iOS 17 Rumored to Drop Support for iPhone X, First-Generation iPad Pro, and More

[practicein2021]

Agreed. iPadOS 16 supports iPad (2017) with A9/2GB, but iPhone 7 (A10/2GB) doesn't work. The excuse this time from some people was the lock screen "needed" a neural engine.

Why would it needed neural engine? I guess because it can separate background from the image?

The problem with this though, is that Apple recently released iPadOS 16 to a bunch of iPads but only a couple of them supported Stage Manager. So, if they can actually pick-and-choose when it comes to different features and stuff, why not release iOS 16 to iPhone 7 without the new lock screen? Or without "blurring background" feature on it?

I'm inclined to believe that they're just ending support after 5 years no matter what. At least when it comes to iPhones.

 

[gillblates]

Why not just announce a 5 year support scheme and be done with it? The technical excuse (jailbreaking?!?) for dropping A11 is pretty lame. Just be up front about it, Apple.

 

[Aston441]

Agree with everything you said but you’re missing the importance of app support. Devices not getting the latest and not so greatest iOS will have their essential apps age out earlier. Yes it usually happens a year or two down the road but a device becomes a lot less useful without critical apps working.

That's the point of my prior post. If the app stops working, because the app managers make an arbitrary decision to stop supporting hardware that was also arbitrarily discontinued, delete the app. It's the only power we have, and it feels wonderful to exercise it. We all lived the majority of our lives without these "critical" apps, and by all surveys, were happier overall. Company supoort for you dropped? Well then then why do you support someone who decided to ditch you? Ditch them back. I quit buying ANY new Apple hardware four years ago. That makes me richer and happier!

 

[bodonnell202]

Agree with everything you said but you’re missing the importance of app support. Devices not getting the latest and not so greatest iOS will have their essential apps age out earlier. Yes it usually happens a year or two down the road but a device becomes a lot less useful without critical apps working.

Yes agreed, in a year or two some apps will stop receiving updates and over time the usefulness of the device will be reduced.

 

[sakurarain]

i am still using my 1st Gen. iPad Pro12.9" for daily work, it works fine without any issue. i hope Apple will decide to support it with iOS 17 at the last minute.

 

[Phazer]

I have an iPad 5th gen which is almost unusable with iOS 16 for anything other than extremely light browsing and the odd YouTube video here and there, so makes sense to drop it completely.

 

[svish]

Very surprised to hear that iPhone X may not get iOS 17.

 

[dampfnudel]

If they actually drop support for X then they'll almost definitely drop the support for XR next year

The XS has the same processor (A12) as the XR so that’s probably on the support chopping board for next year as well.

 

[mariahcareystan]

Cutting support for A9, A9X, A10 Fusion, and A10X Fusion iPads makes sense from an architectural standpoint. Also to match whatever it was in iOS that required that A9 and A10 Fusion be dropped.

Dropping A11 Bionic just because CheckRa1n exists seems needless. Big whoop, I can jailbreak the oldest generation of iPhones that are still supported and nothing else. Why should that matter at this point? Plus, it's not like there aren't other A8-A11 devices out there that are still getting updates (Apple TV HD and the first gen HomePod both still get updates and they still have an A8; First Generation Apple TV 4K has an A10X Fusion; The T2 Security Chip is an A10 Fusion derivative)




Speak for yourself. I still hate FaceID and would gladly trade it for a home button and TouchID on a larger form factor than 4.7" any day.

More devices for the landfills!

Also, it's not like Apple ever had problems optimizing performance for newer devices. It's older devices that they didn't put that same effort into optimizing for. Sure, I'd rather have my iPhone or iPad end support on a performant note, but it's also the case that it's been over a decade since the last time I said "Man, I can't wait for Apple to introduce another iOS version!" and if they announced that they were to skip a year, I'd do the complete opposite of complaining.

i strongly agree, i think it's pretty stupid to go and drop support for the A11 just for the reason they can be jailbreaked...

 

[Paddle1]

The XS has the same processor (A12) as the XR so that’s probably on the support chopping board for next year as well.

I don't see the A12 getting dropped so soon. The 2020 iPad Pro has an A12Z. The original iPad Pro has gotten 8 years of support. I think there's a good chance of the XS hanging on for a while like the 6S did.

 

[Paddle1]

Nobody questioning the veracity of the source for this rumor? Don't see any evidence of accuracy for this Twitter user.

I can't even view the source, it says their account is private.

 

[D-a-a-n]

My 1st gen iPad Pro 12.9" is still doing OK, a couple of light spots on the screen.

Haha mine also has those light spots!

 

[jtm666]

Seems like yesterday when Apple announced iPhone X in 2017. One of my favorite iPhones ever after the iPhone 4.

Just had the battery replaced in mine. No intention of replacing until we get a iPhone with USB-C...

 

[practicein2021]

Just had the battery replaced in mine. No intention of replacing until we get a iPhone with USB-C...

In 5 months, you mean?

 

[practicein2021]

I don't see the A12 getting dropped so soon. The 2020 iPad Pro has an A12Z. The original iPad Pro has gotten 8 years of support. I think there's a good chance of the XS hanging on for a while like the 6S did.

Honestly, I would be glad to see that. Use iPhone XR on a daily basis, it's a good phone.

 

[practicein2021]

Haha mine also has those light spots!

My 1st gen iPad Pro 12.9" is still doing OK, a couple of light spots on the screen.

My iPad Pro 12.9 2nd gen (2017) has a light bleed along one of the edges. Appeared right after the warranty has ended. It's very noticeable but it doesn't really bother me as all the functionality is still there.

However reading about this issue online (many other ppl had the same problem with the same model as mine) made me like Apple much, much less. They should have offered free replacements since it was a very common defect on what is considered a premium device. And now they're moving to OLED for iPad - I would be very careful buying a device with such display from a company like that

 

[Bodhitree]

I still use my iPad Pro 12.9” (2015) every day, and it is fast enough and eminently stable in doing everything that I want to do. Eight years is a good run, but I can’t help but think this is an attempt to force an upgrade at a time before the natural end of life of the device.

I will keep on using the device as long as the browser works, it just means that for some things like my taxes and my online banking I’m going to shift to other devices.

 

[ipaqrat]

I've used iphones since day 1, 2007. I used to upgrade about every second model since, typically at the -S release. But the X was the point where upgrade value tapered off, so I stuck with it for 5+ years. My X remains, to this day, usefully quick and looks like new. 5G means nothing living out in horse country, while at work in the city, I'm not permitted even to carry a mobile devices. I understand cameras have radically improved, but phone cams were never a big deal for me, compared to an actual grown-up camera. If it weren't for the unserviceable battery, it's run fine until 4G is deprecated.

All I need is an adequate excuse to upgrade. Now, I can tell wifey, "Not my fault. Dang Apple!" But make no mistake artificially, intentionally engineered obsolescence is real.

 

[Deliro]

A11 Bionic and iPhone X is getting pretty old in the tooth, that was late 2017. I don't know that many who still have that phone considering how we got several better form factors after that.

It’s still plenty capable.

 

[darngooddesign]

iPad (2018) gets iPadOS 17. It has 2GB RAM and A10.

It's not the hardware. The deciding factor of whether a device gets an upgrade comes down to:

The iPad 2018 has a newer processor than the original iPad Pro..


It’s probably for the best, even with most resource demanding features tuned off iPadOS16 isn’t smooth on my 9.7” iPad so I can only image what 17 would be like.

 

[PauloSera]

So I take it you’re an annual upgrader and would prefer Apple dropping last years iPhones with every new iOS? Because that would create a flawless iOS?

Where are you getting this naïveté from?

iOS being more and more a mess comes down to Apple not scaling iOS team as more devices have been added to the lineup.

It’s just a profit margins issue.

Apple earning even more won’t (de facto) expand the iPhone/iOS dev team.

The issue with iOS is consumers perpetually buying iPhones despite increasingly buggy OS.

This is why I don't converse much with pure users. Your perspective is nonexistent, knowledge is lacking, and imagination bleak.

It is a simple engineering FACT. It's not up for your sad anonymous internet opinion.

 

[dampfnudel]

I don't see the A12 getting dropped so soon. The 2020 iPad Pro has an A12Z. The original iPad Pro has gotten 8 years of support. I think there's a good chance of the XS hanging on for a while like the 6S did.

Possibly, but it will be five years this September since the XS was released so Apple may drop support to push people to upgrade. It’s also possible that iOS 17 will be another update where every iPhone with iOS 16 gets to join the party. Then next year it’s possible we’ll have a iOS 16 situation where two generations of iPhones are dropped, this time it will be the 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Plus and XR. That would be a great way for Apple to get a lot of people to upgrade to the 15/16 models.

 

[Paddle1]

Possibly, but it will be five years this September since the XS was released so Apple may drop support to push people to upgrade. It’s also possible that iOS 17 will be another update where every iPhone with iOS 16 gets to join the party. Then next year it’s possible we’ll have a iOS 16 situation where two generations of iPhones are dropped, this time it will be the 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Plus and XR. That would be a great way for Apple to get a lot of people to upgrade to the 15/16 models.

It could happen, but it would make the XS the first S model to have a shorter lifespan than its predecessor, they've always had the exact opposite with longer lifespan. It's hard to predict.

 

[Electroni]

No, first generation iPad Pro came with the A9X with 12.9” (released fall 2015) and 9.7” (released spring 2016) screens. They were the first devices to support Apple Pencil, which was the headline feature at the time aside from the larger screen on the 12.9”.

The big difference between these two (besides the form factor of course) is the amount of RAM. The 9.7” has only 2GB while the 12.9” has 4GB of RAM.

I’m still using the 1st gen 12.9” iPad Pro and it still works just fine (thanks in large part to that 4GB of RAM).

 

[bodonnell202]

The big difference between these two (besides the form factor of course) is the amount of RAM. The 9.7” has only 2GB while the 12.9” has 4GB of RAM.

I’m still using the 1st gen 12.9” iPad Pro and it still works just fine (thanks in large part to that 4GB of RAM).

Yeah, that was a big deal at the time considering the first iPad with 2 GB of RAM was only a year old at that point, then people were disappointed when the 9.7" pro only had 2 GB.