Apple Memo: Original iPad Pro and ‘Apple TV HD’ to Be Placed on Vintage Products List This Month

Apple Memo: Original iPad Pro and ‘Apple TV HD’ to Be Placed on Vintage Products List This Month

Apple will be adding the first-generation iPad Pro to its vintage products list at the end of June, says an internal memo distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers and shared by MacRumors.

The original iPad Pro featured a 12.9-inch display that was a significant bump up from the 9.7-inch display previous iPads had sported. The original iPad Pro also boasted an A9X chip, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a Home button with Touch ID, and four speakers. The first Pro also featured new accessories, including the Smart Keyboard for iPad and the Apple Pencil stylus.

In addition, 32GB models of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will also be classified as vintage at the end of June, the memo says.

Oddly enough, MacRumors reports multiple sources tell it that Apple’s memo also says the “Apple TV HD” will also be classified as vintage at the end of June, which is odd, since Apple continues to sell the device with 32GB of storage.

The Apple TV HD was first released in October 2015 as the fourth-generation Apple TV and was rebranded after the Apple TV 4K launched in September 2017.

It is actually too soon for the set-top box to be classified as “vintage,” as it would be nowhere near five years since distribution ended.

Possibly, the “Apple TV HD” mention is a typo and Apple is actually referring to the “Rev A” edition of the third-generation Apple TV, which was discontinued in October 2016 but remained available for a while as backorders were fulfilled

Apple’s memo says the iPhone 4S will be classified as “obsolete” at the end of June. Apple announced the iPhone 4S in October 2011, it was the first device that included the Siri personal assistant.

What’s Vintage, and What’s Obsolete?

Apple’s website explains the difference:

Vintage products are those that have not been manufactured for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago. Apple has discontinued hardware service for vintage products with the following exceptions:

  • Mac products purchased in the country of Turkey. Owners of vintage Mac products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers within the country of Turkey.
  • Products purchased in the state of California, United States, as required by statute
    • Owners of vintage Mac products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers within the state of California, United States. 
    • Owners of vintage iPod products in the state of California may obtain service from Apple Retail Stores or by contacting AppleCare at 1-800-APL-CARE.
    • Owners of vintage iPhone products in the state of California may obtain service from Apple Retail Stores or by contacting AppleCare at 1-800-APL-CARE.

For products purchased in France, see Statutory Warranties of Seller and Spare Parts.

Obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than 7 years ago. Monster-branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased.  Apple has discontinued all hardware service for obsolete products with no exceptions. Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products. All Apple Retail Stores and the Canadian, European, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific operating regions follow the U.S. product list, but make no distinction between vintage and obsolete. When applied to Apple Retail Stores and these operating regions, products on the U.S. vintage list (all models) are considered obsolete.