this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2024

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233

Apple will update iPhones for at least 5 years in rare public commitment (arstechnica.com)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 126 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (6 children)

This isn't new at all. Apple has been consistent with long term updates for a while.

iPhones have been getting at least 5 major annual updates sense the iPhone 4. The average is 6 updates.

If anything, it gets to a point where the old hardware can barley handle the newer OS.

This is the equivalent of them promising to be called Apple in 5 years - it changes absolutly nothing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_version_history

Edit: thinking about it, this gives them an excuse to reduce the number of years they support phones. Instead of 6-7, can we now expect that to become only 5 years?

This could be a huge loss disguised as a win

[–] [email protected] 26 points 5 months ago

If they wanted to limit support to 5 years, they could've done so already. Apple never guarantees any support length, so they're just committing to the minimum this new UK regulation requires. This is probably nothing more than a formality.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (18 children)

Didn't Apple push updates to older devices that made them slower so that you'd buy their newest?

[–] [email protected] 50 points 5 months ago (15 children)

Depends how cynical you want to be and whether or not you trust Apple.

They claimed to slow things down so the aging batteries could run for close to as long as they could when they were new

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (13 children)

This myth keeps propagating online and it seems people never try to even Google what the issue was.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Never forget the iOS 4 update for the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Or broke their screens

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Public commitment to what? That's two years less than Google's latest Pixel.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 5 months ago (1 children)

From first supply date.

I’d be more impressed if the did it from last supply date.

They still sell the 13, so you’ll only get 3 updates, not 5 with this announcement.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

“At least”. Most iPhones have been updated for 7 years or more

[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 months ago (2 children)

My last phone lasted me 10 years, and even then I was tempted to just swap out some parts to keep it running.

There's no reason 10+ years couldn't be the norm for a smartphone, at least for people that don't need a portable RTX 4090.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

My Pixel 4a 5G just died. Screen turned off, nothing turns the phone back on. Had it for just over 3 years.

I have a Samsung S8 that I'm using right now, and it accomplishes the vast majority of my day to day needs. I'm only missing a better camera, and Android 9 prevents the use of some apps. This this is from 2017! Glad I kept it in a drawer.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

iPhones routinely last 5-7 years just from security updates. I’ve heard of Genius Bar employees supporting iPhones over ten years old.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

My iPhone 6 was still getting security updates last year. Battery lasted all day (I replaced it myself 2yrs before that). Solid phone. Handed it down to my daughter. Definitely at that point with technology that the requirements for a phone aren’t going up as fast as tech has so there’s less reason to replace things all the time. My last PC was up to 12years before I turned it into a server and built a new one.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They’ve been doing this for years

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

They’ve been doing this, but because others have not been doing this, there is now regulation in this space.

Apple had to disclose this in writing to be fully compliant with PSTI.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago

All in all, Apple had to agree to this in writing to be compliant with PSTI. They’ve already been doing this for a long time.

This is kind of like asking the Fast and Furious franchise to agree, in writing, to talk about family.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

my friend has a 20yr old core 2 duo system with the latest updates on windows 10

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Comparing apples to oranges are we?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

the difference here is just standardization.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Huh? In what way.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

First of all, you're implying it runs latest Windows - but Windows 11 shipped a few years ago.

Second - not really a fair comparison. 18 years ago the iPhone didn't even exist. And the oldest model (17 years old) had really weak hardware. 4GB of storage, 128MB of RAM, and the CPU was an order of magnitude slower than current spec CPUs (it was also 32 bit - and 64 bit ARM is a completely new architecture - similar to the failed Itanium).

Even if it was supported, it would be a horrible experience.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The core 2 duo was released 18 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

well, about 20 years old then

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Still low, my lineageos phone is going 8 years and is on latest android (and the device wasn't new when I bought it).

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