iPhone Apple's iPhone 4S and iOS 8 dilemma

[Zwhaler]

Some people are wondering why Apple even bothered to release iOS 7 for the iPhone 4 an iOS 8 on the 4S, given their lackluster performance. I'm sure that some users would complain about Apple dropping support for their only 2 and a half year old devices! So what is better, Apple endorsing an update on devices that clearly can't run it smoothly, or knowingly dropping support for these devices to prevent any performance hiccups from happening in the first place.

It seems they can't release iOS 8 on the 4S and then advice users not to upgrade to it; that doesn't make any sense. So it's a tough spot. A lot of people know by now that it is a bad idea to upgrade, but now many users are stuck and unhappy about it. I think Apple should continue to offer them the option to downgrade to the previous version, then people could go back without issue! Any thoughts?

 

[Paddle1]

Some people are wondering why Apple even bothered to release iOS 7 for the iPhone 4 an iOS 8 on the 4S, given their lackluster performance. I'm sure that some users would complain about Apple dropping support for their only 2 and a half year old devices! So what is better, Apple endorsing an update on devices that clearly can't run it smoothly, or knowingly dropping support for these devices to prevent any performance hiccups from happening in the first place.

It seems they can't release iOS 8 on the 4S and then advice users not to upgrade to it; that doesn't make any sense. So it's a tough spot. A lot of people know by now that it is a bad idea to upgrade, but now many users are stuck and unhappy about it. I think Apple should continue to offer them the option to downgrade to the previous version, then people could go back without issue! Any thoughts?

You can downgrade, you just have to use iTunes.

I'd rather have the up-to-date software than an old version that's about 2 seconds faster.

 

[Hal~9000]

I think Apple should continue to offer them the option to downgrade to the previous version, then people could go back without issue! Any thoughts?

I agree.

It's crap that Apple intentionally blocks you from downgrading to the OS your phone was built for, even when you have the OS file downloaded on your computer and ready to go

I mean, they now allow you to get 'downgraded apps' from the App Store the work with the previous OS even if the app says it now requires the latest OS, so why not let users simply downgrade their software for better performance?

I think it's simply to push more users with old devices to get sick of their now laggy performance on the new OS and cause them to give Apple another $650+ for a new device that performs better (aka planned obsolescence).

You can downgrade, you just have to use iTunes.

You definitely CANNOT downgrade to iOS 6 or 5, even if you use iTunes (which is what the OP is talking about).

 

[Paddle1]

I agree.

It's crap that Apple intentionally blocks you from downgrading to the OS your phone was built for, even when you have the OS file downloaded on your computer and ready to go

I mean, they now allow you to get 'downgraded apps' from the App Store the work with the previous OS even if the app says it now requires the latest OS, so why not let users simply downgrade their software for better performance?

I think it's simply to push more users with old devices to get sick of their now laggy performance on the new OS and cause them to give Apple another $650+ for a new device that performs better (aka planned obsolescence).



You definitely CANNOT downgrade to iOS 6 or 5, even if you use iTunes (which is what the OP is talking about).

iOS 6, 7, and 8 all run well on the iPhone 5. This isn't as much of an issue with newer iPhones. It's just an exaggeration.

 

[Hal~9000]

iOS 6, 7, and 8 all run well on the iPhone 5. This isn't as much of an issue with newer iPhones. It's just an exaggeration.

For one, the thread title specifies the 4s (not the 5).

Secondly, the thread is about how Apple should allow its iOS users with older hardware crippled by the newest iOS versions to downgrade to previous versions at any time if they want to.