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

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...

Top Rated Comments

TheAustrianGuy Avatar
70 months ago
512GB RAM? Wow!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
70 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
70 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
70 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
70 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
70 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)