iOS, Updates, and Battery Life

[AmazingTechGeek]

How is it that Apple adds features per major software update with minimal effects to battery life, but loses performance (and eventually support) over time? Some theories I've had theories over years about optimization sand such from Apple engineers, but how does that translate to devices maintaining similar battery life over the years if more processing power is needed to run the more complex updates?

For example, an iPhone is supported for 4 years, maintains similar battery life (with subsequent minor updates fixing potential battery drain), and is then no longer supported because it's not powerful enough. The respective iPhone's successor gets the update because it's still powerful enough to run the next software rendition, but maintains similar, if not equal battery life. Why is that?

 

[akash.nu]

Didn't understand what you're trying to say there.. How's battery life related to a device being powerful?!

 

[oldmacs]

but maintains similar, if not equal battery life. Why is that?

Because Apple is hellbent on thinness, so they put increasingly power efficient processors into their iPhones but often a smaller capacity or insignificant increase of capacity battery is put in.

 

[AmazingTechGeek]

Because Apple is hellbent on thinness, so they put increasingly power efficient processors into their iPhones but often a smaller capacity or insignificant increase of capacity battery is put in.

Didn't understand what you're trying to say there.. How's battery life related to a device being powerful?!

If an update requires more processing power to get the next update, then how is battery life minimally affected?

 

[oldmacs]

If an update requires more processing power to get the next update, then how is battery life minimally affected?

Not sure what you mean - I've seen iPhones decline in battery life as iOS updates have come out....

 

[Yun0]

when it comes to actual "battery drain", users will have & have, blamed about everything possible probably even including planetary alignment..

 

[I7guy]

when it comes to actual "battery drain", users will have & have, blamed about everything possible probably even including planetary alignment..

9.3.3 b4 is producing stellar battery life.

 

[Yun0]

9.3.3 b4 is producing stellar battery life.

same. on my 2 year old battery that likes to jump from 83% capacity <-> 68% on a regular basis..

 

[AmazingTechGeek]

9.3.3 b4 is producing stellar battery life.

With what usage statistics?

 

[I7guy]

With what usage statistics?

My wet finger in the air statistics.

 

[daniel1948]

How is it that Apple adds features per major software update with minimal effects to battery life, but loses performance (and eventually support) over time? Some theories I've had theories over years about optimization sand such from Apple engineers, but how does that translate to devices maintaining similar battery life over the years if more processing power is needed to run the more complex updates?

For example, an iPhone is supported for 4 years, maintains similar battery life (with subsequent minor updates fixing potential battery drain), and is then no longer supported because it's not powerful enough. The respective iPhone's successor gets the update because it's still powerful enough to run the next software rendition, but maintains similar, if not equal battery life. Why is that?

Processing power is not strongly related to energy consumption. The big energy drain on a phone or tablet is the power consumption of the screen. Processors are becoming more energy-efficient with every new generation, at the same time as they are getting more features. They are also getting faster.

So battery life remains constant because the added features are balanced by improved efficiency.

Older devices cannot run the newest OS because they are too slow or lack the architecture to implement the features. This has nothing to do with battery capacity.

Hope this helps.