Apple Faces User Backlash After Dropping Support for iPhone 7 From iOS 16

[AlexMac89]

In 2017 Apple released iPhone 8 and iPhone X (10) at the same time. Even within the iPhone line-up it's confusing.

And what about the iPhone XR that is a lower-end version of the iPhone XS, both released the same year.

It's not that simple to understand.

A couple one off models over a decade and a half of apples USA iPhone sales do not prove some point that the average consumer is unable to flag and identify differences in products they are considering purchasing.

And even then, in comparison to the products they were being sold alongside, their place in the product line was clear even if the pricing at the time of purchase wasn’t enough of an indicator.

🙄🙄🙄

 

[turbineseaplane]

regular customers that you’re taking about don’t care about this, my non-tech don’t even know which ios version they’re using and i think that’s the majority of the regular consumers, only we care

You're absolutely right

All a regular customer who went in and bought a new iP7 in 2019 at an Apple Store knows is that they are now getting told to buy a new iPhone or live on "older software"...and then wonder why Apps start dropping update support, or some emojis don't work or look right, etc, etc

All of a sudden the less expensive but brand new phone a few years ago doesn't look so good anymore.

It's a total crap move from Apple

 

[ediks]

You're absolutely right

All a regular customer who went in and bought a new iP7 in 2019 at an Apple Store knows is that they are now getting told to buy a new iPhone or live on "older software"...and then wonder why Apps start dropping update support, or some emojis don't work or look right, etc, etc

It's a total crap move from Apple

i don’t think that apps will drop support for iOS 15 that fast, even my old 5S with iOS 12 can use 95% of the most popular and used apps

 

[turbineseaplane]

i don’t think that apps will drop support for iOS 15 that fast, even my old 5S with iOS 12 can use 95% of the most popular and used apps

Hard to know - depends what apps, which devs, big shop/small shop, banks..

Point being -- once you're off the latest/current iOS, you're fair game for the problems to start.

A buyer who bought a brand new iP7 from Apple in 2019 is getting screwed here on that front.

 

[nicolas_s]

A couple one off models over a decade and a half of apples USA iPhone sales do not prove some point that the average consumer is unable to flag and identify differences in products they are considering purchasing.

And even then, in comparison to the products they were being sold alongside, their place in the product line was clear even if the pricing at the time of purchase wasn’t enough of an indicator.

🙄🙄🙄

I remember when the XR/XS were released, a lot of people were confused because they couldn't understand if there was one newer than the other, and which one was the best.

And the fact that the XR was bigger (in size) than the XS despite being lower end was even more confusing.

So it's not always clear.

 

[turbineseaplane]

But the Apple numbering scheme is pretty simple and has been fairly consistent over the years, barring the one major time they switched the convention. Bigger numbers are always newer and better.

Numbering scheme and when something is originally released are not something a normal customer should have to worry about when they go buy a brand new iPhone at an Apple Store

The length of support needs to be the same no matter what model you buy when it's brand new from Apple directly.

 

[AlexMac89]

I remember when the XR/XS were released, a lot of people were confused because they couldn't understand if there was one newer than the other, and which one was the best.

And the fact that the XR was bigger (in size) than the XS despite being lower end was even more confusing.

So it's not always clear.

You are obsessed with having the (admittedly) horribly named XR be some indicator for iPhones as a whole, rather than the outlier it is.

You are correct. It’s not ALWAYS (re: 100%) clear. But apples iPhone naming as a rule and in practice does not support the narrative you are attempting to paint.

Edit: To make matters worse, this isn’t even the iPhone in question. iPhone 11 buyers purchased a product that met traditional naming conventions that continued after it. Arguing about the XR naming is not relevant to the topic at hand anyway. So I’m done with that one.

 

[I7guy]

You're absolutely right

All a regular customer who went in and bought a new iP7 in 2019 at an Apple Store knows is that they are now getting told to buy a new iPhone or live on "older software"...and then wonder why Apps start dropping update support, or some emojis don't work or look right, etc, etc

All of a sudden the less expensive but brand new phone a few years ago doesn't look so good anymore.

It's a total crap move from Apple

What’s a crap move? Supporting apps on an iOS version for 5 years?

 

[Zaft]

for iPad OS the iPad 5th gen with A9 still supported though.

 

[turbineseaplane]

for iPad OS the iPad 5th gen with A9 still supported though.

Yeah. It's what makes the arbitrary nature of the cut off so glaring

 

[nicolas_s]

You are obsessed with having the (admittedly) horribly named XR be some indicator for iPhones as a whole, rather than the outlier it is.

You are correct. It’s not ALWAYS (re: 100%) clear. But apples iPhone naming as a rule and in practice does not support the narrative you are attempting to paint.

It's not just one exception.

In 2017 it's iPhone 8 and iPhone 10
In 2018 it's iPhone XR and iPhone XS
In 2019 it's iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

I don't see how this is consistent, in 3 years you have 3 totally different naming schemes, so I won't blame people for not understanding.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

We don't buy a phone only for the features we get at the moment we buy it, we also choose that phone for how long it can stay up to date, some of you call that "future proofing".

We've been promised many years of updates, but in the end if you bought it brand new in 2019, you only have 3 years of updates, which is way less than we except from Apple.

Listen to yourself. Only 3 years of updates. That’s plenty for a budget device, which is exactly what it was if you bought an iPhone 7 in 2019.

If you want 5+ years of updates, buy the new model. You’re not entitled to an iPhone 7 getting 7+ years of updates just because you bought it when it was old.

 

[webkit]

I think I see where you’re coming from. I do have to say, though, if you’re buying on the second hand market, you have to know, to some extent, that the device you’re buying is going to have a shorter support life. I knew that when I bought my iPhone 5s and iPhone 6s in the resell market. I had a bit of a guess as to how long the phones would be supported for (though, in the case of the 6s, Apple supported it for far longer than I would have expected them to, at least a year or two, so I would have been thrown by that). And you could probably argue that Apple owes less to the second hand market than they do to the first sell market, especially when you consider that Apple today puts out phones at most price points that have the latest processor hardware and should retain support for as long as the flagship phone does. Is there an ewaste argument for buying second hand? Of course. But is there a price argument? There probably is, but it’s considerably weaker than it used to be.

Shorter OS support for older phones is understandable but consumers shouldn't have to guess how long that support is expected/guaranteed to be at time of purchase, whether they're buying new on day one, new a year later, pre-owned four years later, or whenever. If Apple ends up providing longer OS support than guaranteed, great but it would be nice to at least know a minimum. If something was put in writing (e.g., iPhone 7 iOS updates guaranteed through at least August 2022), there would be less chance of confusion or backlash from original or resale owners.

 

[AlexMac89]

It's not just one exception.

In 2017 it's iPhone 8 and iPhone 10
In 2018 it's iPhone XR and iPhone XS
In 2019 it's iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

I don't see how this is consistent, in 3 years you have 3 totally different naming schemes, so I won't blame people for not understanding.

1. I think people figured out pretty easily just from looking at the products that the iPhone X was the future direction of the iPhone, and was the premium (and more expensive) option.

2. I already told you I agreed the XR was horribly named. And yet that is a singular product. As for the XS, S was the regular “tock” cycle update through the XS (with a few exceptions like no 7S). If anything, removing the S and just moving up the numbers yearly has made the numbering scheme MORE clear, and i don’t see the vast number of consumers not being able to understand it.

3. 11 and 11 pro is confusing to people? Do people not understand the 12 mini max pro? Or 13 combinations? I don’t understand how a premium modifier like “pro” or “max” makes a sequential numbering scheme confusing. To further reduce this confusion, consumers ONLY face this multi tiered modifier “problem” on the current line. No evidence exists to suggest support lines in any numbered generation will be drawn vs modified numbers of the same generation.

People aren’t stupid. And apples naming scheme isn’t exactly rocket science.

 

[I7guy]

Numbering scheme and when something is originally released are not something a normal customer should have to worry about when they go buy a brand new iPhone at an Apple Store

Baloney. Customers who make purchases are foolish if they dont do upfront research.

The length of support needs to be the same no matter what model you buy when it's brand new from Apple directly.

Yes, the developer has to agree also.

 

[Abazigal]

Isnt this the same kind of tired argument you always use to dismiss any complaint about apple from anywhere?

As I recall, back in the day, you used the same logic to dismiss the complaints about the butterfly keyboard.

It’s the same old tired trick I have seen play out in places like TheVerge. For one, there likely aren’t that many people still using the iPhone 6s or 7, yet the article tries to make it sound like a significant portion of Apple’s user base is revolting.

These devices have been supported for way longer than they have any right to be, and still people want to complain.

Now we have people grasping at straws and arguing that the iPhone naming scheme is too complex. All to avoid admitting that they are simply making a mountain out of a molehill.

It’s just much ado over nothing.

 

[turbineseaplane]

It was still such a missed opportunity to not have an iPhone SE X

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Whoever bought an iPhone 7 in 2019 bought a newly made three year old phone.

…y tho

 

[turbineseaplane]

…y tho

Price?
Preferred the aesthetics or the home button?

Lots of reasons and lots of different ones from different people
It's a big world out there

 

[Student of Life]

In 2017 Apple released iPhone 8 and iPhone X (10) at the same time. Even within the iPhone line-up it's confusing.

And what about the iPhone XR that is a lower-end version of the iPhone XS, both released the same year.

It's not that simple to understand.

Are you really trying to make that argument?

In 2017 the iPhone 8 looked like a typical phone, the iPhone X looked like something way more advanced. One cant in good faith argue which was ne

It's not just one exception.

In 2017 it's iPhone 8 and iPhone 10
In 2018 it's iPhone XR and iPhone XS
In 2019 it's iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

I don't see how this is consistent, in 3 years you have 3 totally different naming schemes, so I won't blame people for not understanding.

You are basically arguing people are ignorant consumers. Ignorance is not a defense. If you are going to be buying an expensive product, it is your duty to do the research or at least have the mental fortitude to ask the store sales person, ideally in an Apple Store since you are buying an Apple product. Your whole argument is ignorance, to which Caveat emptor.

 

[ArkSingularity]

Are you really trying to make that argument?

In 2017 the iPhone 8 looked like a typical phone, the iPhone X looked like something way more advanced. One cant in good faith argue which was ne

You are basically arguing people are ignorant consumers. Ignorance is not a defense. If you are going to be buying an expensive product, it is your duty to do the research or at least have the mental fortitude to ask the store sales person, ideally in an Apple Store since you are buying an Apple product. Your whole argument is ignorance, to which Caveat emptor.

Ehh, I actually agree that Apple has made it a bit confusing for consumers in some aspects. This is less of an issue on the iPhone, where people replace their phones more often. But look at the Mac lineup today. They are still selling the M1 air 2 years after its release, and it's likely to lose support in 2025 for new OS upgrades. That's only 3 years of software updates for folks buying them new today.

On the iPhone, 3 years is generally plenty (most people replace their phones every 2-3 years anyway, and those who don't aren't really going to have a problem with missing a couple of features on an older OS). What bothers me is that Apple does the same thing on the Mac, where is makes less sense.

 

[AlexMac89]

Now we have people grasping at straws and arguing that the iPhone naming scheme is too complex. All to avoid admitting that they are simply making a mountain out of a molehill.

It’s just much ado over nothing.

What’s funniest about this is that the iPhone is one of the brands most easily individually identifiable products.

I own a vast array of apple products from most major lines.

iPhone 4S identifies a specific product in my mind. iPhone 6S plus. iPhone X. iPhone 3GS. Take your pick.

The “late (insert year)” “early (insert year)” of macs (that you really only see referenced in about this mac) and mixed naming schemes of the various iPad lines (basic iPad, mini, air by sequential number, iPad Pro by year or processor) tell me far less about the product than the iPhone naming scheme. If anything, it’s the line the least in need of explanation.

Fortunately, the Mac and iPad issues should go away as we start using M# references for macs and iPads (while keeping late and early designators right where they are if you really want to find it).

 

[kc9hzn]

It was still such a missed opportunity to not have an iPhone SE X

There’s a story about the Macintosh SE and the SE/30. Had Apple followed the conventions of the Macintosh II series, the SE/30 would have been the SEx. I’ve heard someone suggest that if Apple were a European company, they probably would have ran with it.

 

[turbineseaplane]

There’s a story about the Macintosh SE and the SE/30. Had Apple followed the conventions of the Macintosh II series, the SE/30 would have been the SEx. I’ve heard someone suggest that if Apple were a European company, they probably would have ran with it.

I love that -- good stuff.
Thanks for sharing that nugget

 

[TheBWolf]

Yeah, it's a drag about the 7. But the most striking thing is how spoiled iPhone users are. It's like we have no idea what life is like in the Android world.