What will become of my iPhone 2G after 4.0 launches?

[Gib]

Sorry I dont mean to spam the forums with a question that could have been included in a previous discussion board, but I couldn't see anyone else talking about it and I didn't want this to get lost...

I have an original iPhone 2G (unlocked with T-Mobile USA) and probably cannot afford to switch to AT&T (or Verizon) to get a new iPhone this summer. Barring a miracle, and the newest iPhone connects to T-Mob's wacky 3G, I am going to be stuck with iPhone OS 3.1.

I also hope to get an iPad, so I plan on keeping many apps up-to-date with the latest versions. Will any apps still work on an old iPhone if all the developers update them for 4.0? Can newly released/updated apps be compatible with older versions of the OS or will my wonderful iPhone be limited to *gasp* just making phone calls (and music playback, and surfing the net, etc.) ?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[ARF900]

I know lots of people with iPod Touches running OS 2.x, you should be fine.

 

[MassiveAttack]

Seems like your too strapped financially to get a new phone. Stay where your are and don't do anythnng.

 

[Gib]

I know lots of people with iPod Touches running OS 2.x, you should be fine.

Thanks for the reply. I know people can run older iPhone OSs without problems. It's not like there is a kill switch that renders it useless if I don't update. My biggest concern is third party apps. Do you know if people using 2.x can use the newest apps from the App Store?

Say I use Evernote on both my iPhone and iPad, and I want them to both sync with their servers... It is a universal app (IE, there is not a specific "for iPad" or "HD" version), and I assume the company will update it to take advantage of all the 4.0 multitasking goodies. I would try to get the latest versions, especially for the iPad. When I reconnect my iPhone using iTunes, will it be able to install the 4.0 version onto a 3.1 iPhone? If not, will their servers no longer recognize the older version of the app, and continue to sync it?

 

[solarthecat]

This is a valid argument. How do we embrace this new technology (iPad) and still retain our older products like 2G iPhones?

It is likely that all new applications targeted at iPads and new iPhones (and therefore 4.0 software) will eventually require the latest software as a minimum.

I believe you will be OK for 6 months to a year, but eventually the 2G will become outmoded and it will become impossible to share your favourite apps with the cutting edge iPad while using the same iTunes account due to the system version requirements that will be inherent in these apps.

I recommend that if you want to embrace this technology (and share an iTunes account with your iPhone) then perhaps you could aim to upgrade your iPhone by June/July 2011 when 5.0 software will likely be available and older 4.0 hardware may be offered at a discount (a bit like the 3G phones which are discounted currently).

This way you should maintain a good overlap of compatibility between the two devices with only 1 year of lag, and this should future-proof you until 6.0 software comes out in 2012 - by which time your iPad will be outmoded!

 

[sfwalter]

Sorry I dont mean to spam the forums with a question that could have been included in a previous discussion board, but I couldn't see anyone else talking about it and I didn't want this to get lost...

I have an original iPhone 2G (unlocked with T-Mobile USA) and probably cannot afford to switch to AT&T (or Verizon) to get a new iPhone this summer. Barring a miracle, and the newest iPhone connects to T-Mob's wacky 3G, I am going to be stuck with iPhone OS 3.1.

I also hope to get an iPad (come on, wife... don't let me down), so I plan on keeping many apps up-to-date with the latest versions. Will any apps still work on an old iPhone if all the developers update them for 4.0? Can newly released/updated apps be compatible with older versions of the OS or will my wonderful iPhone be limited to *gasp* just making phone calls (and music playback, and surfing the net, etc.) ?

Thanks for any feedback.

It will still work!

 

[fishkorp]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7D11 Safari/531.21.10)

I believe that if devs want their app state to "freeze" for fast app switching they have to target for 4.0. So if devs want to take advantage of the multitasking stuff, even just state freezing, they'll be requiring 4.0.

I tested this on 2 apps of my own. One I targeted 3.1.2 and it restarts like it does now. I re-targeted for 4.0 and touched nothing in code and it will freeze the state on exit and resume back when going back in. So I can see lots of devs pushing for 4.0 unless Apple changes this.

 

[8767092]

The iPhone dev team has released a lot of updates for the iPhone 2G. It was hacked to enable MMS, unlocked for use on T-Mobile, and has generally been given every feature except 3G via a hack.

The iPhone 2G and 3G both have the same speed CPU and the same amount of ram. Barring huge problems with the different radios, I expect to see the 4.0 OS hacked onto the 2G within weeks of the release.

We'll see.

 

[Applejuiced]

The iPhone dev team has released a lot of updates for the iPhone 2G. It was hacked to enable MMS, unlocked for use on T-Mobile, and has generally been given every feature except 3G via a hack.

The iPhone 2G and 3G both have the same speed CPU and the same amount of ram. Barring huge problems with the different radios, I expect to see the 4.0 OS hacked onto the 2G within weeks of the release.

We'll see.

Not possible.

 

[8767092]

Not possible.

It wasn't possible to use MMS on the iPhone 2G, but somebody figured out how to modify the firmware to allow it. I suspect somebody will figure out how to do it.

 

[Applejuiced]

It wasn't possible to use MMS on the iPhone 2G, but somebody figured out how to modify the firmware to allow it. I suspect somebody will figure out how to do it.

Its not the same thing as a tweak or a simple hack. There will be no firmware to modify.
A whole new OS IPSW has to be written to work for the device along with its hardware drivers etc....
Its not like you can use an iphone 3G or 3GS IPSW to install on a 2G or modify it to work for a 2G.

 

[jtara]

I imagine most developers will eventually (and in the case of anything that can take advantage of background processing, sooner rather than later) target 4.0.

It IS possible to write an app that can use features of a newer version of iPhone OS but still run on a device running an older verison. But, frankly, this is probably beyond most iPhone developers. It adds significantly to complexity and testing. I'd imagine only a few very popular apps will take this route.

Does your phone work now? It will still work after 4.0, so don't sweat it. At some point, you won't be able to update some or most of your apps, but if they still work, so what?

 

[nparmelee]

Hubby kept his 3G S on an 3.1 for a long time for tethering. New apps taking advantage of new features in later OS versions (like RedLaser) would warn him that they would not install since they needed the newer OS. Other apps continued to work just fine. Mostly it will depend on the newer apps and who wrote them, you can always check their release notes and if 4.0 is needed, just don't upgrade that app.

 

[zhenya]

There is no reason why you'd have to update to the newer versions of your apps on the 2g. Different devices synced to the same account can run different app versions. Now there may be new apps that come out that eventually won't run on the 2g, but that's a different story.

 

[iTouch]

Nothing. It will still work fine. Some apps might not run as expected but is due to hardware. The only limitation will be hardware. As mentioned with the ability to jailbreak, software isn't an issue as long as someone wants to make it.

 

[jav6454]

Its not the same thing as a tweak or a simple hack. There will be no firmware to modify.
A whole new OS IPSW has to be written to work for the device along with its hardware drivers etc....
Its not like you can use an iphone 3G or 3GS IPSW to install on a 2G or modify it to work for a 2G.

What he said. Basically, there won't be an iPhone1,1_4.0... OS to modify.

 

[Gib]

There is no reason why you'd have to update to the newer versions of your apps on the 2g. Different devices synced to the same account can run different app versions. Now there may be new apps that come out that eventually won't run on the 2g, but that's a different story.

How would that be possible? If I download an update of an app into iTunes (as opposed to through the iPhone directly), the next time you sync the iPhone, doesn't it also transfer the latest version of the apps? In iTunes 9.1, you can manually manage songs and videos, but the only to manage apps is "Sync Apps" with checkboxes on the specific apps you transfer. You cannot choose which version of app it transfers.

You also cannot have multiple versions of the same app in your iTunes library. iTunes will automatically put the old version in the Trash. Even if you tried to restore it into your library, it gives you the warning, "A newer version of the application "*****" already exists in your iTunes library. Are you sure you want to replace it with the one you are moving?" The answer would be no, I would want the latest version for the iPad.

Again, thanks everyone for their input, but I assume the iPhone 2G will end up becoming just a phone, an iPod, and an Internet communications device... wait, that is what it was at its introduction. It looks like my iPhone has come full circle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG8BI6gGZ9g

 

[tuna]

IRT OP:

I can't tell is OS 4 simply is not coming at all to the original iPhone or just that none of the new features are.

Either way its lame. There is a half-plausible argument to be made that the older iPhones shouldnt support multitasking because they have half the RAM and hardly more than half the CPU power, but I can't think of any excuse other than greed on Apple's part that they wouldnt bring the simple things like folders and customizable backgrounds to the old models.

Unless you feel that "blackmailing" people to keep up with newer hardware so that the App experience is less stratified is a valid excuse. By stratified I mean that, as new hardware becomes more and more capable, newer software will begin to not support or very poorly support the old hardware. So maybe some people feel its legit for Apple to strongarm people into updating so that the software developers have any easier time of things. I personally do not. I think that the app store could be easily segmented into Apps that are compatible with X, Y, and/or Z models of the iPhone, and individual software developers could decide themselves whether they felt it worth supporting older models.

 

[elistan]

IRT OP:

I can't tell is OS 4 simply is not coming at all to the original iPhone or just that none of the new features are.

Currently, Apple says the original iPhone will NOT run OS4 at all. It will run on iPhone 3G, but will not support multitasking.

From http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/

iPhone OS 4 will work with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the second- and third-generation iPod touch this summer, and with iPad in the fall. Not all features are compatible with all devices. For example, multitasking is available only with iPhone 3GS and the third-generation iPod touch (32GB and 64GB models from late 2009).

As a first-gen owner, hopefully the apps I like will remain needing only OS3.0 or 3.1. And if a OS4-only version comes out, hopefully it doesn't wipe out the OS3.x version. Personally, I don't care too much about multitasking. From the announced features, I'd be happy with only app folders and unified email inbox. I suppose this is just all the more reason to jailbreak eventually.

 

[bniu]

IRT OP:

I can't tell is OS 4 simply is not coming at all to the original iPhone or just that none of the new features are.

Either way its lame. There is a half-plausible argument to be made that the older iPhones shouldnt support multitasking because they have half the RAM and hardly more than half the CPU power, but I can't think of any excuse other than greed on Apple's part that they wouldnt bring the simple things like folders and customizable backgrounds to the old models.

Unless you feel that "blackmailing" people to keep up with newer hardware so that the App experience is less stratified is a valid excuse. By stratified I mean that, as new hardware becomes more and more capable, newer software will begin to not support or very poorly support the old hardware. So maybe some people feel its legit for Apple to strongarm people into updating so that the software developers have any easier time of things. I personally do not. I think that the app store could be easily segmented into Apps that are compatible with X, Y, and/or Z models of the iPhone, and individual software developers could decide themselves whether they felt it worth supporting older models.

apple gave the original iphone two major updates. how many other phone manufacturers out there do that? The 16GB 3GS will probably be $99 this summer, i'm sure you can come up with $99.

 

[mikeyiphone]

Mine will go to back up QB status, only comes in emergency situations and mop up time.

Ill use it if im going to the beach or any place where disaster may happen. Maybe give it gym privileges.

Also if i lose the 4th gen i have a solid back up phone to use in the meantime, for example say i lose the 4th gen May of next year i may break out the backup and wait it out for the 5th gen.

Hope those ideas work for you.

 

[zhenya]

How would that be possible? If I download an update of an app into iTunes (as opposed to through the iPhone directly), the next time you sync the iPhone, doesn't it also transfer the latest version of the apps? In iTunes 9.1, you can manually manage songs and videos, but the only to manage apps is "Sync Apps" with checkboxes on the specific apps you transfer. You cannot choose which version of app it transfers.

You also cannot have multiple versions of the same app in your iTunes library. iTunes will automatically put the old version in the Trash. Even if you tried to restore it into your library, it gives you the warning, "A newer version of the application "*****" already exists in your iTunes library. Are you sure you want to replace it with the one you are moving?" The answer would be no, I would want the latest version for the iPad.

Again, thanks everyone for their input, but I assume the iPhone 2G will end up becoming just a phone, an iPod, and an Internet communications device... wait, that is what it was at its introduction. It looks like my iPhone has come full circle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG8BI6gGZ9g

Shrug. My wife and I constantly have different versions of apps on our respective phones. I guess that when we eventually sync the phones they get updated, but our iTunes app library constantly shows two app versions with different dates. I would suspect that if/when this becomes an issue that a check would be in place to make sure the version was compatible with the hardware generation, and it just wouldn't update if it wasn't. I'm highly skeptical of your doom-and-gloom scenario.

 

[ct2k7]

apple gave the original iphone two major updates. how many other phone manufacturers out there do that? The 16GB 3GS will probably be $99 this summer, i'm sure you can come up with $99.

Remember, they are not that price for everyone. If the person is in the UK, aka, my state, a 3GS will cost: $538.25. but it is a prepay phone.

 

[8767092]

Perhaps I misunderstand due to lack of knowledge related to the iPhone OS. I draw on information from the Hackintosh scene to compare to this.

The XDA developers have been able to extend the Windows Mobile 6 kernel far beyond what was initially thought possible with the result being Windows Mobile 6.5 on phones designed for previous versions.

It may be possible to include hardware drivers from the iPhone OS 3.1 build and create a custom 4.0 OS for the iPhone 2G. There will certainly be enough demand and I suspect some enterprising hacker will give it a go. Is it possible? I don't know. The original iPhone OS had no SDK, but the dev community created an entire custom toolchain to make it possible.

The PS3 is generally considered unhackable, but Geohot and others have been making great progress at it.

The impossible is possible given the right people and enough time.

We'll see.

 

[Applejuiced]

Perhaps I misunderstand due to lack of knowledge related to the iPhone OS. I draw on information from the Hackintosh scene to compare to this.

The XDA developers have been able to extend the Windows Mobile 6 kernel far beyond what was initially thought possible with the result being Windows Mobile 6.5 on phones designed for previous versions.

It may be possible to include hardware drivers from the iPhone OS 3.1 build and create a custom 4.0 OS for the iPhone 2G. There will certainly be enough demand and I suspect some enterprising hacker will give it a go. Is it possible? I don't know. The original iPhone OS had no SDK, but the dev community created an entire custom toolchain to make it possible.

What do you mean the original iphone had no SDK? Ofcourse it did since the 2.0 days.
Its not as simple as you think.
When it comes to itunes integration and many other aspects like cellular network and other complications it will not just function like that if it wasnt created by Apple.