Another iPad model is heading to obsolete island

[iMore.com]

Apple has announced that all models of the iPad mini 3 will be considered obsolete in the next few weeks. Full story from the iMore Blog...

 

[Up_And_Away]

For the Apple tech nerds out there, Apple has its vintage list and obsolete list. Here’s my best recollection of what these two mean.
Vintage — end of regular OS updates, Apple certified repair is not guaranteed, likely to see security patches and even an update. Generally the start of vintage means it’ll be obsolete in 2 years.
Obsolete — no Apple repairs, no security patches, support by Apple is officially over. Both the obsolete and vintage clock start from release date not the date you purchase it.

IPad mini 3 was released in 2015. It received 8 years of “software support”. It’s important to know the difference between OS support and software support. Android makers champion the phrase “software support”. Samsung guarantees 4 years! that’s 4 years of “software support” (security patches not OS updates). Using the Android standard, Apple is 3 to 4 years longer of support. That’s a critical item to remember when tech blogs shout “it’s 100$ cheaper than the iPhone”.