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iPhone 3GS GSM... no iOS 6?

Wolffie

Wolffie

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 6, 2008
170
10
Specifically America and AT&T.

Do we suspect all the entry (FREE to $.99) smart phones sold in the past year are non upgradeable to iOS6?
It is the next model in line to be left out in the cold.
3GS came with iOS 3.0
The iPad (1st Gen) debuted with 3.2.1 right?
 
The only technical reason for them not to support it would be the fact that it only has 256 MB of RAM and the fact that it doesn't have a retina display, causing them to need to create two versions of all their UI elements. Other than that, I don't see any factors such as the subsidized cost being an issue, since you're really paying $350 for the phone over the term of your contract.
 
I can see ram being a factor here, that leaves all the current and previous iTouch models and even the original iPad left out due to having only 256mb. I am thinking the iPhone 4 is a bare minimum requirement for iOS 6 but I hope I am wrong.
 
I think the 3GS will be left out and iOS 6 will be Apple A(x) processors only.
 
It's difficult to support a model that's 3 years old. Too many hardware differences. You really can't expect any phone over 2 years old to get much support.
 
As an iPhone 4 owner, I'd be pleasantly surprised if iOS 6 ran in full (and at an acceptable level of performance) on my device. I'm crossing my fingers, but you never know what Apple's plans are.

Thankfully I'll be able to enjoy iOS 6 in full on my new iPad. :D
 
I bet they would support the 3 GS since the processor speed is similar to the iphone 4 processor. RAM is lower but it took iOS5 without major slowdowns.
 
I thought somewhere in Apple's corporate documents that they have to declare to FTC, SEC, FCC or some other government entity (I cannot remember which) that Apple stated they intend to provide system support each model typically for 2 years. It sounds to me like this means the 3GS won't get iOS 6.
 
I'm going with no 3gs support with iOS 6 all but original iPhone have had 2 versions of iOS.
 

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Nicolas4ever said:
The 3GS is 3 years old now maybe Apple will want to stop the support.
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Yes, but they still sell it, so I am not so sure that argument is very solid. As I see it, the only reason to deny the 3GS iOS 6 support are hardware restrictions, the 256MB RAM specifically. If that turns out not to be a concern, I expect Apple to actually make iOS 6 available for the 3GS. If only to show the competition how supporting your products is done.
 
If you guys think the 3GS is getting iOS6 you are living in a dream world.
 
I don't want them to support the 3GS any longer. Why? Because we have been getting steadily better hardware already for the past three years but everything is developed to still run properly on these legacy devices. What's the point of new hardware if you are going to bottleneck due to the old stuff?
 
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This is a really hard call actually.

Both the iPhone 3G(s) and iPhone 4 have the exact same processor and graphical chipset. The only difference is that the 4's hardware got a Mhz boost to help power the Retina display. eDRAM on the 3G(s) is 256MB, though, while the iPhone 4 has 512MB. If that were the only determining factor the original iPad and iPod Touch 4th('10-'11 models) would also not be getting iOS 6.

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Chundles said:
I think the 3GS will be left out and iOS 6 will be Apple A(x) processors only.
Click to expand...

The iPhone 3G(s) and iPhone 4 shared the same Cortex-A8 processor.
 
andybno1 said:
I'm going with no 3gs support with iOS 6 all but original iPhone have had 2 versions of iOS.
Click to expand...

No, every iPhone has had 3 versions. The third version they recieved had limitations that the other new models didn't get (I.E iOs 4.0 on the iPhone 3G did not get multitasking).

Following this, The iPhone 4 will have some limitations on iOS 6 (That'll probably relate to the maps) where as the iPhone 4S and 6th generation iPhones will support iOS 6 fully.


EDIT: Looks like the 3GS is getting iOS 6.0. This means that Apple is probably extending iOS support on iPhones to 4 versions instead of 3! That means my 4S is going to last me a full year longer!

andybno1 said:
question is how many people logged on to their developer account to check after seeing the image lol
Click to expand...

I know I did :D
 
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Did i get something wrong? I thought the iPhone 4 had a 800 MHz processor, where as the 3GS had a 600 MHz? Just asking since quite a few of you, state that they have the same processor? :eek:
 
Tea-Aholic said:
You do realise that there is no "American" version and "International" version of the 3GS? Nor was there an "AT&T GSM" version and a "CDMA" one.
Click to expand...

I realize that this is an international community.
"America", not "American", and "AT&T" refer to the users, consumers, current buyers, etc. not the device. AT&T currently sell the 3GS. If iOS 6 is not available to those purchasers, then those purchasers will not be able to upgrade their software. A common stated benefit of purchasing an iPhone is Apple updates the software, unlike other phone manufactures. So, those purchasers are not retaining that benefit. Unfortunate fact (maybe, don't know yet).

I am not knowledgeable about other nations cellular sales plans.
I do not know if they sell 3GS. I remember the 3GS being listed #3 or #5 most popular/sold smartphone. I do know some cellular service providers have sold the iPhone 4 free with the long-term contract.

I see you are from Melbourne, Australia. One of my favorite places, very beautiful. Could you give any details about the 3GS sales of Australia?

As far as my description of the phone as GSM, yes, overly descriptive. You have me there.:rolleyes: I hope I have clarified statements better now. :D

Thank you for your comments.
 
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Briax said:
Did i get something wrong? I thought the iPhone 4 had a 800 MHz processor, where as the 3GS had a 600 MHz? Just asking since quite a few of you, state that they have the same processor? :eek:
Click to expand...

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/06/iphone-teardown-reveals-underclocked-833mhz-cpu/
The most interesting part is the CPU, the Samsung S5PC100 (both previous iPhones used the Samsung S3C6400). It runs at 600MHz, just as T-Mobile let slip last week, but according to Samsung’s spec sheet it can run at up to 833MHz and its native speed is 667MHz. This means that Apple is underclocking, presumably for better battery life.
Click to expand...

And for contrast the A4 processor of iPhone 4 has not been disclosed but the same processor in the iPad (1 Gen) was clocked at 1GHz.
Wiki... cause I can not find any better statements
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A4
Apple A4 is based on the ARM processor architecture.[7] The first version released runs at 1 GHz for the iPad and contains an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU core paired with a PowerVR SGX 535 graphics processor (GPU)[4][8][9][10] built on Samsung's 45-nanometer (nm) silicon chip fabrication process.[11] Clock speed for the units used in the iPhone 4, iPod Touch, and Apple TVs have not been revealed.
Click to expand...
 
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