iPhone 4G?

[KingIsaacLinksr]

*edit*  iOS 4.3 is dropping support of the old processors so 1st and 2nd Gen of iPhone and iPod Touch will no longer be supported.  Not really all that surprising, given how much trouble they had with iOS 4.0 in the first place.

Thanks go to an "App Dev" for confirming it.  ;)

King

[X]

Well, just an FYI: It looks like the 3G iPhone will no longer be receiving future updates after iOS 4.2.  However, we won't know until the official version of 4.3 comes out later.  So if this is true, it means Apple is done dealing with the old hardware.  Not that I can blame them....3G is ancient compared to the 4th Gen.

King

Weren't you the one complaining on another thread about it not being fair when you have a product and they drop support for it?

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Well, just an FYI: It looks like the 3G iPhone will no longer be receiving future updates after iOS 4.2.  However, we won't know until the official version of 4.3 comes out later.  So if this is true, it means Apple is done dealing with the old hardware.  Not that I can blame them....3G is ancient compared to the 4th Gen.

King

Weren't you the one complaining on another thread about it not being fair when you have a product and they drop support for it?

If I did, your going to have to remind me.  

But while I said I'm not surprised and I don't blame them, I don't like it either.  But all tech companies do this eventually.  No one is not guilty of this. 

King

[billybob476]

Well, just an FYI: It looks like the 3G iPhone will no longer be receiving future updates after iOS 4.2.  However, we won't know until the official version of 4.3 comes out later.  So if this is true, it means Apple is done dealing with the old hardware.  Not that I can blame them....3G is ancient compared to the 4th Gen.

King

Tell me about it, I activated my iPhone 4, it's a whole new world. King already added me but if anyone else is on Game Center I'm (of course) billybob476

[RickPeete]

I would not expect Apple to support older iPhones after a certain point.  My wife has the iPhone 3G and while it is working fine for her now, there is stuff that she cannot do that I can (on my 3Gs).  The app compatibility issue is not Apple's to address -- it is the developer who created it.  If they want their apps to be viable, then they have to continue supporting them by making them compatible as new iOS versions are released.  That is totally a developer responsibility (I am a developer so I accept that).

Apple cannot be held hostage by apps or hardware that is almost three years old.  It just isn't very practical.  And after three years, any company would have fully depreciated the asset's value so replacing it is not considered a loss.

[Blackride]

Apple cannot be held hostage by apps or hardware that is almost three years old.  It just isn't very practical.  And after three years, any company would have fully depreciated the asset's value so replacing it is not considered a loss.

Microsoft does it all the time :)

[billybob476]

Apple cannot be held hostage by apps or hardware that is almost three years old.  It just isn't very practical.  And after three years, any company would have fully depreciated the asset's value so replacing it is not considered a loss.

Microsoft does it all the time :)

...and it's one of the reasons Windows is as large and ungainly as it is. I don't begrudge them providing updates. I think my phone and usage patterns highlighted the shortcomings of the older hardware (gaming and poor GPS performance for example). I do begrudge my wireless carrier (and all Canadian carriers) for locking me into a 3 year contract with a hardware upgrade only available in September.

[Rico]

I think what it comes down to is mainly to try and move people to newer hardware.  Phones certainly seem to have a short life cycle these days.  I mean look at how long you keep the same fridge, washer, car, TV, etc.  But computing type equipment (and phones) change quickly.  It's both due to quick advances in tech and the company wanting your money again.  So, really all tech companies do it.

[billybob476]

I'd argue even TVs have much shorter lifespans these days. My parents kept TVs for 10-20 years. Now with advances in display tech a tv I got 2 years ago is way out of date.

[Bryancd]

I would suggest any technology company has no choice but to innovate as quickly as new developments and the competition and the consumer will allow. The differences between the 3 ad 4 versions of the iPhone alone are testament to that. Innovate or perish and it can happen in a single product lifespan of a year it seems.

[Rico]

I'd argue even TVs have much shorter lifespans these days. My parents kept TVs for 10-20 years. Now with advances in display tech a tv I got 2 years ago is way out of date.

Yeah, pretty true.  But I still keep my TV's a lot longer than the 2-3 year cycle of a phone.  Even if they are not the latest.  My Sony 1080p set I got about 3.5 years ago is still looking great to me.

[RickPeete]

I think it was Sony whose business practice was to obsolete it's own products every six months.  With goals like that, all consumer tech companies are forced into that one-upmanship game. And the money is certainly a major factor.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I wonder if we're going to hit the end of external hardware on Smartphones though.  Dangelus and I were wondering besides a bigger screen what the iPhone could possibly do at this point.  Internal is easy, more Hardrive, faster processor better memory.  iOS software is easy too, but doesn't require a phone upgrade (yet).  But I think we're going to hit the end-point of external features on Smartphones here real soon unless someone else can think up new ideas. 

King

[RickPeete]

I think we will just have more attachments on them via the DM port.  Plus, as more secure applications (banking, retail, security) turn our phones into secure devices we cannot afford to lose, I think we will see more devices with builtin biometrics for access to content.

Probably have more cradlepoint accessories that can turn your phone into a bigger device for specialty applications (like that steering wheel you can place a Touch in for games like Need for Speed).

And with the advent of Ford's SYNC capabilities, we will see the car have a snug place builtin for your phone so it can fully integrate with your car systems.

If anyone remembers the Roddenberry show "Earth: Final Conflict", they had a device called a "Global".  Our phones are pretty much going to be like those (darn pretty close to that already).

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I think we will just have more attachments on them via the DM port.  Plus, as more secure applications (banking, retail, security) turn our phones into secure devices we cannot afford to lose, I think we will see more devices with builtin biometrics for access to content.

Probably have more cradlepoint accessories that can turn your phone into a bigger device for specialty applications (like that steering wheel you can place a Touch in for games like Need for Speed).

And with the advent of Ford's SYNC capabilities, we will see the car have a snug place builtin for your phone so it can fully integrate with your car systems.

If anyone remembers the Roddenberry show "Earth: Final Conflict", they had a device called a "Global".  Our phones are pretty much going to be like those (darn pretty close to that already).

I should have specified what can Apple do at this point to its iPhone.  Accessories have never been a concern point for Apple much.  And sure, there are plenty they can do there, its a niche thing.  idk about Biometrics, the technology is there, but even the laptops and desktops aren't adapting the tech much. 

King