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Every new iOS makes your iPhone slower…deliberately. And not only iPhone

I

ipoppy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 12, 2006
423
9
UK
I know I haven’t discovered anything new here but…
I wonder if someone can explain to me why every time after major OS upgrade my computer slows down, overheat is unresponsive etc. The same apply to my IPhone 4 and 4s and even my work laptop with Win7. I do understand what the processor is or RAM and power associated with it but on another hand new OS apparently should be faster, better and more efficient. But is it? Or perhaps this is new silent way make all devices slower in order to make the customers to upgrade again? It used to (still is but hard to prove), not long time ago companies design devices so they can’t live no longer than desired life span but now is this new way to screw us again?
Call it silly conspiracy theory but after years of being fan of Apple now I could see the difference. I got iPhone 4 and 4’s and after iOS7 they can’t respond properly. Should I replace them for iphone 5 just for what?...useless fingerprint. There is nothing wrong with my current iPhone.
The same for Maverick on my high spec 2011 iMac 27”. My laptop with win7 bought 16 months ago is barley follow my keystrokes after forced Microsoft updates.
Believe me I have cleaned and reinstall my iMac, MBA and win laptop and honestly no much difference.

Can someone explain to me this phenomena so I can think that it is perfectly ok spend $1000’s every couple of years to make their software on theirs hardware working 100% efficiently.
 
ipoppy said:
I know I haven’t discovered anything new here but…
I wonder if someone can explain to me why every time after major OS upgrade my computer slows down, overheat is unresponsive etc. The same apply to my IPhone 4 and 4s and even my work laptop with Win7. I do understand what the processor is or RAM and power associated with it but on another hand new OS apparently should be faster, better and more efficient.
Click to expand...


That would be the hope, but the reality is, each new OS comes with new features, relies more on graphics and visual effects, and packs more code in to make these new things happen. Inevitably, older models get left behind in terms of performance.



But is it? Or perhaps this is new silent way make all devices slower in order to make the customers to upgrade again?
Click to expand...


If you ask the conspiracy theorists, no this isn't new, and is part of planned obsolescence and is thus, deliberate. I might be inclined to agree, IF this issue weren't also present on linux-based operating systems as well, where the maintainers of linux distributions have no connection at all to the hardware vendors, and as such have no economic incentive to deliberately make older hardware obsolete. Yet, while linux does tend to support older hardware a bit longer, eventually it too slows down over time and eventually support is dropped.


Realistically, the truth is probably somewhere in between: Apple definitely has a monetary motivation to make people buy new products, so they don't sweat it so much when a new feature might not work so well on older hardware. I don't believe though, that they deliberately and solely obsolete older products without any benefit to newer hardware, though.



Can someone explain to me this phenomena so I can think that it is perfectly ok spend $1000’s every couple of years to make their software on theirs hardware working 100% efficiently.
Click to expand...

Only you can make that decision. Is it worth it to YOU to keep upgrading? If not, then don't.
 
My Mac has never slowed down because of a new OS (though I always have plenty RAM and a speedy hard drive).

However, what Apple did to the iPhone 3G was unforgivable..
 
Well, if people would stop demanding to have the newest and best features and conveniences in the OS on whatever device they use then we would not have this problem. But people don't seem to like using the same OS they did ten years ago.
 
eyoungren said:
Well, if people would stop demanding to have the newest and best features and conveniences in the OS on whatever device they use then we would not have this problem. But people don't seem to like using the same OS they did ten years ago.
Click to expand...

Irreverent to Apple crippling devices with OS updates that users are encouraged to download (look at iOS 7 automatically downloading in anticipation for a thumbs up from the user to install).
 
Kilamite said:
…(look at iOS 7 automatically downloading in anticipation for a thumbs up from the user to install).
Click to expand...
LOL!

<tongue firmly in cheek> I never noticed. Guess that's because the Evasi0n jailbreak I have on my iPhone has blocked all that crap! :)
 
New operating systems are more efficient and optimized for newer hardware. They also add newer features that may or may not work well with older hardware.

Technology is constantly improving and getting faster. Software is constantly being updated to take advantage of those improvements. If you don't want to upgrade your hardware, don't upgrade your software. For the most part there is no conspiracy, but I'm sure that it is planned from time to time.
 
Subject touched by yours truly at the MacBook Air. I want my old hardware to last as long as possible, that's a reason why I only upgrade if and if there is a must-have feature on the new software, plus that fits my personal lazyman philosophy, don't fix what ain't broken.
 
ipoppy said:
Call it silly conspiracy theory
Click to expand...
It's more ignorance and inability to understand causality IMO. New software isn't magically more efficient. As stated above, newer software tends to have more features and optimization for newer hardware so of course it will run slower on older hardware. If you want optimal performance from your hardware then stop assuming that newer = better with software. Use software that is optimal for your hardware.
 
Not on the iPad 3 - Safari, app store, app switcher all run WAY faster on iOS 7 than they did on iOS 6.
 
Kilamite said:
However, what Apple did to the iPhone 3G was unforgivable..
Click to expand...

A few things:

* iOS 4.2.1 on the iPhone 3G didn't seem that bad to me compared to how iOS 7 is on the iPhone 4.

* iOS 4.2.1 added a ton of features, security fixes, and updated the developer API. It has better app compatibility than iOS 3.

* You can downgrade an iPhone 3G. They don't do SHSH checks or have APTickets. A co-worker bought a used iPhone 3G. They had 4.2.1 on it. I wiped it and put iOS 3.1.3 on it. Any one can do this.
 
I don't think Apple makes older devices slower on purpose. However, I do think that they don't optmize iOS for older devices as well as they can. Leading to what I considering an almost unusable iPhone 4. I mean, it takes a second for the keyboard to react to each typed letter. Come on!
 
Xenomorph said:
A few things:

* iOS 4.2.1 on the iPhone 3G didn't seem that bad to me compared to how iOS 7 is on the iPhone 4.

* iOS 4.2.1 added a ton of features, security fixes, and updated the developer API. It has better app compatibility than iOS 3.

* You can downgrade an iPhone 3G. They don't do SHSH checks or have APTickets. A co-worker bought a used iPhone 3G. They had 4.2.1 on it. I wiped it and put iOS 3.1.3 on it. Any one can do this.
Click to expand...

Because every user knows how to downgrade the OS! Apple doesn't officially support it, so even if they went to speak to a 'Genius' they wouldn't get told.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewxmOfga9m8

iOS 7 is as bad as that on an iPhone 4?
 
Some new software just isn't well designed: getting a lot of stutters on my 2012 Macbook after upgrading to mavericks :rolleyes: others are apparently reporting this as well
 
It's by design

Newer hardware is usually more capable and the software should be designed to take advantage of that, which also means that older hardware will struggle to cope of with the extra load/processing etc. IF the software load remained the same, what would be the point for a faster processor, more memory?

Back in the PC days, 128 MB of RAM was alot. Doesn't mean apps should be limited to that?

However there is also another side to this which is how backward compatible a vendor like Apple would like to be? For example, should iOS 7 min requirements be iphone 4? or 4S, or 3GS perhaps?
 
They dont make your iphone slower on purpose... Look at the iphone 3g. When apple added features it slowed down. Now rewind to when the 3g was new and people installed the same features via jailbreak, guess what happened? It slowed down. The more software fetures the slower your phone will be.
 
Same thing Nokia did with their phone back in the day... The phones where lasting so long that Nokia had to make them weaker and more breakable so people would buy a new phone more often.
 
My 2009 iMac was faster and more responsive with Mavericks than before. Whether that's because it was a clean install or Mavericks I couldn't say. But it does dent your level of suspicion in that if you were correct it would surely have been substantially slower.
As said, you also don't have to upgrade, but if you want new features then inevitably they consume more resource but not enough it's impacted me or in fact I even noticed.
I kept my 2009 iMac for 4 years and felt no compulsion to replace it after 2 years. Perhaps you should stop watching Apple adverts :eek:

Finally I find my iphone 4 and 4s are fine with ios7.
 
Same thing Nokia did with their phone back in the day... The phones where lasting so long that Nokia had to make them weaker and more breakable so people would buy a new phone more often.
 
scaredpoet said:
That would be the hope, but the reality is, each new OS comes with new features, relies more on graphics and visual effects, and packs more code in to make these new things happen. Inevitably, older models get left behind in terms of performance.
Click to expand...

Given that iOS7 got rid of drop shadows, textures, shading, gradients and draws stick figure icons one would think it would need less graphics horsepower.
 
minimo3 said:
Given that iOS7 got rid of drop shadows, textures, shading, gradients and draws stick figure icons one would think it would need less graphics horsepower.
Click to expand...

And one would be wrong, The icons, gradients and shading are fixed graphics. iOS7 did away with them but put in its place translucence, parallax and zoom effects, which do require processing power.
 
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