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According to a new report, Apple is planning another update to the Vintage list soon. Both the first iPad Pro and the Apple TV HD will be added to the Vintage list.
Apple's "Vintage" list includes devices that have not been sold for more than five years but less than seven years, while the Discontinued Products list includes devices that were discontinued more than seven years ago. Devices on the Vintage list can still receive hardware service from Apple and certified service partners, subject to the availability of repair components and as required by law. However, hardware service is no longer available for discontinued products.
iPad Pro: The first of its kind
As the US blog MacRumors now reported, Apple has distributed an internal memo to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers. According to the memo, the first iPad Pro and Apple TV HD will be added to the vintage list as early as next month. The original iPad Pro was launched in November 2015 and had a 12.9-inch display, which was significantly larger than the 9.7-inch display of all previous iPad models. Along with the device, Apple introduced the Smart Keyboard for iPad and Apple Pencil, which made the iPad Pro a direct competitor to hybrid tablets like Microsoft's Surface. The Smart Keyboard connects magnetically to the iPad Pro's new Smart Connector. The original iPad Pro also featured Apple's A9X chip, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a Home button with Touch ID, and four speakers.
Apple TV HD: A typo by Apple?
According to the report, the Apple TV HD will also be classified as a vintage product at the end of June. But that's odd. After all, Apple is still selling the product with 32 GB of storage. The 64 GB version, on the other hand, was discontinued last year. Even if the Apple TV HD is discontinued at Apple's upcoming WWDC conference, it would still be far too early to classify the device as "vintage" according to Apple's current definition, as it was discontinued less than five years ago. The Apple TV HD was first released in October 2015 as the fourth-generation Apple TV and was renamed after the launch of the Apple TV 4K in September 2017. One possible explanation is that "Apple TV HD" is a typo, and Apple actually meant the "Rev A" edition of the third-generation Apple TV, which was discontinued in October 2016 but remained available for some time afterward.
iPhone 4S
In addition, the 32 GB models of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will also be classified as obsolete at the end of June, the memo states. Apple's memo states that the iPhone 4S will be classified as "obsolete" at the end of June. Products are classified as obsolete if Apple discontinued distribution of them more than seven years ago and they are no longer eligible for hardware service except in a few regions. Apple announced the iPhone 4S in October 2011 as the first device to feature Siri. The device had a similar design to the iPhone 4 and featured, among other features, a 3.5-inch display, an A5 chip, a 30-pin dock connector, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. (Photo by Denis Rozhnovsky / Bigstockphoto)
