Planned Obsolescence, or Every New iOS Update Making iPhones Older than the Newest Model Slower

[Septembersrain]

I think because they release updates to make the best of newer devices, it unfortunately won't be optimised as well for older ones. It seems with Android that's why their updates are so sporadic. Apple tries to keep the platform unified but that will have its drawbacks too.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Development in mobile hardware is currently at a much faster pace than in desktops and laptops. You will therefore notice bigger variations in speed between mobile devices than desktops and laptops. Once mobile hardware has matured sufficiently, there will be much smaller variations and speed differences won't be as noticeable.

Absolutely true. Only on the mobile front are we seeing performance increases of 50%-100%+ annually.

 

[Wondercow]

I just wanted to throw in my two cents: I have an iPhone 6 that I got on launch day and iOS 10 runs very well on it. I feel no need to upgrade my phone at this point; I will admit, though, that Notification Centre is a little slow, but no more so than it was on iOS 9. I figure that's due to the amount of memory available, and I'm guessing that it's unloaded regularly and then reloaded on demand, thus the small wait time. YMMV.

 

[Hutch1]

Which isn't evidence of anything sinister or some sort of conspiracy.

Not sure how it could be a conspiracy, who are they conspiring with. Apple controls it all. A conspiracy by definition requires a minimum of two parties.

 

[Xgm541]

It's obvious that older phones are purposefully slowed down. The evidence is in simple tasks like typing.

When I got my iPhone 4S it was blazing fast. Typing felt exactly like when I got my 6S+. I've upgraded every year (skipping the 7 since I need a headphone jack) but kept my 4S as an iPod.

Well, after a few years of upgrading iOS the 4S is like walking through 3 feet of mud. Click a letter... wait... the letter appears on the screen... click another letter... wait...

It's a joke. My old Vic 20 from 1980 doesn't have a problem making letters appear on a screen after typing.

If I could corner Tim Cook I would ask him that one question. Why is the processor that was lightning fast when new, now all of a sudden slowed to a crawl doing a task that is exactly the same as it was back then?

Nothing has changed in the way iPhones type. And yet, the 4S can no longer handle it.

It's obvious. The new OS is programmed to specifically slow down older devices to the point that they are unusable.

Your iphone 4s came with iOS 5. iOS 5 did not have custom keyboard support. iOS 9 does have custom keyboard support. So "Nothing has changed in the way iPhones type" is an inaccurate statement.

 

[Negan Lannister]

I prefer not to software update unless I really need to. I think iPhones last better than Androids from half a decade ago but Android has matured enough in 2013-2016 that sub-$100 budget phones could surpass flagships from the 2011-2012 era and Google doesn't force its users to update. How the smartphone industry works emulates how the automobile industry with new year models. Qualifying for an upgrade tempts consumers to get the latest and greatest until the next two years is due. Stick to notebooks for longevity and productivity and smartphones for funner flings. If an iPhone can last a solid 3-5 years, a notebook can last double that and you can improve its parts to make it last a lifetime.

https://9to5mac.com/2015/07/27/opin...s-biggest-unsung-selling-point/comment-page-1

Opinion: A Mac’s longevity is its biggest unsung selling point

OS X

At 9to5Mac, we focus a lot on new versions of the Mac’s OS X operating system: point releases (“10.9” to “10.10”), point point releases (“10.10.1” to “10.10.2”), and even beta releases (“10.11 beta 3”). But many users — particularly ones who bought their last Macs nearly a decade ago — care little, if at all, about new releases of OS X. They don’t need to: even old versions of OS X “just work” well enough for most people.

Hard-core Mac fans would be amazed at how many 2015 Mac upgraders are still running OS X Lion, which came out four years ago, or earlier versions of the operating system such as 2007’s OS X Leopard, the last to support PowerPC processors. Yes, it’s true: there are some Mac users who have never upgraded OS X to a new major release over the Internet, used iCloud, or even seen the Mac App Store.

 

[Timothy Leo Crowley]

Again, the complaint is not that they are not supporting old devices, it is that they aren't optimizing the OS' for all versions of active hardware. Good programming (I am a software engineer) requires optimizing the users experience, regardless of the device they are using. It is understandable that actions requiring advanced hardware are either not available, or run significantly slower. But when it comes to simple navigation of the home screen, this should not be noticeable to the user.

To me, it boils down to Apple trying to come out with a new major OS every year. The cycle continues, and seems to be getting worse. Every year the X.0 software runs almost perfectly on the latest hardware, but runs buggy on all older hardware. Apple then chases their tail with all X.X and X.X.X versions until, once again, they repeat the cycle... Just when they get it better for the older devices, they restart the cycle again. For example 8.4.x was great on all older devices, but it came out something like a month before 9 did, which again started the cycle until the last version of 9. So it appears like planned obsolescence, but in reality it is bad OS programming.

MS changes the major OS after years, does Service Packs a couple times per OS, but does security and small feature updates weekly. This cycle may not be perfect for Apple, but how about change the annual cycle to maybe a biennial (once every 2 years) cycle. This gives more time to optimize the current OS for older devices, while adding new features for the "s" device as a "service pack".

Remember there are FAR more older phones out in the wild than the newest each year, why not focus on the larger group of your customers?

Because we want the new features and faster speeds that come with the new OS. It's like you want to hobble progress so your old phone can do the latest software. Backassward, in my view.

 

[iceterminal]

The idea/logic behind planned or designed obsolescence is inherent with almost every product since the beginning. Cars, phones, televisions, even your toaster and bread that goes into it.
Whether is planned to as to cause future purchases, is debatable. But I do believe that with humans wanting more, bigger, better, faster, stronger, its only logical to believe that older items will become slower and less than ideal. The iPhone is no different. Same as Android, etc.

 

[C DM]

The idea/logic behind planned or designed obsolescence is inherent with almost every product since the beginning. Cars, phones, televisions, even your toaster and bread that goes into it.
Whether is planned to as to cause future purchases, is debatable. But I do believe that with humans wanting more, bigger, better, faster, stronger, its only logical to believe that older items will become slower and less than ideal. The iPhone is no different. Same as Android, etc.

That's kind more along the lines of something like "planned progress" or realistically just "expected/inevitable progress" than the other way around.

 

[Jayson A]

It kinda makes me wonder if we really need all these features that they keep bloating iOS with.

What's so different now that you couldn't do in iOS 8? Widgets? I don't even use widgets.

Also, I feel like my iPad mini 4 performs better than my iPhone 7 Plus and that's kinda weird.

iOS lost its zippiness when Apple introduced Metal. I remember when my iPhone 6 was crazy fast and 100% smooth all the time, but when iOS 9 came out, it stuttered all the time. People said it was only a beta and that it would get better. Then release after release, it only got slightly better, but in 9.3 Apple introduced a bug where auto brightness would cause it to lag.

It only truly got a lot better when iOS 10 came out, but now I feel like it's slowly getting laggier with each update. Even on Apple's latest hardware like iPhone 7 Plus.
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That's kind more along the lines of something like "planned progress" or realistically just "expected/inevitable progress" than the other way around.

I have a 2006 Mac Pro that runs Mac OS X El Capitan and it still FLIES. Best computer I ever purchased.

However, it seems as if iOS doesn't get optimized for performance like OS X does.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I have a 2006 Mac Pro that runs Mac OS X El Capitan and it still FLIES. Best computer I ever purchased.

However, it seems as if iOS doesn't get optimized for performance like OS X does.

That's because they have to optimize for their laptop line. The 2013 Mac Pro is several times more powerful than the newest MacBook Pro. It could take over a decade for the MacBooks to catch up to Mac desktop performance.

 

[BigDO]

Planned obsolescence is a nonsensical tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. If you don't understand software/hardware engineering enough to know why that's the case, you need to just go back to commenting on the Kardashians and leave this stuff to the engineers.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Planned obsolescence is a nonsensical tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. If you don't understand software/hardware engineering enough to know why that's the case, you need to just go back to commenting on the Kardashians and leave this stuff to the engineers.

I'll admit the blogger in me can get a bit clickbaity with titles at times, as I don't believe in planned obsolescence for the most part as it is a slightly nonsensical term. Maybe, maybe the developers forgo a modicum of optimization to entice users to upgrade annually; just enough for the UI to not feel as smooth, but for the phone to still work perfectly well.

Of course iOS requires more resources with every update, and I wouldn't expect a phone over two years old to be as usable as the newest model. All I want is for a new iPhone (i.e. iPhone 7 with iOS 10 and 11) to last two major iOS versions without developing UI lag. By the time I upgrade my iPhone in November or December when the model I want is in-stock my older iPhone is already starting to feel a little sluggish; although, a less savvy eye may not notice or care.

 

[trifid]

I'll admit the blogger in me can get a bit clickbaity with titles at times, as I don't believe in planned obsolescence for the most part as it is a slightly nonsensical term. Maybe, maybe the developers forgo a modicum of optimization to entice users to upgrade annually; just enough for the UI to not feel as smooth, but for the phone to still work perfectly well.

Of course iOS requires more resources with every update, and I wouldn't expect a phone over two years old to be as usable as the newest model. All I want is for a new iPhone (i.e. iPhone 7 with iOS 10 and 11) to last two major iOS versions without developing UI lag. By the time I upgrade my iPhone in November or December when the model I want is in-stock my older iPhone is already starting to feel a little sluggish; although, a less savvy eye may not notice or care.

I'll go even further: let us tweak animations, you won't believe how much faster iOS feels on older jailbroken hardware that has animations switched off or sped up. But no, Apple doesn't care, they don't mind showing off stuttering animations feast, the more lag you feel the more inclined you'll be to buy a new iPhone.

 

[Zaft]

I'll go even further: let us tweak animations, you won't believe how much faster iOS feels on older jailbroken hardware that has animations switched off or sped up. But no, Apple doesn't care, they don't mind showing off stuttering animations feast, the more lag you feel the more inclined you'll be to buy a new iPhone.

you can turn off animations in settings.

 

[Jayson A]

you can turn off animations in settings.

No you can't. Also, it only affects a few of the animations, but there are still a lot of animations that stay intact (like when using photos app for example. The photos still zoom in and out when you open them). It's a bit inconsistent.

 

[mtneer]

I just wish Apple would stop "supporting" older devices with new iOS's, at least until Apple can hire competent engineers. I pine for a day when a device will be left alone to perform as it did when it was purchased.

 

[Math889]

Let's see how IPhone 5s will perform on iOS 11. The original IPad Air is one of the laggiest devices I have ever seen. Imagine how crap the original IPad Air will run iOS 11 .

 

[rui no onna]

Let's see how IPhone 5s will perform on iOS 11. The original IPad Air is one of the laggiest devices I have ever seen. Imagine how crap the original IPad Air will run iOS 11 .

Sound like you haven't used an iPad 3.

 

[Math889]

Sound like you haven't used an iPad 3.

The worst iPads ever made : iPad 3, iPad Air 1
I used an iPad 3 with iOS 9. So laggy.But , I saw an iPad 2 with iOS 9 , and it's a lot worse compared to iPad 3

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Planned obsolescence is a nonsensical tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. If you don't understand software/hardware engineering enough to know why that's the case, you need to just go back to commenting on the Kardashians and leave this stuff to the engineers.

As a software engineer...

Apple could certainly do more to optimize iOS for lower end hardware, but they choose not to. Whether or not it's because they can't afford the resources or because they are pushing planned obsolescence is the real question.

 

[Zaft]

As a software engineer...

Apple could certainly do more to optimize iOS for lower end hardware, but they choose not to. Whether or not it's because they can't afford the resources or because they are pushing planned obsolescence is the real question.

Its probably a combination of both. They dont want to spend a lot of resources on old hardware and dont want people to stick to old hardware.

Its a business and apple is in it to make money. They dont make money if you keep your iPhone for 4 years.

 

[noekozz]

I've been experiencing the same thing on my 6 Plus. In fact, I was thinking about this very same logic last night.

I update every other year but skipped this time around in hopes of this years iPhone (whatever they end up calling it), but it's as if with every new iOS update, Apple is making my phone slower and causing it do things it wasn't doing before, currently I'm dealing with a screen glitch that causes my phone to crash regardless of how many times I reboot.

Why not just stop signing off on the older version of the iPhone all together? or at least give us the option to update our devices instead of pushing it OTA. I was so close to upgrading last night, but at this point in the game I might as well hold off since it's kind of late in the cycle.

 

[rui no onna]

The worst iPads ever made : iPad 3, iPad Air 1
I used an iPad 3 with iOS 9. So laggy.But , I saw an iPad 2 with iOS 9 , and it's a lot worse compared to iPad 3

To be quite honest, much like how there were big performance leaps between early iPhone models, the same is true for early iPad models. Long term iOS support doesn't automatically translate to good performance on later firmware versions as evidenced by your experience with the iPad 2.

With iPhones, the 5s (7th gen) was really the first model to maintain good performance for a relatively long period. Maybe the 5 (6th gen) if you're feeling generous.

With iPads, given the much higher hardware requirements for the 2048x1536 resolution, it's not until the Air 2 (6th gen) when you reach 5s-level longevity.

It's not really so much that the Air is one of the worst iPads ever made. I've used 2, 3, 4 & Air on iOS 7, 8 & 9, and the Air definitely beats the 2&3 and is at least comparable to the 4 age/performance-wise (at least if you don't count iPad 4/iOS 6 combo). That said, hardware on the Air just isn't sufficient to handle software designed for devices with 2.5-3x CPU performance and 4x GPU performance.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

No you can't. Also, it only affects a few of the animations, but there are still a lot of animations that stay intact (like when using photos app for example. The photos still zoom in and out when you open them). It's a bit inconsistent.

Agreed. You can reduce motion, but you can't eliminate animations unless you're jailbroken. I wish people would stop repeating this crap.