Other What’s the real reason for upgrading?

[eyoungren]

That's just asking for security issues.

I had my iPhone 6s Plus on iOS 9.0.1 from October 2015 to December 2020.

Jailbroken!

Are you shaking yet?

Alas…no security issues. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Eggtastic]

I agree and disagree with some of your points. A lot of people on here would probably say technology / gadgets is a hobby. People like to spend money on their hobby, talk about it on forums, etc.

I have a 14 pro max that's been great and still is great to the point where I am may keep it another year as we are getting more and more rumors about the 17 bringing some major changes.

I always did 2-3 year upgrade cycles and I would have no problem selling my previous device for almost half of its original value so that would help "justify" my upgrade (I don't need any justification, it's my money anyway).

While some people like yourself don't see the point of this... I don't see the point of say sneaker collecting which to me is stupid and some of those sneakers look idiotic. So to each their own.

 

[eyoungren]

I see this opinion bandied about and I often wonder how much of an issue it really is.

What sort of security concern do you mean?

Something on the web and an issue with Safari?

Surely not the Apps, as those are vetted the same no matter what the target iOS version

Also, even my SE1s (still on iOS 15) have continued getting occasional security update pushes from Apple. Last one was just back in March 2024

Presumably the assumption is that everyone goes to bad websites or uses their phones/devices in an unsecure manner. iOS I guess protects you from yourself.

Personally, I believe it's a longstanding Apple marketing ploy. There's just enough truth in it to be useful and have people believing it. But the reality is that if you aren't using your outdated device in an unsecure way you're actually pretty safe.

Now, if anyone here is a high value target then this probably isn't true. Show of hands! How many of you here are a high value target with info that can bring countries and governments down?!

 

[turbineseaplane]

Presumably the assumption is that everyone goes to bad websites or uses their phones/devices in an unsecure manner. iOS I guess protects you from yourself.

Personally, I believe it's a longstanding Apple marketing ploy. There's just enough truth in it to be useful and have people believing it. But the reality is that if you aren't using your outdated device in an unsecure way you're actually pretty safe.

Yeah, I'm not really tracking what issue "up to date iOS" is specifically solving
Major OS security issues are something that Apple are good about patching even on "not current" iOS versions

Web based stuff and phishing and other scams work on folks on all manner of devices, old and new

I actually think Apple's marketing approach to this is poor as it seems to instill a false sense of security in folks, which ironically makes them more likely to get taken advantage of by a variety of means, while incorrectly assuming "iPhone protects me"

 

[GMShadow]

Honestly, RAM is typically a bigger motivator for me to upgrade than just wanting 'new' - I'm a pretty heavy user of my phone, and even the 6GB I've got now is starting to get a touch tighter than I'd like. If the 16 Pros have 10GB it'll be huge for my use - if not I'll deal with 8GB for the next two years.


But I'm glad OP dug down to my real reason that I didn't even know about.

 

[SpotOnT]

I am currently using an iPhone 8 with 256GB of storage.

This is my experience:

1) Many websites frequently crash in Safari, forcing the page to reload. It makes the website unreadable, as it will always crash before I can scroll to the end of the article. I am assuming this is caused by lack of RAM.

2) When using multiple apps, one of them will frequently crash and I will lose all the content I’ve created in that app. Again, I’m assuming this is a RAM shortage problem.

3) The phone regularly overheats when running intensive apps, causing the processor to throttle down to a crawl.

4) When using multiple apps, such as using Safari while also using CarPlay, the phone overheats, throttles, and stops charging.

5) I am on my third battery now and get about 20 minutes of screen time in Safari.

I will be upgrading this fall to something else, because the iPhone 8 no longer meets my performance expectations.

I suspect that we have very, very different use cases for our phone. I mean, I’m sure if all you use your phone for is to send texts, make phone calls, and take a few snapshots, you probably won’t notice much of a difference between an iPhone 6s or something newer…but if you are using your phone for its compute power, the difference between a 6s and a 14 Pro or 15 Pro is not insignificant.

I strongly disagree with your premise that people only upgrade because they want something new/different. Depending on your use case, even an iPhone 15 Pro can be rather limiting in terms of hardware...

 

[eyoungren]

Yeah, I'm not really tracking what issue "up to date iOS" is specifically solving
Major OS security issues are something that Apple are good about patching even on "not current" iOS versions

Web based stuff and phishing and other scams work on folks on all manner of devices, old and new

I actually think Apple's marketing approach to this is poor as it seems to instill a false sense of security in folks, which ironically makes them more likely to get taken advantage of by a variety of means, while incorrectly assuming "iPhone protects me"

Several years back there were some jailbroken idiots who had their Apple IDs hacked and their personal info spread all over the dark web. Why? Not because they were jailbroken and therefore unsafe or because they were using an outdated version of iOS.

No, this happened because they installed a sketchy and unsafe repo then proceeded to make CC purchases for JB tweaks and apps on that repo. They opened themselves right up because they were stupid.

And that's usually the cause. If you're the kind of person who frequents sketchy websites and gives your personal details to strangers than it's not iOS that's at fault - it's YOU.

 

[MisterSavage]

I agree and disagree with some of your points. A lot of people on here would probably say technology / gadgets is a hobby. People like to spend money on their hobby, talk about it on forums, etc.

While some people like yourself don't see the point of this... I don't see the point of say sneaker collecting which to me is stupid and some of those sneakers look idiotic. So to each their own.

1000% this.

I enjoy it and I can afford it. The end. Why on Earth would anyone else care what other people are doing?

I think it's pointless spending money/time watching sports. More power to the people that enjoy it.

 

[iObama]

I had my iPhone 6s Plus on iOS 9.0.1 from October 2015 to December 2020.

Jailbroken!

Are you shaking yet?

Alas…no security issues. 🤷‍♂️

...that you know of. Those of us who work in IT and see these things on the daily don't have the luxury of hubris and willful ignorance.

 

[eyoungren]

...that you know of. Those of us who work in IT and see these things on the daily don't have the luxury of hubris and willful ignorance.

It's been four years. Any of my details that are floating around on the web are a direct result of data breaches by third parties - not because I visit sketchy websites or give my CC details to total strangers.

Any issue I've ever had can be traced back to a third party website that had a data breach. Food City, eBay, T-Mobile. Not my phone. And both my banks have great fraud protection. In the case of my primary bank they were the ones to inform me.

PS. My son is in his fourth year now of IT at ASU. He'll have a Bachelors Degree in it next year when he graduates. So I know a bit of what you speak.

 

[iObama]

I see this opinion bandied about and I often wonder how much of an issue it really is.

What sort of security concern do you mean?

Something on the web and an issue with Safari?

Surely not the Apps, as those are vetted the same no matter what the target iOS version

Also, even my SE1s (still on iOS 15) have continued getting occasional security update pushes from Apple. Last one was just back in March 2024

TIL that talking about not being 3 years behind on security patches is "bandying about."

Y'all gotta stay reading the security release notes.

 

[iObama]

It's been four years. Any of my details that are floating around on the web are a direct result of data breaches by third parties - not because I visit sketchy websites or give my CC details to total strangers.

Any issue I've ever had can be traced back to a third party website that had a data breach. Food City, eBay, T-Mobile. Not my phone. And both my banks have great fraud protection. In the case of my primary bank they were the ones to inform me.

PS. My son is in his fourth year now of IT at ASU. He'll have a Bachelors Degree in it next year when he graduates. So I know a bit of what you speak.

I'm not going to change your mind, and you're not going to change mine. Being nearly ten years behind on security patches and staunchly defending it because "[your] son doesn't yet have a Bachelor's in IT" is absolutely asinine.

 

[eyoungren]

TIL that talking about not being 3 years behind on security patches is "bandying about."

Y'all gotta stay reading the security release notes.

There is a middle ground between laissez-faire and paranoia. IT tends to take the tack of paranoia and you can wrap yourself around that axle. Most people have neither the time nor inclination to engage in that paranoia, but they'd be smart not to be laissez-faire about security either.

But the boogyman is not going to rise up and steal your personal details the very second a version of iOS becomes the previous version and you don't update.

 

[Ludatyk]

Honestly, Apple is the one keeping me from upgrading more often than I do, as they refuse to make any iPhones that aren't big, bigger and huge

You do know the reason behind this… right? Ultimately, Apple is a for-profit corporation and if a product isn‘t selling up to their standards… doesn‘t make much sense to continue producing it.

From all the articles I encountered, the Mini wasn’t selling enough. Yeah, I understand pointing the blame at Apple is typically what’s scripted here… but more than anything it’s the consumers that brought upon this change.

 

[iObama]

There is a middle ground between laissez-faire and paranoia. IT tends to take the tack of paranoia and you can wrap yourself around that axle. Most people have neither the time nor inclination to engage in that paranoia, but they'd be smart not to be laissez-faire about security either.

But the boogyman is not going to rise up and steal your personal details the very second a version of iOS becomes the previous version and you don't update.

Again, when you see these things on the daily and work in the field (which neither you or your son do), you realize it's less paranoia and more what happens in the real world.

Continued good luck to you.

 

[Khavik]

Yes, I moved from 11 pro max to 15 pro max, because I wanted to and I’m not gonna search any excuses. 11pm was still fair enough but I wanted MagSafe and 5G. By the way I also wanted to get rid off lightning (I also moved from AirPods 2 to AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C port)

 

[FlyingTexan]

Because I want to. I trade my current one in and get a new one. Better cameras and functionality.

 

[eyoungren]

I'm not going to change your mind, and you're not going to change mine. Being nearly ten years behind on security patches and staunchly defending it because "[your] son doesn't yet have a Bachelor's in IT" is absolutely asinine.

In 2020 my 6s+ was five years out of date. But it wasn't a primary device. And I don't typically access any financial information on secondary or tertiary devices or on my primary device when it's not current. Primarily though, access is from my Mac. Not my phone. I don't use my devices as substitute computers.

My point about my son was simply that I am aware of some things. Obviously not what you are aware of, but some. Just what he tells me, if anything at all.

Again, when you see these things on the daily and work in the field (which neither you or your son do), you realize it's less paranoia and more what happens in the real world.

Continued good luck to you.

For the record, my current device is an 11 Pro Max that's running the current version of iOS 17. The last time my 6s+ was a primary device was 2019. I went from that to a Pixel and from the Pixel to my 11 PM in 2021.

But you're right. Neither of us is going to convince the other.

 

[turbineseaplane]

TIL that talking about not being 3 years behind on security patches is "bandying about."

Y'all gotta stay reading the security release notes.

iPhone SE1's have continued to get iOS 15 security updates as recently as March

What patches are we missing?

Newer patches for more recent iOS updates are patching things unique to those newer iOS versions

 

[jz0309]

Cameras. My phone is the most accessible still and video camera, from portability to capture to editing and sharing. Using a mirrorless is 10x the effort and time, so I rarely use it.

I get lots of value out of my 12 Pro, but I will upgrade at some point for IBIS (esp for video), better image quality, and faster processing. Massively irritated at the feature holes Apple preserves to trickle out features every year - still no IBIS on long lens, bad image quality on ultrawide, fixed 5x telephoto (soon to poison the smaller Pro) - which hamper the value proposition and motivate me to keep the 12 a bit longer.

Literally nothing else about the newer phones is even remotely relevant to my life.

I agree with this, upgrading 11PM to 13PM was a big upgrade from a camera POV, but neither 14/15 nor the 16 rumors about the camera make me want to upgrade, and then, I got my 13PM relaxed under AC+ a few months ago so battery health is back to 100%, and even the old one lasted way beyond a single day…

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I like new and shiny things.

 

[Andeddu]

I am currently using an iPhone 8 with 256GB of storage.

This is my experience:

1) Many websites frequently crash in Safari, forcing the page to reload. It makes the website unreadable, as it will always crash before I can scroll to the end of the article. I am assuming this is caused by lack of RAM.

2) When using multiple apps, one of them will frequently crash and I will lose all the content I’ve created in that app. Again, I’m assuming this is a RAM shortage problem.

3) The phone regularly overheats when running intensive apps, causing the processor to throttle down to a crawl.

4) When using multiple apps, such as using Safari while also using CarPlay, the phone overheats, throttles, and stops charging.

5) I am on my third battery now and get about 20 minutes of screen time in Safari.

I will be upgrading this fall to something else, because the iPhone 8 no longer meets my performance expectations.

I suspect that we have very, very different use cases for our phone. I mean, I’m sure if all you use your phone for is to send texts, make phone calls, and take a few snapshots, you probably won’t notice much of a difference between an iPhone 6s or something newer…but if you are using your phone for its compute power, the difference between a 6s and a 14 Pro or 15 Pro is not insignificant.

I strongly disagree with your premise that people only upgrade because they want something new/different. Depending on your use case, even an iPhone 15 Pro can be rather limiting in terms of hardware...

Not completely sure about what you use your iPhone for but I use all my iPhones as smartphones.

My 13 is used for web-browsing, video steaming on Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and YouTube, banking, maps, trading apps, podcasts, Apple Music, video conferencing on FaceTime, Skype and regular phone calls & WhatsApp messages. I have been using all my phones for these purposes, even my iPhone SE1 in back in 2022, and it performed very well at these tasks. I used my iPhone 8 recently and it’s a great web-browsing machine… I surmise something could be wrong with your device? Perhaps there is battery degradation affecting the performance? I can’t comment on CarPlay as I don’t use it however I am aware that it is demanding on older devices.

I don’t use my iPhone 13 for anything different than my older iPhones.

I also do a lot of Safari web-browsing on my SE1 and 6S and genuinely have no recollection of a website crashing on me. Is your 8 currently on at least iOS 15.8?

 

[Andeddu]

I agree and disagree with some of your points. A lot of people on here would probably say technology / gadgets is a hobby. People like to spend money on their hobby, talk about it on forums, etc.

I have a 14 pro max that's been great and still is great to the point where I am may keep it another year as we are getting more and more rumors about the 17 bringing some major changes.

I always did 2-3 year upgrade cycles and I would have no problem selling my previous device for almost half of its original value so that would help "justify" my upgrade (I don't need any justification, it's my money anyway).

While some people like yourself don't see the point of this... I don't see the point of say sneaker collecting which to me is stupid and some of those sneakers look idiotic. So to each their own.

I don’t know if you’re referring to me as I did say in my OP that those who are tech enthusiasts who make a conscious decision to upgrade are pretty much excempt from my rant.

I am referring to the influx of upgrade posts on here with people trying to justify upgrading iPhone 12/13 type phones with 15/16s. There isn’t any real practical value other than minor superficial improvements and a fresh battery.

Those who want to upgrade because they want the newest shiny iPhone have justified themselves already. I am talking about consumerism as whole with people unthinkingly upgrading their phones because their 2 year contract is up and it’s “time to upgrade”.

There are much more rational alternatives to upgrading.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I think most people upgrade their phones because their carrier tells them "You're eligible for an upgrade!". That's why I often upgraded back several generations ago, and why people do that I talk to.

Personally, I'm just bored with smartphones and only upgrade when needed. I don't watch video on mine, or play games or even use the camera much. Not really any point in changing. I'm not budget-conscious; I just don't care.

 

[TechnoMonk]

The first reality is mind your own business. My personal reality is I upgrade every 6-7 years. Third is I don’t preach others what to do with their money or life.