The way Apple handles iOS upgrades is almost criminal.

[Armen]

1: Third Party Keyboards that suck and take forever to load.
2: Not widgets. They're "interactive notifications", and their limited.
3: Big deal. Not everyone has a Mac.
4: Not that big to brag about.

1. Yes, the keyboards need some tweaks and will most likely work much better in later version of iOS 8.

2. Are you under the impression that a widget has to be clickable? Widgets give you a glimpse into app data without opening the actual app. Limited vs not existing?

3. Just because YOU don't have a Mac or iPad to take advantage of the feature doesn't mean it's useless.. I make phone calls from my Mac all the time.

4. Said No one EVER on T-mobile who have an iPhone that support Wifi calling.

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And which of those features make ios8 slow? Not really big differences between 7 and 8 that justifies the choppiness. I could understand the problems with ios7, but 8??

I don't know what choppiness you are speaking of. iOS 8 was running fine on my iPhone 5 until I sold it. Could it be choppy on a 4S? probably?

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Why would people need to upgrade? What can you do with iOS8 that you can't do with iOS7? Very, very little. I would rather miss out on insignificant things than have my phone become laggy and frustrating to use. It seems that people will never agree on this Apple update thing.

Are you fighting in favor of keeping a phone for 3+ years with no iOS updates? I don't understand what you are defending.

 

[sunking101]

1. Yes, the keyboards need some tweaks and will most likely work much better in later version of iOS 8.

2. Are you under the impression that a widget has to be clickable? Widgets give you a glimpse into app data without opening the actual app. Limited vs not existing?

3. Just because YOU don't have a Mac or iPad to take advantage of the feature doesn't mean it's useless.. I make phone calls from my Mac all the time.

4. Said No one EVER on T-mobile who have an iPhone that support Wifi calling.

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I don't know what choppiness you are speaking of. iOS 8 was running fine on my iPhone 5 until I sold it. Could it be choppy on a 4S? probably?

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Are you fighting in favor of keeping a phone for 3+ years with no iOS updates? I don't understand what you are defending.

I'm saying that Apple should do one of two things when it comes to their iOS updates. Either optimise them to run on older devices just as well as the previous o/s, or make it quite clear that rather than the promised all 'round loveliness, clicking that update button may irreversibly ruin your device.
Now of course 'ruin' is subjective but to a lot of people, any lag or stuttering is bad. Some accept it because they got some 'amazing' new feature in return, but others don't accept core features being slowed down.

 

[Armen]

I'm saying that Apple should do one of two things when it comes to their iOS updates. Either optimise them to run on older devices just as well as the previous o/s, or make it quite clear that rather than the promised all 'round loveliness, clicking that update button may irreversibly ruin your device.
Now of course 'ruin' is subjective but to a lot of people, any lag or stuttering is bad. Some accept it because they got some 'amazing' new feature in return, but others don't accept core features being slowed down.

Ok, that I can understand.

 

[I7guy]

I'm saying that Apple should do one of two things when it comes to their iOS updates. Either optimise them to run on older devices just as well as the previous o/s, or make it quite clear that rather than the promised all 'round loveliness, clicking that update button may irreversibly ruin your device.
Now of course 'ruin' is subjective but to a lot of people, any lag or stuttering is bad. Some accept it because they got some 'amazing' new feature in return, but others don't accept core features being slowed down.

Clearly, not everybody will be happy. I'm happy to get new features as long as the majority of what I do isn't compromised. There is some slight lag here and there on my ipad 2, but in places it doesn't really make a difference for me. In other places my ipad 2 runs better than on 7.1.2 in places it does make a difference. So to me it's a wash.

 

[wiredup72]

1989 dude, wrong target


OS X and Macs are different devices from iDevices.
My MacBook pro is three years old and I'm not going to change it any soon.

They are not following Microsoft's model: they are following the market.

Very good.
But you are the perfect target for my comments. I have been using apple since 1984 so I wasn't trying to get into a phallic contest, but curious. I promise I am not being antagonistic.

You are the perfect target because I am most curious about fellow long time users dismissing OR defending their current practices. ESPECIALLY since you think it is just a "market" thing. Whatever that means.

Apple's new direction of crap OS updates is across the IOS and OSX platforms. Why are long time users accepting this direction? Don't you remember the days when you bought a new Mac OS and all of a sudden your Quadra Pro ran faster than the day you bought it?

 

[iososx]

Apple has perfected the art of making their products obsolescent at a rate that keeps the company extremely profitable. That's their prerogative and they do it well.

 

[I7guy]

Apple has perfected the art of making their products obsolescent at a rate that keeps the company extremely profitable. That's their prerogative and they do it well.

4 years are how long I keep phones. Bb storm 4 years. Iphone 4 almost 4 years. Apples schedule and mine coincide.

 

[braddick]

Those of you stating you, "can't downgrade once you've upgraded" are partially wrong. For whatever reason, Apple has been liberal with their time in not killing off the signing of older firmware. There is ample time after an upgrade to figure out if you like it or not and then restore back to the older firmware.

It is only after a couple weeks (or even a few weeks as of late) Apple stops signing.

Otherwise, yes I agree- would be sweet if Apple simply opened up the ability to sign any firmware to any iDevice that did at one time have it available to it.

 

[DoctorKrabs]

Those of you stating you, "can't downgrade once you've upgraded" are partially wrong. For whatever reason, Apple has been liberal with their time in not killing off the signing of older firmware. There is ample time after an upgrade to figure out if you like it or not and then restore back to the older firmware.

It is only after a couple weeks (or even a few weeks as of late) Apple stops signing.

Otherwise, yes I agree- would be sweet if Apple simply opened up the ability to sign any firmware to any iDevice that did at one time have it available to it.

It only is now, after people like the OP have complained about it. Threads like this are that "whatever reason" for Apple giving more time.

iOS 6 signing ended three days after iOS 7 came out, and iOS 7.0 was a disgustingly buggy release on top of taking a lot of getting used to for its look and feel.

 

[Harry8]

It's called built-in or planned obsolescence. This is the Apple way!

 

[Dan70]

Newer software on older hardware is never going to always work.

Is it just me who thinks this or...?

 

[Mildredop]

I always upgrade my devices to the latest OS and I have never felt that way

Oh wow, I most certainly have. I remember when they updated iOS and my 3GS (as well as other people's) took literally 30 secs to open messages.

 

[Bahroo]

The 5S is hardly that old and the 5C is based on the i5, which is more than up to the task because very little has changed in terms of performance since the i5. Sadly the new iPhone 6 will have the least amount of longevity of any phone released by Apple in the last two and a bit years due to the RAM it shares with the 5/5S.
So technically, we're talking about iOS updates which affect iPhones with genuinely lesser specs such as iOS7 on the iPhone 4 for instance, or iOS8 on the 4S. Both those phones perform like pigs on the last updates they were eligible for. Just wait until iPhones get more RAM, then the trio of 5/5S/6 will be similarly affected together.

the 6 and 6 Plus wont really ever slow down dramatically really ever, because were at a certain point where we have more then enough processing power for a mobile OS, Long gone are the days of single core cortex ARM A8 cores, we literally have laptop like performance from a few years ago in our smartphone. , down the road you will see some features stripped out obviously probably due to lack of RAM, but your not gonna see a A7/A8 device in 2-3 years perform like how a 4S/4 does today on modern iOS

You simply cant compare at all a ridiculously slow iPhone 4 with a single core on Cortex A8 architecture, and th 4S being a dual core based on Cortex A9.

The A7/A8 are literally leagues ahead and have dual cores now with a ton more single core performance per core

"Very little has changed in performance since the i5"

This has to be the most ridiculous statement i have heard all week, congrats sir,


There is more of a performance difference divide between the A7 and A6 then any past iPhone generation comparisons, going from the A6 to the A7 has been Apple's biggest gain in performance in iPhone history and you will see a even bigger divide as apps start to use 64 bit code after Feb 2015, giving the 5S/6 (any A7/A8 device) a 30-40% speed increase/performance improvement

 

[Count Blah]

It only is now, after people like the OP have complained about it. Threads like this are that "whatever reason" for Apple giving more time.

iOS 6 signing ended three days after iOS 7 came out, and iOS 7.0 was a disgustingly buggy release on top of taking a lot of getting used to for its look and feel.

Exactly. I so wished iOS 6 was still signed - even for a single day longer. It took me 4 days to realize how awful iOS 7 had degraded the battery on my 4s.

 

[Woochifer]

the 6 and 6 Plus wont really ever slow down dramatically really ever, because were at a certain point where we have more then enough processing power for a mobile OS, Long gone are the days of single core cortex ARM A8 cores, we literally have laptop like performance from a few years ago in our smartphone. , down the road you will see some features stripped out obviously probably due to lack of RAM, but your not gonna see a A7/A8 device in 2-3 years perform like how a 4S/4 does today on modern iOS

You simply cant compare at all a ridiculously slow iPhone 4 with a single core on Cortex A8 architecture, and th 4S being a dual core based on Cortex A9.

The A7/A8 are literally leagues ahead and have dual cores now with a ton more single core performance per core

"Very little has changed in performance since the i5"

This has to be the most ridiculous statement i have heard all week, congrats sir, you won the award for most dumbest comment

There is more of a performance difference divide between the A7 and A6 then any past iPhone generation comparisons, going from the A6 to the A7 has been Apple's biggest gain in performance in iPhone history and you will see a even bigger divide as apps start to use 64 bit code after Feb 2015, giving the 5S/6 (any A7/A8 device) a 30-40% speed increase/performance improvement

Agreed. The A7 basically doubled the CPU performance over the A6, and the roadmap to deprecating 32-bit support is quite obvious with the 64-bit requirement on the App Store looming and the 5c slogging along as the only remaining A6-powered iOS device on the market.

The 64-bit A7 will be the line in the sand for developer support, since the performance gap between the A7 and A8 is not that big, and they both share the same 1 GB of RAM. In this regard, the combined 5s/6/6 Plus user base can almost be viewed as one group, and a rather sizable one.

The primary improvement for the A8 was the power consumption reduction, which enabled going to larger screens without a comparably large increase in weight and thickness. The A9 is setting up for another big jump in performance. But, the combined user base for the A7/A8 will remain the majority of the iOS market for a long time, and developers will target that accordingly.

 

[HarryWild]

I always get tempted to upgrade my iOS because some App update to the latest iOS. A few Apps even try to force the issue by not working anymore unless you upgrade the iOS!

Those Apps that stop working and insist you upgrades to the latest iOS version to download their latest App; I just delete that App!

 

[Imory]

the 6 and 6 Plus wont really ever slow down dramatically really ever, because were at a certain point where we have more then enough processing power for a mobile OS, Long gone are the days of single core cortex ARM A8 cores, we literally have laptop like performance from a few years ago in our smartphone. , down the road you will see some features stripped out obviously probably due to lack of RAM, but your not gonna see a A7/A8 device in 2-3 years perform like how a 4S/4 does today on modern iOS

You simply cant compare at all a ridiculously slow iPhone 4 with a single core on Cortex A8 architecture, and th 4S being a dual core based on Cortex A9.

The A7/A8 are literally leagues ahead and have dual cores now with a ton more single core performance per core

"Very little has changed in performance since the i5"

This has to be the most ridiculous statement i have heard all week, congrats sir,


There is more of a performance difference divide between the A7 and A6 then any past iPhone generation comparisons, going from the A6 to the A7 has been Apple's biggest gain in performance in iPhone history and you will see a even bigger divide as apps start to use 64 bit code after Feb 2015, giving the 5S/6 (any A7/A8 device) a 30-40% speed increase/performance improvement

You're absolutely right regarding the progress of processing power, which to me personally seems to be significant higher than how we've seen iOS develop over the years. iOS just hasn't been as sophisticated to warrant lag or performance hits from the newer chipsets. However, any great piece of hardware can be ruined by bad software (just look at the god awful Touchwiz). I'm not saying that's a road Apple is going to take, but iOS 8 has been incredibly disappointing and is now slowly getting back to where it should be (still waiting on them to fix the weather app).

but your not gonna see a A7/A8 device in 2-3 years perform like how a 4S/4 does today on modern iOS

I want to believe you're right about that, but let's just wait and see. I would argue that we have reached a maturity with theses smartphones in terms of power, but shoddy software can make these slow over time if Apple doesn't get a grip and actually releases polished software.

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The A9 is setting up for another big jump in performance. But, the combined user base for the A7/A8 will remain the majority of the iOS market for a long time, and developers will target that accordingly.

Remains to be seen, but it's almost impossible for Apple to keep delivering these huge leaps of performance for each or every other year. The smartphone industry is obviously a very competitive one unlike desktops where Intel will give you their usual tick-tock increases, but I'd be surprised if Apple could keep going like this. Needless to say, I would gladly welcome it.

 

[janitor1999]

Yes Apple are a lot better at issuing updates than android, I'm still waiting for Samsung to issue the update for 4.4.3 on my S4, but I do wish they would be more careful on telling people an update will work, when in all honesty, the hardware isn't up to it, we have two iPad 2 which apple say is capable of running IOS 8, when to be truthful the hardware isn't up to it, but now I've taken apples expert opinion that it's ok to do so, but it's like running through treacle, can I go back to something that works fine no, these are the only two problems I have with this.

 

[err404]

I feel the solution should just be to let people install whatever firmware they want. Keep it like it is now, but allow downgrades. That's all.

There is a practical reason for not allowing this. One of the primary issues addressed with upgrades is plugging security holes. Since security is part of the core OS update, devices running older versions of iOS is vulnerable to hacks and exploits that can comprimise your device.
Any time Apple rushs out a fix to block a Jailbreak, they are also keeping your device secure. Take a look at the recent exploits going around in China. These were based upon JB code.
Personally I would consider it irresponsible for Apple to sign iOS versions with known exploits.
Also, limiting the number of expoitable devices, makes the creation of malware less attractive.
While I agree that devices do degrade in performance over time, the alternative is API fragmentation and security exploits.
If you to downgrade your OS, the terrorists win !

 

[C DM]

There is a practical reason for not allowing this. One of the primary issues addressed with upgrades is plugging security holes. Since security is part of the core OS update, devices running older versions of iOS is vulnerable to hacks and exploits that can comprimise your device.
Any time Apple rushs out a fix to block a Jailbreak, they are also keeping your device secure. Take a look at the recent exploits going around in China. These were based upon JB code.
Personally I would consider it irresponsible for Apple to sign iOS versions with known exploits.
Also, limiting the number of expoitable devices, makes the creation of malware less attractive.
While I agree that devices do degrade in performance over time, the alternative is API fragmentation and security exploits.
If you to downgrade your OS, the terrorists win !

And yet they do all that with OS X and have been doing it for decades.

 

[XmeX]

This is the imperialism

 

[MarcusCarpenter]

Apple should let us install any version of iOS on any supported device, even if they just allowed the last version of iOS 7, 6 any maybe release security patches like they do on OS 10

 

[err404]

And yet they do all that with OS X and have been doing it for decades.

Apples and oranges. They are different business models, different use cases and different user bases. There is a higher appetite of risk for desktop users when it comes to malware. The iOS appetite for malware is essentially zero. I'm sure if Apple could realistically stop support for older OSX versions they would.
But at the end of the day iOS is not OSX. They are not managed the same nor do they have the same design goals.

 

[C DM]

Apples and oranges. They are different business models, different use cases and different user bases. There is a higher appetite of risk for desktop users when it comes to malware. The iOS appetite for malware is essentially zero. I'm sure if Apple could realistically stop support for older OSX versions they would.
But at the end of the day iOS is not OSX. They are not managed the same nor do they have the same design goals.

I agree that they are not the same and have different goals. What I was saying is that if Apple wanted to they could make them more similar. Nothing really preventing it aside from Apple wanting to do it or not basically.

 

[sracer]

There is a practical reason for not allowing this. One of the primary issues addressed with upgrades is plugging security holes. Since security is part of the core OS update, devices running older versions of iOS is vulnerable to hacks and exploits that can comprimise your device.
Any time Apple rushs out a fix to block a Jailbreak, they are also keeping your device secure. Take a look at the recent exploits going around in China. These were based upon JB code.
Personally I would consider it irresponsible for Apple to sign iOS versions with known exploits.
Also, limiting the number of expoitable devices, makes the creation of malware less attractive.
While I agree that devices do degrade in performance over time, the alternative is API fragmentation and security exploits.
If you to downgrade your OS, the terrorists win !

That doesn't make sense to me.

How does that "practical reason" fit into the scenario where Apple released a security fix simultaneously for iOS 6 and iOS 7 and required all devices running iOS 6 to update to iOS 7 if the devices was permitted to upgrade (if the security fix was needed)?

What about the other iOS devices still in service that are not capable of upgrading to the latest version of iOS?