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Apple will replace your busted iPad 4 with the iPad Air 2
If you bring this aging tablet in for repairs, you’ll probably walk away with a much newer model.
If you bought Apple's first iPad with the now-ubiquitous Lightning connector (released way back in late 2012) and need to get it repaired, you might end up with a pleasant upgrade. According to a memo obtained by 9to5Mac, Apple has basically run out of that old iPad and is now replacing it with the iPad Air 2, which was released in October of 2014. Apple recently discontinued that device as well, but it was manufactured for a good two and a half years, so the company should have plenty of stock left to offer customers for a while.
Apple has told its employees to inform customers of the iPad Air 2's various colors (it was the first iPad available in gold) and capacity options. If you had a 16GB or 64GB iPad that you're getting replaced, you might end up with a storage bump, as well -- the iPad Air 2 that Apple is offering as replacements comes in 32GB and 128GB capacities.
If you happen to have one of these older iPads that needs a repair and still has Applecare, you may get a nice upgrade -- but if you're paying for that replacement, you might just be better off picking up one of the new iPads Apple released last month.
