Considering the not so great performance of iPad mini 4 with iOS 15, I doubt that it will receive iOS16.
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Which Devices Will iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 Support?
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Thank goodness my iPad Pro 12.9 second gen will get another year of support. The Apple Watch 3 has had a good run, but newer watchOS updates are becoming more cumbersome to install. Even when Apple drops iOS support, it doesn’t mean the device will suddenly stop working. I probably will eek one more year on my Watch 3 and upgrade to 9 next year.
I’m pretty much doing this on all my Apple devices.
I’m pretty much doing this on all my Apple devices.
Apple's previous support practices? There is no definitive pattern in what they've done before.
Based on previous devices support, like, say, the iPhone 6, I can definitely see Apple dropping support for 6s/7/8 iPhone models.
Based on previous devices support, like, say, the 6s, there is no way Apple will drop support for .... 6s
On a more serious note, the article focuses on the RAM thing, as this was the single most limiting factor on iOS devices for a long time. It's maybe less the case now, but 2GB of RAM is really not much nowadays. So who knows, it's possible we see the iPhone 8 dropped with iOS16.
But RAM definitely is not the only thing, we just have to look at what Apple does for Macs. Dropping support ofa given Mac is now 100% a marketing decision.
So... we'll see.
This.
iPhone 6s was still manufactured into fall of 2018. Apple could be jerks and drop it, but I can still see another year of support.
I have an iPad Air 3 and am still happy with it. I'd prefer not to upgrade it for maybe another year or two, perhaps Spring 2023, so I hope it will still be supported. I already plan to upgrade my iPhone 11 Pro to an iPhone 14 Pro, and also my AirPods Pro, both of which are starting to have battery issues.
The concerning aspect is dropping the A10 in the ipod touch. Apple has done this in the past where they discontinued a model just ahead of WWDC that dropped support for that device (iPod 4 before iOS7 WWDC). They have also dropped two generations worth of devices in a single year too (e.g. iPad 2 and 3 were dropped together, iphone 6/plus and 5S were dropped together in 13)
iOS16 could be A11 and higher
What would apples public disclosure of ram have to do with creating a cut off for ram requirements?
My wife still uses her series one Apple Watch everyday despite not being supported for a few years now. Does what she needs it to do and has no plans to upgrade.
Based on Big sur vs Monterey requirements - I would guess anything 2015 and earlier will be axed this go. MAYBE the Mac Pro from 2013 will see one last go tho
I'm hoping that the 2017 iMacs will be OK for the next two or three releases of the OS.
Same as any software company really... Either "These products do not have the necessary hardware to support iOS 16.", or just nothing at all.
Seems like my iPad Air 2 will be supported another upgrade, wow, awesome.
I only use it as dedicated meditation timer with 1 app. Otherwise it's finished as a device. But it do having only 1 app open well. So well that I've pondered to let my iPad's take that route in the future too as of now.
I won't get nothing for it as something is a little loose around the glass as well. But where it stands , it's still ok.
I only use it as dedicated meditation timer with 1 app. Otherwise it's finished as a device. But it do having only 1 app open well. So well that I've pondered to let my iPad's take that route in the future too as of now.
I won't get nothing for it as something is a little loose around the glass as well. But where it stands , it's still ok.
I think the iPhone 8 is too new for them to get rid of 2GBs of RAM. I don't know why the article skips over this.
It's a difficult year to predict support though, the iPad Air 2 has 8 years so even the oldest 6s would need another year to match it.
It's a difficult year to predict support though, the iPad Air 2 has 8 years so even the oldest 6s would need another year to match it.
Yeah this doesn’t seem likely at all.
The iPhone 6s, SE first generation, and the iPad Mini 4 and Air2… maybe. If those devices are dropped, it would make a lot of sense
Given that the iPod touch uses a quite dramatically underclocked A10 (1.64ghz vs 2.3+ghz in everything else), plus The fact that getting rid of it and getting rid of the original SE allows them to stop optimizing the operating system for the 4 inch display, I could see it being cut as well.
As for other A10 devices… yeah no.
The seventh generation iPad, which was only introduced in 2019 and discontinued in 2020, still used the A10. It certainly won’t be losing support, apples not gonna go from not cutting off anything from 2014–15, to requiring a 2020 baseline iPad. It would be ridiculous.
As for RAM, as already pointed out the iPhone 8 still uses 2 GB of ram, and they’re certainly not gonna cut that device off.
The A9X 12.9 inch iPad has 4 GB of RAM I believe, that certainly won’t be going anywhere. And I don’t think they’ll stop supporting its little brother either, despite having less memory.
So my prediction of devices supported:
iPhone 7, 7+, 8, 8+, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11Pro, 11 Pro Max, SE (2020), 12, 12 Mini, 12Pro, 12Pro Max, 13, 13Mini, 13Pro, 13 Pro Max, SE (2020).
IPad: sixth generation, seventh generation, eighth generation, ninth generation, Mini5, Mini6, Air3, Air4, Air5, all Pros.
And then maybe, maybe the iPod touch if they’re feeling generous.
If iOS 16 isn’t even that big they could just support all the same devices they’ve been supporting for years.
The iPhone 6s, SE first generation, and the iPad Mini 4 and Air2… maybe. If those devices are dropped, it would make a lot of sense
Given that the iPod touch uses a quite dramatically underclocked A10 (1.64ghz vs 2.3+ghz in everything else), plus The fact that getting rid of it and getting rid of the original SE allows them to stop optimizing the operating system for the 4 inch display, I could see it being cut as well.
As for other A10 devices… yeah no.
The seventh generation iPad, which was only introduced in 2019 and discontinued in 2020, still used the A10. It certainly won’t be losing support, apples not gonna go from not cutting off anything from 2014–15, to requiring a 2020 baseline iPad. It would be ridiculous.
As for RAM, as already pointed out the iPhone 8 still uses 2 GB of ram, and they’re certainly not gonna cut that device off.
The A9X 12.9 inch iPad has 4 GB of RAM I believe, that certainly won’t be going anywhere. And I don’t think they’ll stop supporting its little brother either, despite having less memory.
So my prediction of devices supported:
iPhone 7, 7+, 8, 8+, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11Pro, 11 Pro Max, SE (2020), 12, 12 Mini, 12Pro, 12Pro Max, 13, 13Mini, 13Pro, 13 Pro Max, SE (2020).
IPad: sixth generation, seventh generation, eighth generation, ninth generation, Mini5, Mini6, Air3, Air4, Air5, all Pros.
And then maybe, maybe the iPod touch if they’re feeling generous.
If iOS 16 isn’t even that big they could just support all the same devices they’ve been supporting for years.
I'm in that awkward position of using an iPhone 7, iPad Air 2, and an Apple Watch S3... If the next iteration of OSs don't come to all the devices, I wouldn't be surprised. That said, no way I'm parting with any cash unless any app performance is driving me up the wall. Batteries can be replaced if need be. Couple hundred bucks vs parting with $3600 CAD for latest gen hardware. No rush to replace.
A10 (well the A10X) in the Apple TV 4K will obviously get tvOS 16 and 17, so maybe the A10 has longer legs than we think. Although I find it hard to imagine they'll keep supporting the iPod touch now that it's officially discontinued.
It's not.
The iPhone 6 got "only" 5 years of support (iOS8-12)
iOS16 dropping the 8 would only mean this one got the same "only" 5 years of support (iOS11-15).
Five years may sound little by Apple standards, but it's definitely not bad when comparing to the Android world. Plus those phones will still work for many years. Apple often releases minor iOS security updates for older iOSes when required.
Dropping everything with less than 2GB or RAM / Apple A12 is definitely possible.
The only super weird thing that could happen is drop the 7/8 but not the 7 Plus/8 Plus
But I'd say that's unlikely as it would be confusing.The problem with this thinking is that it forces me to imagine that Apple would cut the 2017, 2018, and 2019 budget iPads from their support list all at the same time, which just seems… absolutely dramatic.
The fact that they’re supporting all iPads from 2014 and Forward at the moment, and then they might just go with one operating system upgrade “OK we’re cutting off all of the budget ones until 2020” doesn’t seem likely in the slightest. It certainly would upset their millions of education customers, a big market for that budget iPad, Who might’ve bought huge bulk orders of those 2019 budget iPads with the A10 right around the time the pandemic started, and then they find out later that they’re only getting two years of support.
As for The iPod touch, it used an underclocked A10 and it has the 4 inch display, two reasons why it could be discontinued while other A10 Devices stick around
I was adding a new app on my dads iPhone 6s the other day and he was still running iOS13. He didn’t even notice any difference in how he uses his phone.
Apple has gradually increased the lifespan of their devices. The iPhone 6 is the outlier due to having a lack of RAM. The Air 2 was released at the same time and is still supported. Both the 5s and 6s beat it as well.It's not.
The iPhone 6 got "only" 5 years of support (iOS8-12)
iOS16 dropping the 8 would only mean this one got the same "only" 5 years of support (iOS11-15).
Five years may sound little by Apple standards, but it's definitely not bad when comparing to the Android world. Plus those phones will still work for many years. Apple often releases minor iOS security updates for older iOSes when required.
Dropping everything with less than 2GB or RAM / Apple A12 is definitely possible.
The only super weird thing that could happen is drop the 7/8 but not the 7 Plus/8 Plus
Of course it is still possible but I don't see it as likely, especially considering dropping 1GB RAM on iOS 13 only affected the 6, but there are many more devices with only 2GB right now.
iPhone 6s was clearly mentioned but you pointed out iPhone 6 which did not get iOS 13 when it [iOS 13] was released...It's not.
The iPhone 6 got "only" 5 years of support (iOS8-12)
iOS16 dropping the 8 would only mean this one got the same "only" 5 years of support (iOS11-15).
Five years may sound little by Apple standards, but it's definitely not bad when comparing to the Android world. Plus those phones will still work for many years. Apple often releases minor iOS security updates for older iOSes when required.
Dropping everything with less than 2GB or RAM / Apple A12 is definitely possible.
The only super weird thing that could happen is drop the 7/8 but not the 7 Plus/8 Plus
I agree. I just made it to iOS 15. Not because I wanted to avoid it, but because I didn't care to deal with it.
I was responding to the idea that "iPhone 8 is too new to be dropped", not 6s.
That is the point: Apple supporting an iOS device "only" 5 years is not a first. So it definitely can be the case with the iPhone 8 when iOS16 launches.