Apple pulls last non-Retina iPad from stores

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Apple stops selling its last non-Retina iOS device.
Apple stops selling its last non-Retina iOS device.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The last iPad with a non-Retina display was sent to the grave today, almost three years after its debut.

Apple quietly pulled the iPad mini from its online store, leaving just the iPad mini 2 and 3 behind to go with the iPad Air 2. In doing this, Apple made a significant milestone stone: the Apple Store no longer sells non-Retina iOS devices.

The non-Retina iPad mini stuck around after the launch of the iPad mini 3 last year at a price point of just $249. Now that it’s gone, the cheapest iPad you can get is an iPad mini 2 for $299. It’s clear consumers saw that for an extra 50 bucks, the second-generation iPad mini has an enormously better display, faster CPU and better cameras.

“The non-Retina iPad mini model is no longer available,” an Apple spokesperson told Engadget. “Now all models of iPad mini and iPad Air have 64-bit Apple-designed CPUs and high-resolution Retina displays.”

While the iPad lineup has now gone full 64-bit, the iPhone line still has some catching up to do, as the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus are the company’s only 64-bit phones. A new lineup of iOS device is expected to be revealed later this fall alongside the long-rumored iPad Pro.

If you’re still in the market for a super cheap iPad, Apple is still selling refurbished first-gen models online starting at $209. I don’t suspect they’ll be available much longer though. If you can, do yourself a favor and splurge on the iPad mini 2 for less than $100 more.

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