iPod touch iPad mini (and the A5) live on! Will the touch see iOS 9?

[Tubamajuba]

I understand how unlikely this is, but what if Apple made iOS 9 a Snow Leopard type release? Very few new features (maybe split screen multitasking on the iPad Pro/Plus and Air 2?), but a whole lot of refinement. In which case I would expect iOS 9 to be available to A5-based devices.

Again, such a scenario would be highly unlikely. But I think that iOS now has plenty of features- it's time to make it "just work" for everyone again. It's not a necessity for Apple to do so, but it would make a lot of people happy.

 

[iamMacPerson]

I understand how unlikely this is, but what if Apple made iOS 9 a Snow Leopard type release? Very few new features (maybe split screen multitasking on the iPad Pro/Plus and Air 2?), but a whole lot of refinement. In which case I would expect iOS 9 to be available to A5-based devices.

Then they should really think about naming it iOS 8.5, not iOS 9.

I would have been fine with iOS 7.5 adding support for the new devices, maybe a new feature or two but nothing major. I do not care what people say, iOS 8 is buggy as hell and was not ready for prime time. Doesn't matter what device; from iPhone 4s to iPhone 6's and iPad Air 2's, there are bugs in 8 that were not there in 7, and they need to fix it and fix it fast.

 

[Tubamajuba]

Then they should really think about naming it iOS 8.5, not iOS 9.

I would have been fine with iOS 7.5 adding support for the new devices, maybe a new feature or two but nothing major. I do not care what people say, iOS 8 is buggy as hell and was not ready for prime time. Doesn't matter what device; from iPhone 4s to iPhone 6's and iPad Air 2's, there are bugs in 8 that were not there in 7, and they need to fix it and fix it fast.

I think iOS 8 works well for most people. As usual, people tend to be more vocal about problems than they are about smooth experiences. But I do agree with you that there are still more bugs in iOS 8 than there were in 7. I don't think "working well for most people" is the standard that Apple shoots for, so they've definitely got some work to do in the coming months.

 

[thedeejay]

While this is true, Apple may pull a 4th Gen iPod Touch on us and discontinue all A5 devices come April/May (just before iOS 9 debuts at WWDC). You have to remember, even though it shipped with iOS 6, its basically a shrunk-down iPad 2 which shipped with iOS 4. Therefor, the 3 iOS updates per device might be shortened to two on the 1st Gen iPad mini.

I personally believe Apple will kill off all A5 powered devices by WWDC just so the don't have to support them in iOS 9. iOS 8, from what I have seen, is not horrible on the A5 devices (certainly better then 7.0.x on iPhone 4) but iOS 9 will slow it down too much to the point where the devices may not even be usable.

I think they will also kill off all iPods considering the profit margin is so small. Now, there are still going to be those people who want a device smaller then an iPad mini and I think they are working on it. A 5.5 - 5.7" iPad Micro I think is what they are working on. Considering the iPhone 6 Plus (to me at least since it is my daily phone) acts more like an iPad then previous iPhone models, I think scaling down iPad apps for a smaller phablet-sized iPad would be feasible.

The iPad Micro I believe would also kill off the 1st and 2nd Gen Minis since it will probably have the A7 chip and come in around the $250 price point of the 1st Gen Mini. This would be good for consumers, considering that the iPad line is getting yearly refreshes whereas the iPod touch line is getting one ever 2-3 years. The one downside however is it will probably lag behind and use last years SoC (like the 3rd Gen mini did).

Ah I completely forgot about Touch 4, so now I see your point. I think they'll probably still support it as iOS 9 will be announced before the new iPads next year. So it'll be the last update they'll receive. I think the Mini 3 might be the iPod Touch 4 of the lineup, by the time iOS 10/11 comes around the Mini 3 will be very outdated and won't handle the OS well. Definitely a model to avoid unless you really really like the Touch ID.

 

[iamMacPerson]

I think iOS 8 works well for most people. As usual, people tend to be more vocal about problems than they are about smooth experiences. But I do agree with you that there are still more bugs in iOS 8 than there were in 7. I don't think "working well for most people" is the standard that Apple shoots for, so they've definitely got some work to do in the coming months.

I'm sure they will improve, however I think they should have fixed more bugs in 8.1 then they did. In the last week, my phone has resprung four times running Safari. Now wether or not Safari has a memory leak is completely unknown. It could also be due to the lack of RAM in the iPhone 6. Before everyone jumps on my back here, yes iOS is very memory efficient and to me, spec sheets are nothing. However, 1GB seems to barely be enough to support these phone since it at least half (most of the time 2/3rds) is being used when the OS is idle with no apps open.

I'm also not saying that Apple forces obsolesces on iDevices, however the engineering team should have added the extra RAM for the reason where if the user has multiple apps open the phone may not have time to write the app out of memory and the phone or app crashes. Would 2GB have completely solved this issue? Maybe not, but it sure as well wouldn't be as big of a problem. The extra RAM would also allow iOS to have more background processes running for system services. Think of how many more background services iOS could offer with a full 1GB RAM for itself and 1GB left for apps?

Ah I completely forgot about Touch 4, so now I see your point. I think they'll probably still support it as iOS 9 will be announced before the new iPads next year. So it'll be the last update they'll receive. I think the Mini 3 might be the iPod Touch 4 of the lineup, by the time iOS 10/11 comes around the Mini 3 will be very outdated and won't handle the OS well. Definitely a model to avoid unless you really really like the Touch ID.

I have to disagree with you on the A5 devices getting iOS 9, however I don't work for Apple so I cannot say for certain. Apple could always do a mid-year refresh of the iPad line, see the 4th Gen iPad. 3rd Gen was introduced in March/April 2012, 4th Gen came out in October/November 2012.

If the A5 lives to see another year, I will be genuinely surprised because then they would also have to support the iPad 2 since the iPad mini 1st Gen is really just a scaled down version of the iPad 2 (even the same resolution, but higher pixel density due to smaller screen). iPad 2 will be the first, and probably only iDevice to ever see five iOS updates (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9). Worth mentioning that the iPad 2 was the first iOS device that got four updates as well.

I can agree with you that the iPad mini 3 might end up being another iPod touch 4th Gen, but as of right now its more like the 5th Gen iPod touch or 1st Gen iPad mini in the fact that its a new device with last years chip. Its also comparable to the iPhone 5c; the fact that it has the same internals as an older model with an extra feature or two and a revised casing.

I still personally believe Apple should have at least thrown an A8 into the iPad mini 3. Not even an A8X, just the A8 found in the new iPhones. At least it would have some sort of speed increase over last years model and people would have a greater incentive to get the new iPad mini. The best deal in the iPad line is really the iPad mini 2. Its $50 more then the iPad mini 1 with much improved performance, and $100 cheaper then the mini 3 which has the same internal specs.

 

[Homme]

If true, the A5 will be the first chip to run 5 versions of iOS (iOS 5 to iOS 9) which is very impressive.

your forgetting the A5 Supported iOS 4.3 which was on iPad 2 as well

I can agree with you that the iPad mini 3 might end up being another iPod touch 4th Gen, but as of right now its more like the 5th Gen iPod touch or 1st Gen iPad mini in the fact that its a new device with last years chip. Its also comparable to the iPhone 5c; the fact that it has the same internals as an older model with an extra feature or two and a revised casing.

although i see where your going with in comparison to the Mini 3/2 and 5/5C i kinda disagree..

in the 5C's case, the 5C replaced the entire 5 line and was different to the 5 in a couple of ways despite them having almost the same specs. (like a different backside illumination camera, better battery life etc). So Apple actually did "care" about changing parts of the 5C... plus the 5C got Wi-Fi Calling, something the 5 didn't (seriously Apple).. and obviously the design was different, and in additon to the new material, the phone was thicker and heavier..

in the Mini 3's case they obviously didn't bother to care about it in comparison to 5C... it got NFC and Touch ID in comparison to Mini 2 but.... thats it.. otherwise design is the same, internals are the same.. it didn't replace the Mini 2 as that is still selling for a better price

 

[Paddle1]

I'm sure they will improve, however I think they should have fixed more bugs in 8.1 then they did. In the last week, my phone has resprung four times running Safari. Now wether or not Safari has a memory leak is completely unknown. It could also be due to the lack of RAM in the iPhone 6. Before everyone jumps on my back here, yes iOS is very memory efficient and to me, spec sheets are nothing. However, 1GB seems to barely be enough to support these phone since it at least half (most of the time 2/3rds) is being used when the OS is idle with no apps open.

I'm also not saying that Apple forces obsolesces on iDevices, however the engineering team should have added the extra RAM for the reason where if the user has multiple apps open the phone may not have time to write the app out of memory and the phone or app crashes. Would 2GB have completely solved this issue? Maybe not, but it sure as well wouldn't be as big of a problem. The extra RAM would also allow iOS to have more background processes running for system services. Think of how many more background services iOS could offer with a full 1GB RAM for itself and 1GB left for apps?



I have to disagree with you on the A5 devices getting iOS 9, however I don't work for Apple so I cannot say for certain. Apple could always do a mid-year refresh of the iPad line, see the 4th Gen iPad. 3rd Gen was introduced in March/April 2012, 4th Gen came out in October/November 2012.

If the A5 lives to see another year, I will be genuinely surprised because then they would also have to support the iPad 2 since the iPad mini 1st Gen is really just a scaled down version of the iPad 2 (even the same resolution, but higher pixel density due to smaller screen). iPad 2 will be the first, and probably only iDevice to ever see five iOS updates (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9). Worth mentioning that the iPad 2 was the first iOS device that got four updates as well.

I can agree with you that the iPad mini 3 might end up being another iPod touch 4th Gen, but as of right now its more like the 5th Gen iPod touch or 1st Gen iPad mini in the fact that its a new device with last years chip. Its also comparable to the iPhone 5c; the fact that it has the same internals as an older model with an extra feature or two and a revised casing.

I still personally believe Apple should have at least thrown an A8 into the iPad mini 3. Not even an A8X, just the A8 found in the new iPhones. At least it would have some sort of speed increase over last years model and people would have a greater incentive to get the new iPad mini. The best deal in the iPad line is really the iPad mini 2. Its $50 more then the iPad mini 1 with much improved performance, and $100 cheaper then the mini 3 which has the same internal specs.

They might drop the iPad 2 just because it's getting old.

iOS 6 was a snow leopard like update and with iOS 8 lagging on the 6 plus and two big updates in a row I don't think it's that far-fetched that iOS 9 could improve performance.

 

[iPodJedi]

Apple has apparently decided the A5 chip in the iPad mini is good enough to live for another year! No updates to the iPod touch line either at this time.

My guess is that the mini will be discontinued next year... But receive it's final update to iOS 9. Its possible, but unlikely, that it could last to iOS X.

My guess is that the iPhone 4S and iPod touch will also get the IOS 9 treatment - especially since so many 4S devices are in use and the iPod touch is still for sale. It's likely we won't see any updates to the touch line until next year (or sometime before Christmas this year) with the same internals as the 5/5C. Maybe.

If not, a new touch will come out next year with iOS 9. OR this touch will get iOS 9 and it will be the end of an era.

OR the touch shrinks and merges with the nano to have a super portable media device with IOS.

it wont get io9...the 4s is definitly on its last update and likley when the ipad mini is discountined, the touch will go with it...this is likely the last major update.

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personally, i think that apple needs to release an ios 9 right now. ios 8 its sooooo glitchy and it has ruined my iphone 5c and ipad mini 1.
They need to fix these huge problems like safari or messaging not working and just rename it ios 9 cuz ios 8 hasnt done so well...

 

[Traverse]

iOS 8 just has some poor coding. I see occasional stutters on my iPhone 6 when swiping a tab away in safari or rotating the screen.

iOS 8 really hurt my iPad 3's (A5X) performance.

A big issue Apple has is supporting older devices. It's a double edge sword. You can't drop support and have developers ignore 1-2 year old devices, but developing apps that can run on an A5 hinders the potential of new A8 and A8X chips. Eventually developers will have to start building for future devices and leave older one's behind. I just wonder how that will play out.

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I understand how unlikely this is, but what if Apple made iOS 9 a Snow Leopard type release? Very few new features (maybe split screen multitasking on the iPad Pro/Plus and Air 2?), but a whole lot of refinement. In which case I would expect iOS 9 to be available to A5-based devices.

Again, such a scenario would be highly unlikely. But I think that iOS now has plenty of features- it's time to make it "just work" for everyone again. It's not a necessity for Apple to do so, but it would make a lot of people happy.

What I wouldn't give for that. When is the last time an iOS update improved performance? I don't mean a .1 or .2 release. iOS 5 slowed down the iPad 1. iOS 6 slowed down the iPod touch 4G. iOS 7 slowed down everything and iOS 8 beat it into the ground. Apple cannot reasonably expect people to buy new devices to keep up with iOS and they cannot allow these slowdowns or Apple will get a bad reputation.

I would absolutely LOVE an iOS 9 "No new features" for the iPhone. As for the iPad, Apple really needs to get their butts in gear. Still bring performance improvements but optimize for iPad. OPTIMIZE!

Why are there 9 icons in a folder!?
Why is the must app a list of albums with 60% blank screen instead of an album view!?
Why does the app switch show the same amount "multitasking" as the iPhone!?

The did some things right with the new swipe down in mail and Safari tab view, but that's not enough. Honestly, I'm not going to update my iPhone 6 and soon to be iPad Air 2 past iOS 8 unless there is solid feedback for performance. If I could have left my iPad on iOS 6 I would have, but Office required later OS's.

I'm sure they will improve, however I think they should have fixed more bugs in 8.1 then they did.

I completely agree. I still get keyboard freezes and weird UI glitches on my iPhone 6. I can tolerate that with a .0 release, but .1 really should have fixed some of this. iOS 8 has been the buggiest version I have ever used.

 

[Solomani]

Apple has apparently decided the A5 chip in the iPad mini is good enough to live for another year! No updates to the iPod touch line either at this time.

My guess is that the mini will be discontinued next year... But receive it's final update to iOS 9. Its possible, but unlikely, that it could last to iOS X.

My guess is that the iPhone 4S and iPod touch will also get the IOS 9 treatment - especially since so many 4S devices are in use and the iPod touch is still for sale. It's likely we won't see any updates to the touch line until next year (or sometime before Christmas this year) with the same internals as the 5/5C. Maybe.

If not, a new touch will come out next year with iOS 9. OR this touch will get iOS 9 and it will be the end of an era.

OR the touch shrinks and merges with the nano to have a super portable media device with IOS.

IMHO, I think that if Apple really wanted to kill the iPad Mini, they would have done it this month. Yup, they could have easily done it this month. And they had a very good corporate excuse to do so: because it cannibalizes and disrupts/confuses the sales of their lucrative iPhone 6 phablets!

But guess what? Apple did not kill it. Instead we just got a placeholder iPad Mini, with the touch ID added in. My prediction is that we will see another iPad Mini, the real upgrade with improved internals, in 2015. Apple is just holding off for now because they want to maximize sales/profits/hype/attention with the phablets

 

[Homme]

[/COLOR]

iOS 6 slowed down the iPod touch 4G.

dont forget iOS 5 was even worse for the 4G Touch than iOS 6 in terms of performance.

 

[Waldounited]

IPad mini have a normal performance with iOS 8.

As all we know Apple in every iOS release drops support for some idevices, it didn't surprise me last year when they discontinued Iphone 4, iPhone 4 with iOS 7 was terrified slow! But iPhone 4s with iOS 8 it's not too bad because of its dual core precessor. iOS is a good optimized System, I would like to seewhat they will do because all actual devices running iOS 8 have a dual core processor. the iPhone 5s/6/6plus, iPad mini 2/3, iPad Air/air 2 have a 64bit processor but dual core too! So and iPad mini should run iOS 9 because it has a dual core 1.0 Ghz, I guess the only devices that will be discontinued will be the iPhone 4s and iPod touch 5th because of their processor underclocked to 800mhz

 

[oldmacs]

As all we know Apple in every iOS release drops support for some idevices, it didn't surprise me last year when they discontinued Iphone 4, iPhone 4 with iOS 7 was terrified slow! But iPhone 4s with iOS 8 it's not too bad because of its dual core precessor. iOS is a good optimized System, I would like to seewhat they will do because all actual devices running iOS 8 have a dual core processor. the iPhone 5s/6/6plus, iPad mini 2/3, iPad Air/air 2 have a 64bit processor but dual core too! So and iPad mini should run iOS 9 because it has a dual core 1.0 Ghz, I guess the only devices that will be discontinued will be the iPhone 4s and iPod touch 5th because of their processor underclocked to 800mhz

I think the Tocuh will get iOS 9. The iPhone 4S has allready been picked up running iOS 9 (so presumably they are supporting it, or at least investigating the possibility).

iOS9 I think is more than likely to be a massive performance and bug fix release so it should run better than iOS 8 on most devices.

As I've said in another thread, the iPad mini 1 won't get discontinued till the iPad Mini 4 comes out. My reasoning is that Apple wants a tablet in that low cost bracket. If they get rid of the Mini 1, they've only got the Mini 2 and 3. They can't really put the Mini 2 into that low cost bracket as it is nearly identical to the iPad Mini 3 - Who is going to buy the $399 (USD) Mini 3 when the Mini 2 is $249 (USD) - Surely Touch ID is not worth $150 to most people.

IMHO at WWDC or a September/October we'll get a Mini 4 and the Mini 1 and 3 will go - Because the Mini 4 will presumably offer enough differentiation to the Mini 2.

A few different statistics sites (Backed up by real world stats from an App developer) show the Mini 1 has about 18-22 percent of the iPad Market share. Combined with the Identical (CPU, RAM AND GPU wise) iPad 2 at 23-25 percent of the market, that is around 45 percent of iPads on A5 Dual Core 1 GHZ and 512 MB of ram.

 

[Lyy Patricia 61]

iPad mini 1st generation will have ios 9 & have been update to ios 9.3.5, other iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, & iPad mini 4 will have ios 11, iPad mini 1st generation will not get ios 11 or ios 10, iPad mini 1st generation will get ios 9 that have been updated to 9.3.5 like iPhone 4s, iPad 2, iPad 3, & iPod Touch 5th generation. iPhone 5 can not get ios 11 eather, iPhone 5 will get ios 10 that have been updated to 10.3.3 like iPhone 5c & iPad 4.