What to do with an old PowerMac G5

[UncleSchnitty]

Do you know how horrid iOS 7 would run on the iPad 1? Sure it would run, but it would be like running Windows 7 on a Pentium 3 with 256MB of RAM and a 10GB hard drive on a ATA/33 bus. Completely awful. And before you say it, no the iPad 1 is not that similar to the iPhone 4. The iPad 1's GPU has to work much harder to drive more pixels, something that iOS 7 heavily taxes already on the iPhone 4. It's ram is half that of the iPhone 4's with the iPad 1 already being the most ram deficient of all A4 devices, due to its large screen. The only better thing is its CPU, but that isn't enough to make up for its overall extremely poor performance. Even when compared to the iPod Touch 4 and iPhone 4 all running iOS 5.1.1, the iPad 1 was the overall worst performer with the 3Gs beating it out in everything but raw CPU related tests.

I don't know how it would run because they never released it. And I run windows 8.1 on a 2004 HP celeron with a 1.6 single core. Is it super fast? No. Does it function? Yes. Video games do it all the time, they have settings for lower spec machines. Is the experience exactly the same? No but again I'm talking functionality. Give me the choice to upgrade to iOS 7 with features stripped out. I'm sure it can handle something so I can upgrade my apps. As it sits my chrome doesn't update so I can't use the sync feature do to a bug, hell my IMDb app won't upgrade, I'm sure that taxes the system. Netflix works and I'm sure that's more taxing than a new notification bar and some new icons.

 

[Intell]

Windows 8.1 has about the same requirements as Windows 7, but requires a hardware NX bit, something that no 1.6Ghz 2004 Celeron has which makes me doubt your clams. Intell didn't even make a 1.6Ghz Celeron in 2004, only 2002 and 2003 (excluding newer Core based Celerons). Try running Windows 7, which does not need a hardware NX bit, on a sub-Ghz Pentium III. Is it fast, no. Does it function, yes. But most importantly, is it usable. That answer is no. When it takes over 20 minutes to boot the system and another 5 to open any web browser, it just won't work for anyone who isn't comatose.

iOS 7, without the parts the iPad 1 can't run would be a console version of iOS. Something that Apple would never do. They'd have to strip out so many core and marketed features, besides the UI, that it would result in such a PR backlash unseen since iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G.

 

[UncleSchnitty]

Windows 8.1 has about the same requirements as Windows 7, but requires a hardware NX bit, something that most budget pre-2005 Celerons destined for budget HP boxes didn't have which makes me doubt your clams. Try running Windows 7, which does not need a hardware NX bit, on a sub-Ghz Pentium III. Is it fast, no. Does it function, yes. But most importantly, is it usable. That answer is no. When it takes over 20 minutes to boot the system and another 5 to open any web browser, it just won't work for anyone who isn't comatose.

iOS 7, without the parts the iPad 1 can't run would be a console version of iOS. Something that Apple would never do. They'd have to strip out so many core and marketed features, besides the UI, that it would result in such a PR backlash unseen since iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G.

I'm sorry I miss spoke its a Pentium M, and the boot time is about 40 seconds and it runs fine. Point is its from 2004 and it works, I can download programs and they run.
And you're saying people would be mad if their "older hardware" was supported? Rather than now when people get mad that their hardware is obsoleate in 4 years? Not only does the play not to support older hardware make me the consumer hesitant to buy new apple products but it also tanks any resale value the equipment should have. Apple constantly has "bad" PR and in the end they don't care because they are making a ton of money. How about instead of opening a factory to fabricate sapphire they give me an update that doesn't make a product I bought obsoleate after 4 years.

 

[Intell]

There was a large amount of people who were very upset that the iPhone 3G got iOS 4 because of its greatly reduced usability (as viewed by them). I'd imagine that they're the same demographic of user that had a ill reaction to the iPad 1 getting iOS 5. Their general disatisfactions resulted in negative PR from various publications and a public statement from Apple to make it better with later versions of iOS 4. Apple ultimately made it better by prematurely dropping support for the iPhone 3G with iOS 4.3. There are even people who are upset that the iPhone 3Gs got iOS 6, when their iPod Touch 3 didn't. Same with the iPhone 4 and iOS 7 and the iPod Touch 4. And potentially with iOS 8, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2. You're complaining that Apple's mobile devices, devices that have traditionally been replaced every two years, are not getting more than four years of updates when Apple is already a leading manufacture with mobile device longevity? That's a bit like looking the gift horse in the mouth.

 

[Altemose]

I really didn't have that much of an issue with it on my iPhone 4 as an app so maybe I was just lucky, I just really didn't see a reason to discontinue it. That to me is like saying I can't use Skype because I don't have a 1080p webcam. Would it look better with a better camera, sure but its still functional without it

See that's what I mean, why not release that instead of making things obsolete before they need to be? I love my apple products and they function for a very long time why not support them? It saddens me because apple used to be much better with that.

I routinely work in a loud environment. The fact that Siri works relatively error-less is mind boggling. Just for kicks I got Siri on my iPhone 4, and even in a quiet room it missed words.