Apple Quietly Kills Original iPad mini

The original iPad—the iPad model you probably didn't realize Apple still made—unceremoniously vanished from Apple's online store early Friday morning. The original 7.9-inch iPad first went on sale in late 2012, and was the last of the non-Retina resolution devices in Apple's iOS product lineup.

Good bye, first generation iPad miniFarewell, first generation iPad mini

Considering the better processors and higher resolution displays Apple uses in its newer iPad mini models compared to the original, it isn't a big surprise the first generation iPad mini was sent out to pasture. It was also the last iPad model that wasn't 64-bit ready.

Apple still sells the iPad mini 2 starting at US$299, and the iPad mini 3 at $399. In comparison, the iPad mini was priced at $249 which didn't make it a compelling purchase considering for $50 more you could get a Retina display and 64-bit A7 processor.

For a little over $200 you can still get a refurbished first generation iPad mini through Apple's refurbished store.

If you currently own a first generation iPad mini don't feel like you need to throw it away. Even though Apple doesn't make the model any more, it's still compatible with iOS 8, and will support iOS 9 when it's available later this year.

[Thanks to our TMO readers for the heads up]