iPad Air 3 featured a larger 10.5-inch display, Apple Pencil support, and a much more powerful A12 Bionic chip.
Both cellular and Wi-Fi only variants are have now made their way to Apple's "vintage products" list. Apple considers a product "vintage" when it stopped offering the device for sale more than five years ago, and less than seven years ago.
Once a product hasn't been sold new for more than seven years, it's classified as "obsolete," as is the case with the iPad mini 4 and Apple TV HD.
The iPhone maker provides service and parts for vintage products for up to seven years, assuming the necessary parts are available. In the case of the iPad Air 3, this means that users may face additional difficulties in trying to get their device repaired.
The third-generation iPad Air notably suffered from a so-called "blank screen issue," which would, in some cases, leave the display permanently disabled.
Apple even issued a repair program for affected devices in March 2020. The company acknowledged that, under certain circumstances, the screens of affected units would flicker before going permanently blank.
The iPad Air 3 was then discontinued in September of the same year. It was replaced by the iPad Air 4, which featured a more modern all-screen design, with slimmer bezels and no Home button.
Owners of the now-obsolete iPad Air 3, meanwhile, can still get their devices repaired at Apple Authorized Service Providers and at Apple's own retail locations, albeit only if the necessary components are still available.
