Customers who need to replace their fourth generation iPad will now get a newer and more capable iPad Air 2 as a substitute from Apple Stores and authorised service providers, a media report said.

Apple is doing this because the company has no stock left of the aging and now discontinued fourth generation iPad, 9to5Mac website reported on Saturday.

Apple has also asked its staff to inform customers of the replacement unit's colour and capacity.

The iPad Air 2 introduced a new gold colour option, and has 32GB and 128GB storage options while 16GB and 64GB models were discontinued. 

For that reason, the users may receive a slight upgrade in storage when getting a replacement in addition to the device's newer and more powerful internals overall.