iPad mini not updating

The first gen Mini doesn't have the necessary hardware to support a higher iOS version - if you could update to a higher version you'd probably be wanting to downgrade back to a lower version due to poor performance.

Planned obsolescence is a myth that keeps being perpetuated by disgruntled technology users that think portable electronic computing devices should last more than 5-7 years, even though consumer elrctronics technology becomes obsolete faster than most other consumer product industries.

Computers are NOT cars!

See these articles.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/technology/personaltech/new-iphones-slow-tech -myth.html

https://www.futuremark.com/pressreleases/is-it-true-that-iphones-get-slower-over -time

The iPad 2, 3 and 1st generation iPad Mini are all ineligible and excluded from upgrading to iOS 10 OR iOS 11.

They all share similar hardware architectures and a less powerful 1.0 Ghz CPU that Apple has deemed insufficiently powerful enough to even run the basic, barebones features of iOS 10.

Why would you want to upgrade, anyways?

Since iOS 8, older iPad models such as the iPad 2, 3, 4 and the original iPad Mini have only been getting the most basic of iOS features.

Older iPad users get none of the newest and coolest cutting edge features that newer model iDevices, with better hardware specs, can handle with more aplomb.

FYI,

Just because your 1st gen iPad Mini is no longer able to upgrade to the latest iOS doesn't mean your 1st gen iPad Mini is suddenly useless.

So, your options are really keep using your 1st gen iPad Mini or purchase a new iPad if you feel you need or want to.

Your current 1st gen iPad Mini will still work and continue to receive app updates until sometime in the near future, when, with the recent introduction of iOS 11, ALL support for older 32 bit iDevices and any iOS 32 bit apps will come to a final end.

Your 1st gen iPad Mini will still work and function as it always has, but will no longer receive any more app updates sometime in the foreseeable future.

The 1st gen iPad Mini has had 4-5 years of iOS upgrades/updates

The final app updates your 1st gen iPad Mini will receive will be its last!

Currently, your 1st gen iPad Mini is STILL continuing to receive app updates under iOS 9.3.5, but look for this trend to end at some near future point in time.

This is why Apple introduced the new, lower cost 2017 iPad 5 model, in April

Apple is trying to get older iPad 2, 3, 4 and 1st gen Mini iPad users to upgrade to more modern iPad hardware in anticipation of the recent release of iOS 11, which will render all older 32 bit iDevices obsolete.

Good Luck to You!

1. Planned obsolescence does happen with Apple products, however not in the way Microsoft handles the situation. If I could link to AppleLink articles from the late 1990's during the shift from IBM PowerPC to Intel chipsets, I would. Obsolescence is due to battery degradation, and the simple fact that at a certain point, you can not make faster demands on a processor without doing permanent damage. This is what all the iPhone 6/7 hubbub is over. We're the mini to receive iOS 10, Apple's new security features alone would slow the iPad mini down to a crawl.

2. While iOS 9.3.5 is the final update for the iPad mini, the device will not all of a sudden stop working. The App Store retains older versions of apps to service those of us with older machine, though one may notice a popup saying that one cannot use the latest version, and offering a compatible version for installation.

A first gen iPad Mini only supports up to iOS 9.3.5, you can't update it anything higher

so basically you are saying planned obsolescence? I thought only Microsoft did that.

Currently, many app developers ARE STILL supporting and updating their apps for iDevices still running iOS 9.3.5.

My iPad 2 and 3 models get app updates almost daily.