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Apple Confirms Game Center Compatibility: Yes on 2nd-Generation iPod Touch, No on iPhone 3G
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Why upgrade when the phone works fine?
This is getting a little ridiculous. Apple forcing users to upgrade their hardware far too often.
How good is a device if it's well built and will last a few years but will NOT run newer software?
My contract is done with ATT. I'm still using iPhone 3G.
Might be going Droid X soon...
In all honesty no one is forcing you to upgrade. When the new Playstation comes out, they stop making games for the older Playstation. People either stick with what they got or go and buy a new one. However no one is forcing you. If your phone works fine then stick with it, if you find it's gotten old then get a new one or another brand. Stop acting like you are owed everything, you are using a phone from 2008 it's really not that shocking that they start to focus on the newer models, that's just the way the ball bounces.
The main point is that the two devices are at parity when it comes to capabilities. Neither supports multitasking, neither supports OpenGL ES 2.0, they both have the same screen resolution, both have bluetooth, support microphones, have the same amount of RAM, etc. In other words, the hardware capabilities are the same, and Game Center itself is well capable of running fine on both categories of devices.
So what it boils down to is individual application performance, in which case the developer is able to choose which devices to support himself. For the vast majority of applications a 25% performance difference is not significant. Why should Apple make that choice in lieu of the developer? My game works fine on all categories of devices, and I don't want Apple arbitrarily telling me that I shouldn't support the 3G.
Good for you.
However, the iPhone 3G was still selling in America last June, and in countries that still do not have the iPhone 4, Apple are still selling the 3G and 3GS. Apple still manufacture the 3G for these countries too.
I'm guessing this is why the iPhone 3G still has software support.
Yes, the 3G and original iPhone have old hardware, very old indeed. My old Dell Axim x50v that I bought in 2004 has a faster processor and GPU.
There is a huge difference in speed between the 3G and 1st and 2nd generation iPod Touch, main point being the CPU is clocked faster on the Touch.
I sold my 16GB iPhone 3G last May, got exactly $300 for it--enough to cover the cost of the 32GB iPhone 4. I still had 4mo of AppleCare left on it so that definitely helped the resale value. There's still a market for the 3G (ala eBay) if it's in super-mint condition.
Having said that, the difference between the 3G and the 4 in terms of speed is truly night-and-day. Overally, the one thing I use more than anything is the camera, and it's a lot better than on the 3G. I don't know why anyone bought the $99 3G in June but if you did, why not just get one of the new iPod Touches if you are hard-set on this one feature?
Incidentally, nothing is stopping you from selling your 8GB 3G, and putting those funds towards a new iPhone 4. Granted, you won't get the same upgrade cost but you're definitely going to get more than $99 for it on eBay--esp. in mint condition, even better if you have AppleCare on it. Otherwise, just sell the 3G, get a GoPhone for $30 at Target, and buy a new iPod Touch with the money you sold the 3G for.
Having said that, the difference between the 3G and the 4 in terms of speed is truly night-and-day. Overally, the one thing I use more than anything is the camera, and it's a lot better than on the 3G. I don't know why anyone bought the $99 3G in June but if you did, why not just get one of the new iPod Touches if you are hard-set on this one feature?
Incidentally, nothing is stopping you from selling your 8GB 3G, and putting those funds towards a new iPhone 4. Granted, you won't get the same upgrade cost but you're definitely going to get more than $99 for it on eBay--esp. in mint condition, even better if you have AppleCare on it. Otherwise, just sell the 3G, get a GoPhone for $30 at Target, and buy a new iPod Touch with the money you sold the 3G for.
PS: My guess why the iPhone 3G was omitted is because of the processor--it's only humming at 412Mhz, presumably to retain battery life; the Touch 2G runs at 533Mhz.
A 121Mhz difference would certainly mean better performance but a battery life penalty.
Source: EveryMac.com
A 121Mhz difference would certainly mean better performance but a battery life penalty.
Source: EveryMac.com
Apple to Major Tom on Game Center and iOS V4: BUY ANOTHER iOS DEVICE ALREADY!!!!!!!!
2 years old is the new 6 years old. Expect 10.7 to drop support for early Intel based Macs entirely...maybe only support machines from 2009 and newer?
2 years old is the new 6 years old. Expect 10.7 to drop support for early Intel based Macs entirely...maybe only support machines from 2009 and newer?
Well, you know what, coming from an iPhone 3G and now having an iPhone 4, the speed is definitely worth the cost of the upgrade. It is remarkabley faster to load webpages for example (the 3G is so slow it is slower than the 3G connection it supports. You aren't getting as fast a connection as you could cause your phone is slower than the 3G connection!). Of course if you can't afford a new phone, I don't suggest you play with any new phone including the iPhone 4. Cause your phone is going to start to feel really sluggish afterwards (I wasn't so annoyed by the slow speed and my 3G was enough but now I'd be annoyed with it).
Now I find it's not so tempting to just bring out a computer (if it's nearby) to surf the web (long as I don't want to make a reply, can't beat a physical keyboard) cause the iphone seems decently fast to load pages. My old iphone was great for having a portable internet browser, but it still was pretty slow to browse the web.
Agreed, I don't have issues with people who want to stay with their 3G. If it's enough, it's enough (though I'm telling you the speed is worth it if you can afford it).
But, it does annoy me when people bitch that newer software doesn't support their old machine. Sorry, that is technology for you. If you don't want to keep up with technology, you are going to find eventually you're not going to find much made for your old technology. If it does what you want even without supporting new software/whatnot, great. But if it's not supported and you want the new stuff, get over it and upgrade. New technology will never advance and get to do new stuff if it keeps having to be tied down to old technology.
Why upgrade when the phone works fine?
This is getting a little ridiculous. Apple forcing users to upgrade their hardware far too often.
How good is a device if it's well built and will last a few years but will NOT run newer software?
My contract is done with ATT. I'm still using iPhone 3G.
Might be going Droid X soon...
And this is exactly the attitude I'm talking about. How are they forcing you to upgrade. You claim your 3g is enough for you, and then you gripe that it won't do the newest thing? If it works fine for you, what do you care if it doesn't support newer stuff. Obviously you don't need it if your 3G does what you want. If you want it to do the newer stuff, then you are eventually going to have to upgrade. Technology eventually does move on and your old stuff just isn't going to be supported. Or should every DVD player also support VHS so people who didn't want to upgrade from videocassettes didn't have to upgrade? Should Mac OSX now still support the original Mac OS applications?
Uh, you do realize at one point it was not slow. It's called technology progresses and what was decent at one time becomes slow by comparison.
Or even, what was decently fast on the current software at the time is no longer fast under new programs and OS's that require more power to do more stuff.
It sounds like a lot of you don't even know what the Gamecenter app is. It's an app that displays text. Text such as the name of your friends, leaderboards and the games you own. It's not an app that models supersymmetric particle physics. The iPhone 3G can run it. If there was any other technical reason I'd understand but there is none. Openfeint, Plus+, Crystal etc can run in games but Apple can't get Gamecenter to do the same? Don't be so naive. They're not supporting it because they want you to buy a new phone. I look forward to jailbreakers getting it to run on all iPhones.
Game Center has the opportunity to become bigger and better than PSN and Xbox Live. I would imagine it be easy to use, for all ages! If this can be expanded to an Apple TV type machine, Apple will become the biggest seller of video games on any platform. Hope so!
Yes. It can become bigger. However better is a relative term. Look up: Frag
Yes my man. People don't seem to get that tactile feel is what it is all about on PSN and xBox Live.
Totally agree.
Why upgrade when the phone works fine?
This is getting a little ridiculous. Apple forcing users to upgrade their hardware far too often.
How good is a device if it's well built and will last a few years but will NOT run newer software?
My contract is done with ATT. I'm still using iPhone 3G.
Might be going Droid X soon...
Don't upgrade. No one is forcing you. If you absolutely must have Game Center, Multitasking, etc. then this should be a no brainer. Please show pics of the gun being held to your head.
Just fine, went from jailbroke 3G to 4, skipped the minor insignificant 3Gs update and ain't looking back.
Get over yourself, my hardware isn't even 2 years in my hands and it was the latest and greatest at the time of purchase. I get why they don't want me multitasking, but there's no reason for gamecenter to not work. It's social gaming, it doesn't have to belong in every game (and likely won't) and the bulk of the api should be unobtrusive.
While it seems the 1st gen iTouch and iPhone 3G are dated, but in reality they were still the brand new stuff on the market just 2 years ago.
I got my 1st gen iTouch for free when I purchased my MBP in summer 2008. We are now only in 2010 and Apple already treat the thing like something from the ancient time. It doesn't run the latest firmware, it doesn't do Gamecenter, it can't have folders...
Yes I got my iTouch at the end of its cycle, but still, they really should support their older product for more than 3 years. Imagine the now powerful iPhone 4 and the new iTouch can't run the latest OS in 2012-3.
I got my 1st gen iTouch for free when I purchased my MBP in summer 2008. We are now only in 2010 and Apple already treat the thing like something from the ancient time. It doesn't run the latest firmware, it doesn't do Gamecenter, it can't have folders...
Yes I got my iTouch at the end of its cycle, but still, they really should support their older product for more than 3 years. Imagine the now powerful iPhone 4 and the new iTouch can't run the latest OS in 2012-3.
No they should not. These are quick turnover items. If your device is still working after two years, then you got your monies worth. If you want the latest features, then be prepared to upgrade. Technology does not stand still. People equate Apple with Social Security. No one said you can take your device into old age.
Your analogy is wrong.
The differences between Sony Playstation (or Nintendo and Microsoft) is that they only release new hardware every 5-6 years (sometimes they do hardware redesign but they keep the same specs). The Playstation 3 that came out in 2006 can still run the same firmware and play the same games as the Playstation 3 Slim now.
In comparsion, Apple release a hardware with spec update every year. They drop support of their older model much more rapidly than the other companies. Your iPhone 4 may not run or fully run the new firmware in 2012.
The more correct way to compare this is to imagine Sony release a brand new Playstation every year. Playstation 1 in 2007, Playstation 2 in 2008, Playstation 3 in 2009, Playstation 4 in 2010 etc. (Truth - The PS1 came out in 1995, PS2 - 2000, PS3 - 2006) If we use this analogy, I don't think the public would take this positively if you ask them to buy a new Playstation every 2 years.
