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Do the S models get slow?
- Thread starter Hieveryone
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No fee. It's the cost of iPhone plus apple care plus divided by 24. No interest. If you keep an iPhone two years, there's no reason not to use it.
The phones speed doesn't change over its lifespan.
However, newer, more demanding software won't run as well as older, less demanding software.
The hardware does not get faster or slower.
However, newer, more demanding software won't run as well as older, less demanding software.
The hardware does not get faster or slower.
Cheaper than having to pay for a new iPhone every year. Remember, the iPhone upgrade program includes Applecare+.
Seriously, if Apple rolled our this program around the world, I would jump on it immediately. There's no reason not to.
The 64GB 6S is only $37.45 a month. That's only $~450 in a year, and then you get to buy the next new iPhone. No worries about iOS making your old phone slow.
Paying out of pocket, it would've cost you $750 right off the gate, and that's not including Applecare+.
For those that are worried about performance, planned obsolescence, and not having the latest iPhone, the upgrade program is the obvious solution. Too bad it's US only.
Theres a bit of truth to several peoples' arguments here. IMO, if I step back and take a look at the bigger picture retrospectively, what I see is previous generations of hardware e.g. in iPhone 3/3GS/4 were not too great with keeping up with the new software, and would last maybe one iteration of iOS past the one they launched with or were designed for. But from the 5S, it seems to be keeping up better with a couple of iOS iterations past its prime software. Then again, you have anomalies such as the 6+, which as lordofthereef correctly stated, was a complete turd - its frame drops and sluggish multitasking was just awful even on the iOS version it was supposedly designed for. Hardware has started to improve exponentially relative to software demands, whereas the opposite was true in earlier generations of the iPhone.
So theres a whole bunch of possibilities here, but one thing for certain is Apple has lost its own consistency and predictability of product performance in this particular regard.
So theres a whole bunch of possibilities here, but one thing for certain is Apple has lost its own consistency and predictability of product performance in this particular regard.
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OP,
I would expect the 6s to run fine on iOS 10, especially if Apple continues to refine the operating system for their 64 bit CPUs. They appear to have been having a difficult time with optimizing for Metal, but it will get there eventually. Those kinds of optimizations are not easy to do, and I imagine they do a little bit more with each iteration of iOS.
Also, if history is anything to go by, most "non-S" models are not significant tech jumps from the prior chipset...which makes sense as Apple focuses more on the design and functional aspects related to the design than they do the chips; the internals are focused on being upgraded with the "S" model and then those chip enhancements tend to be further refined in the next "non-S" model.
The sole exception here was the iPhone 5, with the A6 being a very nice boost over the A5, though a lot of those gains came from Apple having control in using their own ARM designs rather than licensing previously designed ARM chips, as was the case with prior models. That allowed them to tailor the hardware a lot more to their software, and they took advantage of that with the A6. (And, the A5 was a very large jump over the A4 to begin with; that 7x GPU jump was huge for mobile gaming at the time.)
But in every other case the non-S phones were not large leaps over the previous generation S phone when it comes to *internal* specs; For example the 4 vs 3GS, or 6 vs 5s; both numbered phones were small jumps with respect to the chipset and as a result the prior phones ran subsequent iOS versions similarly with similar/fully featured, as long as the hardware allowed it. These numbered "non-S" generations mainly bring features that come with a redesign; the larger screen or the retina display. Some people salivate over the case changing; others over what is inside the case powering the screen. (and then some, like myself, enjoy every generation and don't care much for the S vs non-S debate...a generation is a generation!)
Look at the older S models to see how many more iOS versions they were/are supported for than the numbered models they share namesake with: iPhone 3GS was supported an extra 2 iOS versions vs the 3G, and the iPhone 4s has also been supported for an extra 2 iOS versions over the 4 (with iOS 7 running fairly smooth on the 4s, but really slowing the 4 down) - for people who only buy their phone and tough it out until the end of it being featured or updated, there is arguably more value in purchasing the "S" model. Considering how similarly powered and designed the 5s and 6 are, I expect them to be supported just as long as each other (the chips are so similar in power and architecture that they *should* be). But if you're going to upgrade anyways, say within 2 years, it doesn't really matter which iPhone generation you jump in on.
I wouldn't expect the iPhone 7 to be much more powerful than the iPhone 6s, so the 6s should be more than adequate for iOS 10, which will be the star operating system on the 7. The 6s also introduced 3D touch which I also expect to be improved on in both iOS 10 and on the iPhone 7 so the 6s should be supported fine.
Additionally, these phones in general are becoming more and more powerful every year...to the point where its incredible how much has evolved in such a short time in the mobile space. Just consider how much of a leap the A9 is over the A6, in only 3 years...heck how much of a large leap the A9 is over the original iPhone's ARM chip.
And with more power, comes the ability to support more demanding iOS versions in the future. These modern chips are powerful, and that will only continue to increase, but I expect the gains will be less and less apparent in terms of real world use as we move forward, mostly due to hardware reaching certain thresholds and the power consumption bottleneck realities involved with mobile development; even the vast processing difference between the A5 and the A9 only results in a second or two extra when it comes to opening an app such as Messages or Calendar....
That said, its not like hardware will remain stagnant - it will always get improved on, but I would bet that it's very likely the A10 will resemble a similar gain as we saw from A7 to A8 (as in, mostly the same chip but refined - and the A7 is still a powerful mobile chip, even if it isn't the most powerful anymore).
Keep in mind though every year is a new generation of iPhone...whether S or not, despite what some people claim, each year will bring some improvement somewhere....There is an advantage to going with the year old model; an advantage to going with the latest model; and an advantage to waiting for the next model. You can't go wrong with jumping in at any cycle, and many users who are tech savvy upgrade to a different model eventually. The iPhone 6s, given how high it is benchmarking now, I would expect it to be supported for quite some time.
Hopefully once Apple irons out all the kinks with their Metal API, future iOS updates should be smoother experiences.
I would expect the 6s to run fine on iOS 10, especially if Apple continues to refine the operating system for their 64 bit CPUs. They appear to have been having a difficult time with optimizing for Metal, but it will get there eventually. Those kinds of optimizations are not easy to do, and I imagine they do a little bit more with each iteration of iOS.
Also, if history is anything to go by, most "non-S" models are not significant tech jumps from the prior chipset...which makes sense as Apple focuses more on the design and functional aspects related to the design than they do the chips; the internals are focused on being upgraded with the "S" model and then those chip enhancements tend to be further refined in the next "non-S" model.
The sole exception here was the iPhone 5, with the A6 being a very nice boost over the A5, though a lot of those gains came from Apple having control in using their own ARM designs rather than licensing previously designed ARM chips, as was the case with prior models. That allowed them to tailor the hardware a lot more to their software, and they took advantage of that with the A6. (And, the A5 was a very large jump over the A4 to begin with; that 7x GPU jump was huge for mobile gaming at the time.)
But in every other case the non-S phones were not large leaps over the previous generation S phone when it comes to *internal* specs; For example the 4 vs 3GS, or 6 vs 5s; both numbered phones were small jumps with respect to the chipset and as a result the prior phones ran subsequent iOS versions similarly with similar/fully featured, as long as the hardware allowed it. These numbered "non-S" generations mainly bring features that come with a redesign; the larger screen or the retina display. Some people salivate over the case changing; others over what is inside the case powering the screen. (and then some, like myself, enjoy every generation and don't care much for the S vs non-S debate...a generation is a generation!)
Look at the older S models to see how many more iOS versions they were/are supported for than the numbered models they share namesake with: iPhone 3GS was supported an extra 2 iOS versions vs the 3G, and the iPhone 4s has also been supported for an extra 2 iOS versions over the 4 (with iOS 7 running fairly smooth on the 4s, but really slowing the 4 down) - for people who only buy their phone and tough it out until the end of it being featured or updated, there is arguably more value in purchasing the "S" model. Considering how similarly powered and designed the 5s and 6 are, I expect them to be supported just as long as each other (the chips are so similar in power and architecture that they *should* be). But if you're going to upgrade anyways, say within 2 years, it doesn't really matter which iPhone generation you jump in on.
I wouldn't expect the iPhone 7 to be much more powerful than the iPhone 6s, so the 6s should be more than adequate for iOS 10, which will be the star operating system on the 7. The 6s also introduced 3D touch which I also expect to be improved on in both iOS 10 and on the iPhone 7 so the 6s should be supported fine.
Additionally, these phones in general are becoming more and more powerful every year...to the point where its incredible how much has evolved in such a short time in the mobile space. Just consider how much of a leap the A9 is over the A6, in only 3 years...heck how much of a large leap the A9 is over the original iPhone's ARM chip.
And with more power, comes the ability to support more demanding iOS versions in the future. These modern chips are powerful, and that will only continue to increase, but I expect the gains will be less and less apparent in terms of real world use as we move forward, mostly due to hardware reaching certain thresholds and the power consumption bottleneck realities involved with mobile development; even the vast processing difference between the A5 and the A9 only results in a second or two extra when it comes to opening an app such as Messages or Calendar....
That said, its not like hardware will remain stagnant - it will always get improved on, but I would bet that it's very likely the A10 will resemble a similar gain as we saw from A7 to A8 (as in, mostly the same chip but refined - and the A7 is still a powerful mobile chip, even if it isn't the most powerful anymore).
Keep in mind though every year is a new generation of iPhone...whether S or not, despite what some people claim, each year will bring some improvement somewhere....There is an advantage to going with the year old model; an advantage to going with the latest model; and an advantage to waiting for the next model. You can't go wrong with jumping in at any cycle, and many users who are tech savvy upgrade to a different model eventually. The iPhone 6s, given how high it is benchmarking now, I would expect it to be supported for quite some time.
Hopefully once Apple irons out all the kinks with their Metal API, future iOS updates should be smoother experiences.
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So well written. And I feel a lot of love and empathy in this writing too.
haha, thank you! glad to hear, and it warms me that you enjoyed the post. merci beaucoup!
The phones that will slow the fastest are the ones that have the least 'improvement'. The phones that fare the best are the ones that have a boost in both RAM and CPU/GPU imho. The iPhone 3G was a mess, as it was the same processor and ram from the iPhone 2G. The iPhone 3GS went a lot better - it had a much better CPU + double the ram. The 4, while it had double the ram, the CPU wasn't that much better and neither was the GPU, despite it needing to push a lot more pixels. The 4S has done fairly well due to the improved dual core CPU , its limiting factor has been the 512MB of ram, that wasn't upgraded from the 4. The 5 has done the best so far - it had both more ram & a better CPU and GPU - an iPhone 5 with iOS 9 is a lot better than a 3GS with iOS 6. The 5S is a mixed bag. Much better performance CPU wise, but 1GB of ram was a little on the small side, especially with the move to 64 bits. The iPhone 6, I predict will be the next iPhone 3G - Same ram , and the A8 processor is really not much better than the A7. It will suffer. The 6S I feel will be the next iPhone 5.
So while some of the S models have done quite well (3GS and 4S imho), its not always the case. There are other factors as well, such as your phone being the last one to hold a certain amount of ram - (iPhone 6) as a few years on, it will be seen as very under specced in that area.
Just my two cents.
So while some of the S models have done quite well (3GS and 4S imho), its not always the case. There are other factors as well, such as your phone being the last one to hold a certain amount of ram - (iPhone 6) as a few years on, it will be seen as very under specced in that area.
Just my two cents.
I hope it doesn't because hopefully it will push Apple into allowing downgrading and also not making promises about performance that they can't keep.
While I tend to think that people should wait for reviews etc to upgrade, in reality is not what happens, so i think people should have the choice (in an iTunes menu hidden away) to downgrade if they want to regain performance.
They always have in the past. There's no law that says Apple owes you ANY update after you buy their product, nor any guarantee of performance.
I've been o nthe S cycle and noticed some slow down a few times when updating but for the most part, nothing major. I update my phone every two years and it's not been an issue. I think people using 4 year old phones should not expect performance to be the same. Hell, look at every time a new Windows OS launches, you usually have to upgrade hardware to get it to run right if your hardware is a little older.
Its true there is no law, but at the same time, the upgrade notes should not read "iOS 9 will give you better performance" when it obviously doesn't on older devices. In addition to this, on a Windows PC if you do not like the performance of the latest Windows, you can downgrade to an old one, or even the original one that came with your computer.
I think its reasonable that people who own an iPhone should at least be allowed to choose to reset their phone to how it was when they purchased them, after all you pay a lot for an iPhone and if an update makes a device frustratingly slow, its not really fair that there is no way to go back.
This thread is funny. S models are not magical unicorns which never get slow.
The S models come with much better horsepower. The iPhone 6 is almost the same speed as the iPhone 5S but with a bigger screen. So they are less likely to get slow than the non-S model.
The point is that everything ages. Do S models get slow? Of course they will. They are no less or more likely than the non-S models. Your comparison has nothing to do with a device getting slow. Is the 4S slow running 9.2? Probably slower than a 6. Probably slower than 5. This thread is similar to the silliness that is the 'obsolescence' thread. Any device will get slower running the latest operating system as that device ages. An S model does not guarantee added longevity in this regard.
When compared to the non-S model of the same number, but not when compared to the non-S model that follows. It all depends on how it's framed.
Depends on the phone. If you look at the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 on iOS 9.2, they're pretty quick now. I think the fears of old iPhones slowing down is overblown, or leftover from iOS 9-9.1 where there was a lot of slowdown.
The iPhone 4S/5 might lag though, but I haven't seen one of those on iOS 9. If they do that's pretty embarrassing for Apple, as Android Marshmallow runs pretty quickly on some ancient processors that the A5 beats (S4, Snapdragon 200 etc). I think around 2013 we entered the point on phones where the hardware is good enough for 99% of people, like it was on desktops in about 2007. If there are problems now it's from software makers like Apple/Google dropping the ball.
The iPhone 4S/5 might lag though, but I haven't seen one of those on iOS 9. If they do that's pretty embarrassing for Apple, as Android Marshmallow runs pretty quickly on some ancient processors that the A5 beats (S4, Snapdragon 200 etc). I think around 2013 we entered the point on phones where the hardware is good enough for 99% of people, like it was on desktops in about 2007. If there are problems now it's from software makers like Apple/Google dropping the ball.
When compared to the non-S model of the same number, but not when compared to the non-S model that follows. It all depends on how it's framed.
The iPhone 5S will be too slow when the iPhone 6 is too slow. They are similar in speed while the iphone 5S is 1 year older.
The S models are the best with regard to aging.
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But not necessarily the case with 4S and 5, for example, given that 5 has twice the RAM.
Second.
I would put S models as being 1.5x better for sustain in running newer iterations smoothly. If we're going to be using accurate statistical analysis, of course
.So instead of teaching Apple a lesson by disapproving of this practice and getting a different phone, you fall into their trap of upgrading only so it happens again next year with iOS 10?
Except that here's really no lesson that Apple would be taught with that.
He's certainly proof that his loyal following will blindly follow apple regardless of what they do
Or that despite various downsides various people still find something overall better for them than something else.