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General Does Apple intentionally make iOS glitchy on older devices to force upgrade?

Do apple intentionally make iOS lag on older devices to encourage upgrades?

  • No, apple would never do that, they are trying their best to make it work on all devices

    Votes: 100 56.5%

  • Yes I think so, iOS is a very basic os and should work flawlessly on all devices

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Total voters
    177
L

lowlypeace

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 19, 2012
55
0
Do you think apple intentionally nudge the performance of iOS to a level which older devices (previous generations) can't handle quite as well, to encourage users to buy new devices.

I think so.

I mean iOS does't do real multitasking, it pauses apps (which I like btw) and it is basically the same os as iOS 1, which the only major addition being folders,

so why on earth are their slight lags in performance, say on the iPad 2, even 1, or iPhone 4. on iPad 1 the lags are common and obvious, although it is usable, on iPhone 4 to 3 there will be the occasional lag when flicking from home screen to search box -

It looks like in order to have a completely fluid iOS experience you NEED the latest device, I just wonder if this is a rather cynical ploy by apple to get people to upgrade to a new device, I mean, as I say the os is BASIC - it should work flawlessly on any iOS device
 
Without doubt.

Its just good business practice, if everyone was satisfied with the first iPad then Apple wouldn't be able to buy the moon.
 
That's a tricky question, I question whether apple puts a lot of time into ensuring that iOS is optimized for older devices but I don't think they intentionally added code or did some program design to make older iOS devices slower or less stable.
 
I doubt they added a code to do it, but they could be "accidentally" overlooking possible tweaks that would enable flawless performance on all iOS devices

or say when they added the only major os change (folders) they may have intentionally left the code too bulky for the older devices, when they could have made it run perfectly, with a little work

and I don't get why iPad mini has the same processor as iPad 2, but iPad mini has siri and iPad 2 doesn't, strange
 
I beg to differ. They realized their mistake after the iOS 4 on iPhone 3G controversy. My 3GS is running fine on iOS 6, may be slow a bit, but I wouldn't call it glitchy. Then again, I think that iPhone tends to run the fastest on the OS that they are released, like iOS 6 on iPhone 5. The only reason phones may slow down is because the newer major firmwares may be more demanding in terms of features.

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lowlypeace said:
and I don't get why iPad mini has the same processor as iPad 2, but iPad mini has siri and iPad 2 doesn't, strange
Click to expand...

I find it funny too, almost didn't realize it until you mentioned. Can't do anything anyway, must be one of the incentives Apple is throwing in to entice buyers.
 
No. The hardware just can't handle the latest firmware as well as the newest devices.
 
They cant be more demanding if you take out the "major" stuff; iphone 3g renders almost useless with ios 4 and no way folders does these lol the app switcher is the same (you can enable with jailbreak) its useless yet it doesnt do much.

Ipad mini have siri ? Then way the ipad 2 dont ? Is it not "sexy" enough ?
 
I'm voting no, and here's why.

I think they just do not "optimize" the new OS for the older devices. Each OS upgrade has more and more code and changes and with that brings some small performance hits to the older models (albiet small!). Instead of optimizing the code across the entire range they just "leave it be" and allow the older devices to slowly phase out.

It's not an intentional "screw the old phones" way, but it does slowly give the older users more and more reasons to upgrade.

Edit: Plus really, if you STILL have a 3GS you shouldn't be complaining period. Either upgrade your phone or wear a muzzle (in regards to complaints).
 
Europa13 said:
No. The hardware just can't handle the latest firmware as well as the newest devices.
Click to expand...

This is the answer ! :D
To prove this to yourself, grab an iPhone 4 and enable the 3D function via Cydia hack in iOS6 (Apple) maps (normally blocked for older hardware).
Takes forever to display.

rctlr said:
Mmm, do people see conspiracies everywhere these days?
Click to expand...

Yep, if you don't understand the technology, just make up some "big brother" theory.
 
They don't 'try their best' to make new versions of iOS buttery-amazing on older iOS devices, but they don't deliberately go out of their way to make the experience unsatisfactory either.

IMHO they gear each iOS release towards the current generation of iOS devices, and then work it back to older devices where there's nothing major that stands in the way. But they definitely have a higher tolerance of what passes as acceptable on the older devices.
 
Absolutely not.

Why is it there are so many people who think everyone is out to get them.

Unreal.
 
Of course not....and then we have to listen to people bitch about how they don't have Siri, turn by turn, flyover, etc. on their old, slow devices.

It's a no win situation, but they definitely learned their lesson after iOS 4 when my iPhone 3G suddenly became a toy for y youngest child....:(
 
You think folders are the only major change to iOS since iOS 1? Have you ever used iOS 1? It was extremely limited. Very futuristic at the time, but very limited now. Folders would be a minor addition to the Springboard. There are many, many more major additions made to the core OS and Springboard itself. Before iOS 1.1.3, you couldn't rearrange the Springboard icons. They were fixed in place. Being able to rearrange them at all is a much bigger advancement than folders.
 
No, I do not believe that is the case. Potential hardware issues set aside, there are those, whom are experiencing issues with iOS 6.0 and 6.0.1 on their iPhone 5s and iPad 3s.

Having said that, I upgraded from the original 2007 iPhone to the iP5 on launch day. Quite a few of my iP2G's financial apps were no longer being supported on the outdated iOS 3.x.x nor did I expect Apple and the app developers to do as such.
 
lowlypeace said:
I mean iOS does't do real multitasking, it pauses apps (which I like btw) and it is basically the same os as iOS 1, which the only major addition being folders,
Click to expand...

I completely disagree with this statement. Anyway, I don't think they specifically make it so that the devices slow down. I mean, it's a possibility, but I think it really comes down to the internals. I mean, look at the iPad 2. That came with iOS 4 (I'm pretty sure it did at least.) and it's still running great on iOS 6. The amount of RAM and the processor speed really affect the performance for iOS.
 
miniConvert said:
They don't 'try their best' to make new versions of iOS buttery-amazing on older iOS devices, but they don't deliberately go out of their way to make the experience unsatisfactory either.
Click to expand...

I think this is the best answer.
 
iOS 6 works flawlessly on my iPhone 4

iOS 5 is kinda laggy on my iPad 1...good thing Apple didn't make it support iOS 6.
 
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