Apple has marked the fourth-generation iPad as “obsolete,” meaning it will no longer be possible to get the device repaired or serviced from any authorized Apple store or repair center.
Apple first released the fourth-generation iPad in November 2012. It featured a 9.7-inch Retina display, A6X chip, and additional memory. The fourth-gen iPad launched within six months of the third-gen iPad being announced by Apple, which was unveiled in March 2012.
Apple first marks a product as “vintage,” which happens five years after the company stops selling the product. These products are then marked as “obsolete” once it has been seven years since Apple stopped distributing the product.
The company does not provide any hardware service for obsolete products, so if you still use a fourth-gen iPad that requires repair, your best bet is to take it to a third-party repair shop. The only exception to this rule is MacBooks that are “eligible for an additional battery-only repair period.”
As MacRumors notes, Apple is yet to update its support page with the addition of the fourth-gen. iPad, but that should happen soon. The company has already circulated an internal memo informing its authorized repair shops and Apple stores about this change.
Apple tends to regularly mark its old products as obsolete and vintage.