If you own an iPad 3, you may finally have an excuse to upgrade to a newer model. Apple officially confirmed that the third-generation iPad is now a vintage and obsolete product, after MacRumors reported on an internal memo released to Apple Authorized Service Providers earlier this week. Both Wi-Fi and cellular versions made the list. They join the original iPad as the second iPad to hit the list.
While the terms vintage and obsolete are used pretty interchangeably, there is a slight difference. In Apple parlance, obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than 7 years ago and for which hardware service is no longer available under any circumstances. Vintage products, on the other hand, still have hardware and repair service in California and Turkey.
When it was introduced in 2012, Apple marketing materials hailed the iPad 3 as “revolutionary.” While revolutionary may be a stretch, it did feature a number of firsts for an iPad. The iPad 3 was the first to feature the Retina display, the first to have an iSight camera (the iPad 2 had a 0.7 megapixel rear-facing camera), and the first to have quad-core graphics processing. It was also the first to have LTE capability, although this was only available in certain parts of the U.S. and Canada.
Even with its impressive specs, the iPad 3 was the shortest-lived iOS device in history. Seven months after its introduction, the iPad 3 was discontinued and replaced by the iPad 4. This may be the reason the iPad 3 was placed on the vintage and obsolete list while its predecessor, the iPad 2, continues to to supported.
If you own an iPad 3 and live in California, you’re in luck. California is the only state in the U.S. where Apple retail stores and Apple service providers will still make repairs to your iPad. If you live outside of California, you’ll need to look for a service provider in California should you need a repair.
The iPad 3 should continue to have limited hardware support in California for at least the next two years. Apple typically waits seven years after a product has been off the market before rendering a product obsolete and ending all hardware service.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.
For years, Samsung’s Galaxy A phones have been some of the easiest recommendations for anyone who wants to go the Android route without paying flagship prices. But that part of the lineup could soon become harder to find at a good price.
According to South Korea’s Electronic Times, Samsung is cutting Galaxy A production by about 20% in the fourth quarter compared to its original plans. Component orders have reportedly dropped by a similar amount, which could mean roughly 10 million fewer phones over the year. Samsung is also said to be considering another production cut of more than 10% next year.