Given how slow the iPhone 3G runs under iOS 4, I can't say I'm surprised. I bet iOS 5 will have optimizations for the A-class processors, and the A4 will be the cutoff.
This is doubtful as the A4 on the iPhone 4 isn't anywhere near as different from the processing power on the iPhone 3GS as the processing power on the iPhone 3GS is to that of the iPhone 3G. 3GS was primarily a major speed bump, whereas 4 was a feature bump.
Well... It's my opportunity to sell my 3Gs and move to Android ^^"...
Like you didn't have that freedom from the get-go.
Why is it ridiculous? They're still selling the iPod Classic which doesn't have any version of iOS. Never mind the hardware doesn't support the OS; because that's probably the same issue in this case.
...for a fraction of the price. People buying the 3GS already know they are buying an outdated phone in the first place.
Comparing the iPod Classic's software/firmware to the iOS devices is an invalid comparison. Yes, the classic is old hardware; but where are the technological advances to it? iOS and the hardware evolve every time one of the current three devices gets an update. People buying a 3GS know that it's not the newest iPhone. But it's an iPhone and if I'm buying it, I either better be getting a good deal for them to cut me off (and I suppose $50 isn't that terrible for a full-featured Smartphone) that soon with software support or I better be getting as many future updates as the device will technically support.
Wouldn't surprise me at all.
iphone 3GS will likely be discontinued with the release of the next phone anyway. Don't get stuck on the past folks.
JohnG
It is presumed that this phone will still be on sale tomorrow, perhaps even next week. Are you telling us that we shouldn't be stuck on the future (let alone the present)? 'Cause that makes no sense at all.
Not really. Support for the original iPhone lasted until 3.0, support for the 3G basically stopped with 4.0, so why would we expect the 3GS to get special treatment?
We all knew this was going to happen.
Because the iPhone got three versions of iOS and the iPhone 3G got three versions of iOS (granted they didn't get much of 4) and given that the most major evolution of the computing to date (in terms of iOS devices) innards came with the iPhone 3GS, it's unfair to assume that being allowed to run some form of iOS 5 would be "special treatment".
Right, the 3G got iOS 4, and people complained non stop about performance. Looks like they are trying to avoid a repeat of this.
We're not used to it in the fairly mature hardware world of laptops and desktops, where gains is software are significant, but hardware doesn't change too much. But at the moment, mobile hardware capabilities and development is outpacing software development. We can't expect the same amount of OS backward compatibility on mobile devices.
Uh...you must have it backwards. There was one major leap in hardware with the 3GS, and a minor bump when Apple decided to centralize everything on the CPU itself with the A4. Even the A5 is minor as it's more or less a slightly faster A4 with two processor cores instead of one. Whereas it's the software that makes the hardware obsolete more than it is the other way around.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)
Not being able to install the latest and greatest version of an operating system does not make a product obsolete...
Not being able to install updated versions of apps that now require the later version of an operating system than that product can run DOES make a product obsolete.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)It still does everything and more than it did when it was purchased, so there really is no need to complain.
It can't download apps from the app store that require the latest version of the OS, even if there was at one point a version of that software that did run on that same device under an earlier OS.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)
And will you still be able to use iOS after other people with later hardware have updated to iOS 5? Yes! Will you still be able to install apps? Yes! Will you get support from apple if your phone is still under warranty? Yes!
Will you be able to use the latest and greatest functions? Of course not, but that's the price you pay for using old hardware. The 3GS is 2 years old now, that's ancient is today's technology terms.
You will not be able to install apps that have been updated to take advantage of (and therefore require) the new OS. That really does impede functionality, you know.
iPhone 3G had 128MB of RAM. iPhone 3GS had 256MB of RAM.
I can still see some performance hits but the phone is way useful, smooth and productive.
I am fine with the 3GS not being updated. 2 years of great usage and experience. Time to buy a new phone.
Maybe I'd be inclined to agree with you were I not required to sign a 2-year agreement every time I bought a phone. That 2-year agreement and the fact that the $50 phone isn't really a $50 phone, but rather a $50 phone and a $200-300 cancellation, I don't know about you, but I'd like to not have to make that kind of expense that often.
It could do a max of six smallish apps. Any game would flush at least 3 out. iPad 1 doesn't qualify as a multi tasker for me.
I own an iPad 1 and can attest from experience that you are entirely wrong.
Good luck getting your Android to update to the next version of their OS. Android OS upgrade roll outs flat out fails in comparison to Apple's upgrade implementation of iOS.
Seriously, at least with Apple you understand that every 3rd generation old phone will not be supported. Every 2nd generation will with a lack of some feature or two. And they almost exactly coincide with the launch of the iOS.
With Android, it is just so fragmented, and frankly, why deal with the hassle on a mobile?
Android OS updates are nowhere near as crucial for developers as iOS updates are.
Recap:
iPhone 1/2G - iPhoneOS 1 updates to v.2
iPhone 3G - iPhoneOS 2 updates to v.3
iPhone 3Gs - iPhoneOS 3 to iOS 4
iPhone 4 - iOS 4 and 5 maybe 6?
iPhone 5 - iOS 5 and future iOS 6,7?
The first iPhone updates to v.3.x; the 3G goes to 4.2.1; might want to get it straight as that will affect your end argument.
So Apple should make an 3GS with an A4 chip?
It would certainly be an improvement from the glass-on-glass design of the iPhone 4.
Sucks to be on a 3Gs and a developer... Maybe it's time to move to Android.
Android's apps are predominantly free; fewer people buy apps on Android. Though if you want 100% of your proceeds and not 70%, go for it!
3GS initially shipped with OS 3.0. So, 3GS owners are only getting release OS + 1 in this case...
Hence the negative outcry.
Not a surprise, really.
From
Apple's iPhone License (pdf)
Since the 3GS shipped with iOS 3, they would be guaranteed support through iOS 4.x.
8GB 3GS models (i.e. ones that ship alongside the iPhone 4) come preloaded with 4. By that token, they're supposed to get 5 eventually.
Total Rubbish. One of Apple's leading advantages is their legacy HW support in OS upgrades.
We understand, the 3GS may not be able to provide the fluid iOS 5 experience (new expose like views etc) the 4 and 5/4s will...that doesnt mean it should be left in the dark wholeheartedly.
Apple is actually kinda lame about legacy HW support in iOS upgrades. They're not bad with it when it comes to Mac OS X upgrades, though I do think that they cut PowerPC support out a LITTLE too soon, though they wanted to make Snow Leopard lean and mean and ready for the future, so that makes sense.
Precisely. Yours is the case we are arguing. Don't sell a device if you expect to stop supporting updates in only a few months. They no longer sell the iPad 1 or the 3rd gen touch, and it's very likely the former of those will still see the update.
I'd venture that the latter of those two will also see the update, but I don't know anything about iOS 5 and whether it is a large update like 4 was or a relatively minor update like 3 was.
iPad 1 has the A4 CPU, like the iPhone 4, but only 256MB RAM, like the 3GS.
All three are using a Cortex A8.
Samsung took almost 10 months to upgrade to android OS 2.2 on their Galaxy S phones here in US. 2.3 is out and that is to be released later.
A lot of android phones are still running OS 2.1 or even 2.0.
So, what is this about again?
Apple supported their 3GS for 2 years. What did you expect? 20 years?
Only the Motorola Droid ran 2.0 and it now runs 2.2.2, most Android phones are on 2.2, while there are a few left behind on 2.1. Apple has given iOS devices three versions of iOS if you count the one they originally ship with. To say that they'll now only provide two is bad news bears as that shortens the timetable that most people will be buying these devices. I know Apple is a business and needs to take our money, but to that degree is a tad unfair.
So let's assemble all facts here :
The original iPhone and the iPhone 3G both got 3 releases of iOS.
The iPhone 3GS has the same amount of RAM as the iPad 1
The iPhone 3GS has a very similar SoC as the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 4/5 will have a different resolution than iPad 1/2 anyhow.
Yet this is telling us that the iPhone 3GS is only going to get 2 releases of iOS, with no details as to what would be blocking the latest iOS from working on it.
Doesn't. Make. Sense.
This.
All 3G and newer plans require you get a separate messaging plan, which cover both MMS and TXT. Those plans explicitly say they cover both TXT and MMS.
Original iPhone plans include 200 TXT, and offer an upgrade to unlimited TXT. There is no legitimate way to get a plan that except MMS on original iPhone.
There wasn't a difference in plans, it was Apple being stupid about designing that iPhone and it's OS without MMS. There's no (hardware) reason why my Verizon-laden Motorola RAZR (at the time) could do it and the iPhone couldn't.
From technological view, going from A4 to A5 it is a major upgrade.
How do you figure? Unless you are talking about the graphics. Because the CPU portion is only marginally faster than A4, it just has two cores instead of one. Graphics is where the iPad 2's A5 really has an edge over A4.
Absolutely. The Cortex A9 core is 25% faster clock for clock and there's two cores versus 1. The GPU doesn't even compare.
The CPU architecture is the same between the two so the CPI or IPC (same thing inverted) is consistent across the two. (I believe the iphone 4 has the same bus speed and type of RAM as the 3GS, which would be a big point if not).
The bus speed on the A9 is greatly increased and the IPC is vastly different because the A9 is an out-of-order architecture. It uses LPDDR2 RAM as opposed to LPDDR1. It's a whole new beast. The 3GS and iPhone 4 share MUCH MORE in common.
A5 still uses Cortex A8, bro.
if you think that they are going to support the iPad for longer periods of time, be prepared to be disappointed now!
For it costing as much as it does, I'd be shocked if they only give it support through iOS 5.
with a new OS out every few weeks. .
New versions of Android are about as frequent as versions of iOS; though as is the case with iOS, some are more important updates than others.
Who says "Apple plans obsolescence"?
Think about it... if you really believe that then you're saying that Apple deliberately makes devices that won't be able to do the things they haven't thought of (or perfected) yet...
I'm sorry... I just don't get it. Continually making better products IS NOT THE SAME AS planning for all products to be obsolete after a time.
It's more than just Apple. Do you ever want anyone in the world to make a better product? If you do, guess what... the product you bought won't be as good as the new one but it will still work just as well as the day you bought it.
If you don't want Apple to innovate, then kill all the innovators at Apple. After that go over and do the same at Google, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, HP, et cetera so that no new phone is ever made... now your current iPhone will never be obsolete. You win.
While you're at it, get rid of your car and buy a horse. Unplug your electricity and go and cut some firewood - otherwise your fireplace might become obsolete. </rant>
umadbro? Seriously, all that anger over something I posted in an Apple forum? Really? Anyway, until Apple puts in place a way for older iOS devices to still run the last supported version(s) of all apps on that iOS device for the latest version of iOS that said device is capable of running, which is a practice inherent in both iTunes (on Mac OS X and Windows) and the App Store (on iOS), then by nature of that system, my ability to run those apps on my devices is dependent on having the newest version of iOS and it is inevitable that I won't be able to always run that forever. It is in that regard, and only that regard, that these devices actually LOSE functionality and therefore become obsolete. PowerPC Macs can no longer run the latest version of FireFox, when that version of FireFox becomes the minimum to access most Websites, then that will be a lost functionality and said machine, for said purposes will become obsolete. Computers and computing devices are planned to be obsolete BECAUSE the innovation you speak of exists, and really, I'm not complaining that innovation exists. I'm complaining that my first generation iPod touch won't be able to run an available version of simple things like AIM or FaceBook, when really, I should be able to at least download an older version of those apps to run on said device. To mistake planned obsolescence for progress is wrong when they go hand in hand.
