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Comment by kriro | Hacker News Reader

So basically 4.5 years support max. for your devices (iPhone 5 was September 2012; iPad 4 October 2012)? Also aren't there a lot of these "old" iPads out there with people "refusing to update"?

I think technically it makes a lot of sense but for customers this is pretty bad. Compared to Microsoft's 15 years of extended support for an OS (iirc. 5 is standard). Ubuntu LTS is 5 years. Sure there's a difference when you're the hardware vendor and the OS vendor but still I'm not sure this is a great move.

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If this is bad for customers, pretty much every Android device except the Nexus must be a living hell. How many Android handsets (including "flagships") launch with an already outdated OS version and never get updated?

Even though the OS itself is not updated, most of the libraries etc gets updated via the google services package.

Not that I am defending not updating the OS, but its not nearly as bad as removing the support completely.

I still have a HTC Desire HD (bought in 2011) that gets updates in this way. I still keep it around to see how long it will live (that's one solid phone), but my main phone is a nexus

This is markedly different because most applications written for the first versions of Android still work even on the newest version of the OS. Apple is explicitly breaking 32bit applications from running on the device/OS. Remember we are talking about application compatibility which is not much related to OS updates.

Unless the developer recompiles. Which is simple to do.

Yeah, that's true, but Google is pretty good at backwards compatibility and most of the applications out there still support at least Andorid 4.1, released 5 years ago.

If I read this correctly, Apple will stop letting people upload and distribute apps for iPhone 5C, which is significantly newer, right?

I still use an iPhone 4s and a first generation iPad. The devices I have are in perfect working condition, and they fulfill my needs. It's not a stubborn "refusing to update", but simply a "there's nothing about an iPhone 7 that's worth $649 to me".

This shouldn't affect you at all. Your devices are 32-bit so will continue to run the 32-bit apps you have already bought or downloaded for free.

Apple keeps old copies of apps for old versions of the OS almost for ever. My youngest was using my old iPhone 3GS until last September. I was still able to download an app from the App Store I bought for it long ago, but which hasn't been available to buy in the store for years and only supported ancient versions of the OS.

There's a lot about a used iPhone 6s that's worth $350 though.

They are supporting them at least 4 years, not 2. That's Google.

Edit: Well now you edited your response and mine doesn't make sense :/

4.5 years of official smartphone updates is actually considered excellent by modern standards. That's several new generations' worth.

It feels surreal to read this line of complaints about this when Apple is in such a high regard when it comes to precisely smartphone support.

MSFT can go 15 years of support because PCs pace of change is far slower than smartphones. I'm pretty sure MSFT dropped 286 support long ago.

And Windows compatibility with so much old software is a big reason why it sucks. There are too many apis that should have been deprecated and hacks to support specific apps that bloat it up.

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