Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Which Devices Won't Make the Cut for iOS 10?
- Thread starter Yebubbleman
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think the A5 will be dropped. It had a great run, for quite sometime too.
At the same time, I do wish Apple can optimize iOS further. Optimizing iOS will benefit everyone, not just people with older devices. Businesses have a lot of iPad 2 as it was in circulation for the longest time. I think Apple will be (or is already) facing the problem with legacy support. When you have a lot more userbase, you can't help that there will be a segment of your customers that have a much longer product lifecycle than your initial intention.
At the same time, I do wish Apple can optimize iOS further. Optimizing iOS will benefit everyone, not just people with older devices. Businesses have a lot of iPad 2 as it was in circulation for the longest time. I think Apple will be (or is already) facing the problem with legacy support. When you have a lot more userbase, you can't help that there will be a segment of your customers that have a much longer product lifecycle than your initial intention.
My 5S runs extremely fast on iOS 9.2. No lag at all. In fact, if it does get iOS 10 I'm thinking of staying on it or 9.3. Problem is, I always give in and update all of my devices as soon as updates are released - must resist
Here's what I think will be receiving iOS 10:
Definitely: A7 and newer devices (iPhone 5s and newer, iPad Air and Mini 2 and newer and iPod touch 6th gen)
Probably: A6/A6x based devices (iPhone 5/5c and iPad 4)
Maybe: iPad 3 (A5x based and 1 GB of ram)
Unlikely: A5 based devices (iPhone 4s, iPad 2 and Mini 1st gen)
Definitely: A7 and newer devices (iPhone 5s and newer, iPad Air and Mini 2 and newer and iPod touch 6th gen)
Probably: A6/A6x based devices (iPhone 5/5c and iPad 4)
Maybe: iPad 3 (A5x based and 1 GB of ram)
Unlikely: A5 based devices (iPhone 4s, iPad 2 and Mini 1st gen)
That's fair. The real question will be what the limiting factor is. I can't imagine that it'd be 1GB of RAM only because the third generation iPad would otherwise run horribly as it is, more or less, a slightly slower iPad 2 with a flashier screen despite the doubled RAM.
Yeah, I highly suspect the iPad 3 will be dropped at the same time as the A5x was pretty underpowered to run the iPad retina screen.
Could be a combination of ram and processor speed. For instance, the iPhone 4 stopped at iOS 7 while the iPhone 4s still supports iOS 9. Both get 512mb of ram, so the only discernible difference is that the 4s has a dual-core, faster processor.
Yeah, if they allowed the A5X, A6, A6X and up, it would be horrible for Third Generation iPad users.
I don't think 2GB of RAM is THAT close. That would cut out the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and 6th Generation iPod touch. 32-bit makes sense. Hell, Night-Shift is a feature that only runs on 64-bit iOS devices for some reason.
A5 based things are just so slow in general. They have to be dropped at some point sooner rather than later. Hell, the iPads with it have been slow since iOS 7. The 4s and the 5th Gen iPod touch have been sluggish with it since iOS 8. They don't win any awards or incur the wrath of anyone crying "fragmentation" by dropping support on these things.
2GB RAM won't be a reason to abandon iOS update support in a very long time because the brand new Apple devices announced last week both have 2GB RAM.
A5 & A5X will get the chop this year, that is almost guaranteed. The next cut-off point after that will be whether the device is 64-bit or not, I highly suspect.
A5 & A5X will get the chop this year, that is almost guaranteed. The next cut-off point after that will be whether the device is 64-bit or not, I highly suspect.
I hope the 4S doesnt get IOS 10. I have to use one as my work phone, and its bad enough already on IOS 9
I have to, otherwise my companies app's wont work. They require us to upgrade to the latest version
they meant 2gb minimum - so those devices would still be supported
basically they meant dropping the 1gb or less devices
I just posted in the other "Which devices will get iOS 10?" thread, and I wanted to reply here as well, because I'm quite fascinated with this.
Basically, I checked off all the above devices except the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2. I really don't think Apple will support the A5 NOR the A6 devices after iOS 9. I have a feeling they're going to make it A7 and later (64-bit only), and I have a feeling it won't be popular.
I'm basing this off of their past history. Usually they cut off support for older iOS devices based on their current lineup of what they sell. Example: iOS 6 did not support the original iPad, but it still supported the iPhone 3GS. I don't know the details of why the original iPad could not support iOS 6 (maybe it's the fact that it had 256MB of RAM, and the iPhone 3GS's 256MB of RAM was easier to support due to its low resolution screen), but Apple was clearly aware of the iPad not being good enough for iOS 6, but it was easy to discontinue it because they had already stopped selling it a year prior. Why support the iPhone 3GS? Because they were still selling it during the time of WWDC 2012. They quickly discontinued it months after, but still supported it for another year. iPod Touch 3rd generation was also dropped because Apple had stopped selling it.
Right before iOS 7 was unveiled, Apple quietly discontinued the 4th generation iPod Touch and replaced it with a lower-cost 16GB 5th gen iPod Touch that lacked a rear camera. They likely knew that the 4th gen Touch simply couldn't run iOS 7 internally, so they had to find a way to get rid of it and make sure that EVERY device they sold would get iOS 7.
With iOS 9, Apple continued to sell the original iPad mini and the 5th gen iPod Touch at the time of WWDC. Since the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 had similar hardware to those devices, Apple supported them, too. However, Apple likely knew that this would be the last time they'd support all the A5 devices, which is why they quietly discontinued the original iPad mini just a month or two after WWDC and introduced the A8-based 6th generation iPod Touch.
Right now, Apple's current lineup consists of iPhones that are A8 and A9-based. However, they do sell the iPad mini 2, so unless they decide to drop it soon, it should still be supported with iOS 10. Also, since the iPad mini 2 has similar hardware to the iPad Air and iPhone 5S, those devices should also be supported.
I know some people think that Apple will support all the devices with 1GB of RAM and simply drop the 512MB devices, but I seriously doubt they'd support the incredibly-slow 3rd gen iPad. If they drop the iPad 2, the 3rd gen iPad is going with it, because it's basically an iPad 2 with Retina display. And… again, if you look at how they've operated in the past, you'll see how the devices they'll support is entirely based on what they currently sell. They don't sell any A5 NOR A6 devices. There's no reason for Apple to even support the 4th gen iPad, nor the iPhone 5 and 5C. Ever wonder why the iPad mini 2 skipped the A6? Apple likely knew the A6 wouldn't have a long life ahead of it.
Basically, I checked off all the above devices except the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2. I really don't think Apple will support the A5 NOR the A6 devices after iOS 9. I have a feeling they're going to make it A7 and later (64-bit only), and I have a feeling it won't be popular.
I'm basing this off of their past history. Usually they cut off support for older iOS devices based on their current lineup of what they sell. Example: iOS 6 did not support the original iPad, but it still supported the iPhone 3GS. I don't know the details of why the original iPad could not support iOS 6 (maybe it's the fact that it had 256MB of RAM, and the iPhone 3GS's 256MB of RAM was easier to support due to its low resolution screen), but Apple was clearly aware of the iPad not being good enough for iOS 6, but it was easy to discontinue it because they had already stopped selling it a year prior. Why support the iPhone 3GS? Because they were still selling it during the time of WWDC 2012. They quickly discontinued it months after, but still supported it for another year. iPod Touch 3rd generation was also dropped because Apple had stopped selling it.
Right before iOS 7 was unveiled, Apple quietly discontinued the 4th generation iPod Touch and replaced it with a lower-cost 16GB 5th gen iPod Touch that lacked a rear camera. They likely knew that the 4th gen Touch simply couldn't run iOS 7 internally, so they had to find a way to get rid of it and make sure that EVERY device they sold would get iOS 7.
With iOS 9, Apple continued to sell the original iPad mini and the 5th gen iPod Touch at the time of WWDC. Since the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 had similar hardware to those devices, Apple supported them, too. However, Apple likely knew that this would be the last time they'd support all the A5 devices, which is why they quietly discontinued the original iPad mini just a month or two after WWDC and introduced the A8-based 6th generation iPod Touch.
Right now, Apple's current lineup consists of iPhones that are A8 and A9-based. However, they do sell the iPad mini 2, so unless they decide to drop it soon, it should still be supported with iOS 10. Also, since the iPad mini 2 has similar hardware to the iPad Air and iPhone 5S, those devices should also be supported.
I know some people think that Apple will support all the devices with 1GB of RAM and simply drop the 512MB devices, but I seriously doubt they'd support the incredibly-slow 3rd gen iPad. If they drop the iPad 2, the 3rd gen iPad is going with it, because it's basically an iPad 2 with Retina display. And… again, if you look at how they've operated in the past, you'll see how the devices they'll support is entirely based on what they currently sell. They don't sell any A5 NOR A6 devices. There's no reason for Apple to even support the 4th gen iPad, nor the iPhone 5 and 5C. Ever wonder why the iPad mini 2 skipped the A6? Apple likely knew the A6 wouldn't have a long life ahead of it.
Part of me thinks this makes a lot of sense and based on Apple's history it's quite plausible so I wouldn't be that surprised if Apple goes this route. It also has the advantage of of all devices being 64 bit and use the Rogue architecture and support the Metal API. That said I still think precedent was set by supporting the iPhone 4s and iPad 2 for a full 5 years and there would be a lot of backlash to dropping the iPhone 5 & 5c and iPad 4 this fall, so I suspect there will be one more token update for A6 based devices.
Last edited:
Them supporting the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S for an additional year shouldn't have "set any precedent." They supported them for an additional year because those devices got lucky by having hardware in them that would be sold in other devices (iPad mini and iPod Touch 5th gen) for such a long time.
The iPhone 3GS supported iOS 6 because it was still sold when Apple unveiled it. The 4 was supported with iOS 7 because Apple sold it during the time of the iOS 7 unveiling. The 4S and iPad 2 were only supported because Apple continued to sell the iPad mini and 5th gen iPod Touch for an additional year. However, quickly after WWDC, Apple discontinued those devices and they stopped selling all A5 and A6 devices altogether.
Aside from the fact that Apple stopped selling them, the A6 devices in general were doomed to not have as long of a life due to the A7 being 64-bit. I mean, ever wonder why there were so few A6 devices and why the iPad mini 2 SKIPPED the A6 altogether? Yes, the iPhone 5C was given an A6 chip, but that was merely a plastic sold in place of the iPhone 5 at the $100 discount, had that phone not been discontinued.
Some devices just get lucky and are given longer support. Look at Apple's Macs. Their iMacs were typically given 5 years of support, like the 2006 iMac. Then you get the 2007 iMac which is STILL supported to this day.
Had Apple NOT sold the iPad mini and iPod Touch 5th gen for the additional year, they would've been discontinued and iOS 9 would've followed the usual lifecycle of the devices, it would've been: iPhone 5 and later, iPad 4th gen and later, iPad mini 2 and later, iPad Pro.
Like I said, I do agree with you that this would match Apple's previous approach to which devices are supported, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them go that way, yet comments made before the release of iOS 9 about Apple restructuring its software engineering process to better support older hardware seems to indicate a trend towards longer device support. This may be influenced by people holding onto iPads for much longer than iPhones and Apple wanting to give these people as good of experience as possible (somewhat in opposition to their desire to sell them newer devices but not completely as maintaining brand loyalty is a better long term marketing strategy). We'll see which way Apple goes at WWDC.
I suspect that iOS 10 will be a 64 Bit only release. That means.
iPhone 5S and later
iPad Air and later
iPad mini 2/3 and later
iPod touch 6th generation
iPhone 5S and later
iPad Air and later
iPad mini 2/3 and later
iPod touch 6th generation
Then you can reasonably request iPhone upgrade without hesitation.
"Hey, my iPhone is discontinued by Apple so please award me a brand new iPhone 7."
[doublepost=1461477889][/doublepost]All A5 and A5X will be discontinued for sure. But I doubt apple will discontinue A6 this year. Maybe this year is the last year A6 will be supported.
Of corse, all those, and all other comments above is based on previous track record. Given the pressure on encryption and iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S being targeted, we can barely say Apple will follow this pace as usual. And, unlike hardware leak, which is pretty easy, software leak might never happen starting from iOS 1.
Then you can reasonably request iPhone upgrade without hesitation.
"Hey, my iPhone is discontinued by Apple so please award me a brand new iPhone 7."
[doublepost=1461477889][/doublepost]All A5 and A5X will be discontinued for sure. But I doubt apple will discontinue A6 this year. Maybe this year is the last year A6 will be supported.
Of corse, all those, and all other comments above is based on previous track record. Given the pressure on encryption and iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S being targeted, we can barely say Apple will follow this pace as usual. And, unlike hardware leak, which is pretty easy, software leak might never happen starting from iOS 1.
There's no reason for them to keep supporting the A6. Once we get to the end of 2016, that would've been four years for iPhone 5 and iPad 4th gen support. (It'd be three years for iPhone 5C, but the iPhone 5C hardly counts, because it was essentially a plastic iPhone 5 sold at a $100 discount. Rather like those who got the iPhone 4S in 2012 for $99, or the iPhone 4 in 2011 for $99. The 5C was basically taking the place of where the iPhone 5 WOULD HAVE in the $99 slot with the introduction of the 5S) Four years is plenty of support, and Apple has very little reason to anyway. They have things like Metal, they likely want to get rid of all 32-bit devices… and quite simply, they don't SELL any A6 devices anymore.
Apple barely gave the A6 much time to shine, because 2012 devices like the iPad mini and iPod Touch 5th gen were given the previous-generation A5, and devices like the iPad mini 2 ended up SKIPPING the A6 and going straight to A7. Seems like Apple feels that the A6 is a generation worth skipping.
Yes, I'm aware that the 4S may make people think that it now set up a longer 5-year pattern, but the 4S simply got lucky because later devices would be sold with that same A5/512MB of RAM hardware, and Apple continued to sell iPad mini and the 5th gen iPod Touch until later 2015. People often point out how the 3GS began this "trend" of Apple supporting iOS devices for additional iOS versions, but… the 3GS was only supported with iOS 6 because Apple still SOLD it until late 2012. They still sold the iPhone 4 until late 2013, so it was supported for iOS 7. (The 4th gen iPod Touch, while having similar iPhone 4 hardware, lacked the 512MB of RAM that the iPhone 4 had, so Apple quietly discontinued it just months before unveiling iOS 7)
Apple HAD to support the A5 one more generation, because they still sold devices with the A5. However, Apple no longer sells any A5 NOR A6 devices. In fact, they hardly sell any A7 devices at this point. The iPod Touch 6th gen skipped the A7 and went to the A8, as did the Apple TV and the iPad mini 4 also contains a slightly faster A8.
Apple seems to be getting ready to move on from the A7 chip at this point, with only one device (iPad mini 2) being sold with an A7 in it. If they're getting ready to nix the A7, why would they bother supporting the A6, especially given everything I just said?
Wow, very detailed analysis.
So, after 2015 "generously" allow all devices running iOS 8 to run iOS 9, Apple finally decide to ditch 32-bit in this year, and A7 in next year? After two years suddenly Apple only have A8, A9, A10, and A11 actively on sale?
Bold, really bold. Let's see how Apple will go this year.
Wow, very detailed analysis.
So, after 2015 "generously" allow all devices running iOS 8 to run iOS 9, Apple finally decide to ditch 32-bit in this year, and A7 in next year? After two years suddenly Apple only have A8, A9, A10, and A11 actively on sale?
Bold, really bold. Let's see how Apple will go this year.
Well, I thought that the A7 would probably be given an additional year like the 4S, since I thought Apple would at least be persistent and keep one of these on the market a bit longer.
But then the iPhone SE came out, and Apple discontinued the iPhone 5S… so then it kind of changed a few things. Maybe Apple will keep the iPad mini 2 for a little while longer, but I have a feeling they'll probably take it out of the lineup by this Fall, meaning that it will be gone by iOS 11.
The A8 seems like a more curious chip, because while it was introduced in 2014, Apple introduced quite a few A8 devices in 2015: iPod Touch 6th gen, the 4th generation Apple TV, and the iPad mini 4. It makes me wonder if the A8 will be the "new A5" and have extended support. Because, it seems like these days, the iPod Touch is something that only gets updating once every few years. Apple decided to refresh the 5th gen iPod Touch with… an A8 processor. It doesn't seem like Apple has any intention of regularly refreshing the iPod Touch annually. Apple clearly is aware of this, and figured they'd stick a processor in there that they know will last: the A8.
I do firmly believe this, but we will have to wait and see. All I'm saying is, prepare for some potential outcry and the same old tired argument about "planned obsolescence" when Apple pulls the plug on two generations of A-based processors with one release.
I don't think they're getting rid of the A7 just yet. That'd be a bit sooner than expected. However, the A5 and A6 are definitely going, because Apple hasn't sold any for a long time. (Along with the the "X" variants, because they're really just the same thing, but for the iPad line to compensate for the larger Retina display).
Last edited: