To say that the follow-up update maintenance of released devices, Apple can be said to have done the forefront of the industry. Apple has a relatively clear definition of old products that have been released for a long time, according to the official statement, products that have stopped selling for more than 5 years but less than 7 years are considered "vintage products", and those products that have been suspended for more than 7 years, Apple classifies them as "obsolete products", that is, models that have been completely eliminated.
On February 16, Apple updated the list of obsolete products to officially include the 4th generation iPad. In fact, last November, the device was already marked as obsolete by the company, but it was only officially announced today. In addition to the 4th-generation iPad, Apple also labeled two Mac mini devices released in mid-2010 and late 2012 as obsolete products.
The 4th generation of the iPad was released in November 2012, and it was also the first iPad to feature a Lightning interface. The 4th generation iPad can be twice as fast as the previous generation, and the graphics performance is also three times better than the previous generation.
In addition, the iPhone 6 Plus is also included in the list of antique products. The machine was released with the iPhone 6 in September 2014 and discontinued in September 2016 after the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It's worth mentioning that the iPhone 6 isn't currently on the vintage products list because it's a bit longer to sell. The iPhone 6 series is also the first device to support Apple Pay, and the multi-size specification of the series has also begun. Its slogan "Bigger than Bigger" has also been ridiculed by users for its funny translation (more pressing than forced).
In 2019, iOS 13 stopped supporting the iPhone 6 series, but in fact, until now, the iPhone 6 series still has a certain stock of users. Apple's continuous update and maintenance of old products is an important factor for users to choose Apple. According to the regulations, Apple will provide service and parts for antique goods for up to 7 years, but repairs will depend on the availability of parts.