Subj : Two more classic Apple products are heading for the graveyard
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Wed May 03 2023 12:00:03

Two more classic Apple products are heading for the graveyard

Date:
Wed, 03 May 2023 10:47:50 +0000

Description:
Apple is reportedly adding the Thunderbolt Display and original iPad Air to 
its official obsolete products list.

FULL STORY
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Sad news, Apple fans: the iPhone-making behemoth has reportedly sounded the 
death knell for two more of its classic products. 

According to an internal memo seen by MacRumors , Apple plans to add both the 
Thunderbolt Display and first-generation iPad Air to its obsolete products 
list on May 31, meaning neither device will be eligible for repairs at Apple 
stores or other official Apple service providers after that date. 

Both products were discontinued in 2016, but Apple typically supports the 
servicing of devices for up to seven years after it stops distributing them 
for sale (the last iPod, for instance, was officially condemned in 2022 but 
remains eligible for repairs). 

Lets start with an obituary for the Thunderbolt Display, which is  or should 
that be was ?  a 27-inch flat panel computer launched by Apple in 2011. 

Boasting a 1440p resolution, a 720p camera, three USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit 
Ethernet port, a FireWire 800 port and, of course, a Thunderbolt port, the 
display was priced at $999 / 899 / AU$1,199, and intended as the ultimate 
docking station for [a] Mac notebook (per Apples 2011 press release titled 
Apple Introduces Worlds First Thunderbolt Display). Apple's Thunderbolt 
Display was designed to be a MacBook companion (Image credit: Apple) 

In our review of the device, we described the Thunderbolt Display as an oddly 
tricky product to sum up. TechRadars Christopher Phin wrote at the time: The 
panel itself is typical Apple fare: very good if not stellar, and when judged 
in isolation, dizzyingly overpriced. If you have a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac, 
however, especially if it's a notebook, the sheer convenience of the display 
is beguiling. 

The Thunderbolt Display wasnt officially succeeded by another Thunderbolt 
product following its discontinuation in 2016, though last years Apple Studio 
Display  which retails for $1,599 / 1,499 / AU$2,499  is essentially the 
screens modern-day equivalent. 

The original iPad Air was released two years later than the Thunderbolt 
Display, in 2013, but was also discontinued in 2016. Just as the original 
MacBook Air provided a lightweight alternative to Apples chunkier MacBooks, 
this super-thin tablet championed the companys 'easier to live with' ideal by 
being 20% thinner, 28% lighter, and having 43% narrower display bezels than 
the iPad preceding it. (Image credit: Getty / Carl Court / Stringer) 

Boasting a 9.7-inch display, an A7 chip and a starting price of $399 / 319 / 
AU$499, the iPad Air  which former TechRadar chief Gareth Beavis described as 
the best tablet on the market in his 2016 review  proved immensely popular 
with Apple fans; so popular, in fact, that Apple released four more of them  
the iPad Air 2 , iPad Air 3 , iPad Air (2020) and iPad Air (2022) in 2014, 
2019, 2020 and 2022, respectively. A sixth iteration of the tablet, the iPad 
Air 6 , is rumored to be on the way soon, too. 

As the original iPad Air heads to the graveyard, then, Apple fans can take 
comfort in the knowledge that the companys first truly slender tablet got the 
ball rolling on a wildly successful product line. And hey, if youve still got 
one tucked away in a drawer somewhere, why not take it for one last spin? 
TechRadars Senior Audio Writer, Becky Scarott, insists that she wont be 
throwing her iPod Classic away any time soon 



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/two-more-classic-apple-products-are-heading-for
-the-graveyard


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