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iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

macrumors.com

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Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#51

Post by jen20 »

pjmlp wrote: post #42
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know folks that have 18-month-old flagship Android phones, that can’t get the latest Android releases. When they ask me what Android phones to get, I always say a Pixel, because they will at least get the latest OS support in a timely fashion. They are also excellent phones.

I, like most people I know, buy Android devices around the 300 euro limit, use them until they break for whatever reason, which is measured in years. The only apps that get installed nowadays are the ones that must be for a specific service, or gaming. Many people even turn updates off due to the way companies get creative changing the application on every update. In the old days before the iOS/Android duopoly there…

> In the old days before the iOS/Android duopoly there were no updates at all, and the few times they happened to be supported, it required the developer SDK to update the firmware.

Not quite. The phones I had for the four years before the iPhone came out were Treo devices running PalmOS, which got software updates installable via the host computer without any developer tools.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#52

Post by pjmlp »

jen20 wrote: post #51
pjmlp wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, like most people I know, buy Android devices around the 300 euro limit, use them until they break for whatever reason, which is measured in years. The only apps that get installed nowadays are the ones that must be for a specific service, or gaming. Many people even turn updates off due to the way companies get creative changing the application on every update. In the old days before the iOS/Android duopoly there…

> In the old days before the iOS/Android duopoly there were no updates at all, and the few times they happened to be supported, it required the developer SDK to update the firmware. Not quite. The phones I had for the four years before the iPhone came out were Treo devices running PalmOS, which got software updates installable via the host computer without any developer tools.

I don't know about those, given that they were not that relevant in my circles, so I never cared that much about their offerings.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#53

Post by zombot »

I am locked out of my older iOS devices. I cannot login to my Apple account on these devices because "the OS is too old", and I cannot update iOS without logging into my Apple account. They bricked those devices just by flipping a switch remotely. One of those is an iPhone 6S Plus, for instance.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#54

Post by Grazester »

youngtaff wrote: post #50
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know folks that have 18-month-old flagship Android phones, that can’t get the latest Android releases. When they ask me what Android phones to get, I always say a Pixel, because they will at least get the latest OS support in a timely fashion. They are also excellent phones.

Google have burnt me twice by abandoning phones… first was Nexus 4, next was Pixel 4a Both were abandoned within two years of me buying… never buying a phone from Google again

As power user, didn't you do your homework before buying the device?

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#55

Post by rdsubhas »

fouc wrote: post #18

I wonder if this is because some people keep their iPhone 5s around as a backup phone or for some other reason? My iPhone 5s is still attached to my apple account so a certificate update is probably useful security-wise? But that doesn't seem entirely likely because Apple's account automatically degrades the level of access depending on the age/model/OS version of the device.

More likely that, the Support Contact Rate (and potentially legal contact rate if the phone gets fully bricked and unable to make basic phone calls) is higher than the cost of just pushing the certificate.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#56

Post by rdsubhas »

augusteo wrote: post #8

tokyobreakfast is right that this is just a certificate fix, not a real software update. But it's still notable. Lots of old devices become paperweights because of expired certs or backend shutdowns. The fact that Apple even bothered to push this to a 13-year-old device is unusual. Most companies wouldn't.

It's likely that, the Support Contact Rate (and potentially legal contact rate if the phone gets fully bricked and unable to make basic phone calls) is higher than the cost of just pushing the certificate.

I'd assume the legal hourly costs for handling 10 cases probably equals the cost of pushing this cert, even if the cases can be successfully defended.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#57

Post by tasn »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #10
mrandish wrote: post #7

I'm not a fan of Apple's walled garden mindset and resistance to inter-operating with other platforms, but this degree of legacy support is a case of Apple doing a good thing and deserves praise. Note: I'm not saying that Google/MSFT et al are much better than Apple, but they're not quite as bad.

I know folks that have 18-month-old flagship Android phones, that can’t get the latest Android releases. When they ask me what Android phones to get, I always say a Pixel, because they will at least get the latest OS support in a timely fashion. They are also excellent phones.

Pixels are pretty weak hardware wise in the areas people care about (heavy, relatively slow charging, big, etc.); I'd probably recommend people buy Samsungs which also get long term software updates nowadays.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#58

Post by brewmarche »

accrual wrote: post #31

Anyone using the original iPhone SE or the second SE? I wonder how those are fairing on their final update(s).

Still using it, it’s fine performance wise, maybe needs another new battery in a year or so. Apple Pay, authenticators and messaging apps are working.

Was hoping for the new iPhone Fold (with Touch ID even) to be small but looks like it’s going to be a really weird ratio when folded.

Of course there are caveats: - Spotify not getting app updates anymore (but still playing fine)

- some websites do not support the Safari version, e.g. GitHub

- most banking apps are not supported

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#59

Post by estimator7292 »

nomel wrote: post #14
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know folks that have 18-month-old flagship Android phones, that can’t get the latest Android releases. When they ask me what Android phones to get, I always say a Pixel, because they will at least get the latest OS support in a timely fashion. They are also excellent phones.

"Just jailbreak your phone and install !" they said. I did that for a while, depending on some random guy in a forum to maintain a working image for my device. He bought a new phone, and that was the end of the updates.

I bought a brand new flagship phone for $1100, couldn't jailbreak it, then the manufacturer got bored, forced an update that bricked it, then got bored and never published an update again.

Re: iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch

#60

Post by dangus »

thebruce87m wrote: post #41
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know folks that have 18-month-old flagship Android phones, that can’t get the latest Android releases. When they ask me what Android phones to get, I always say a Pixel, because they will at least get the latest OS support in a timely fashion. They are also excellent phones.

> I always say a Pixel Given the emergency call issue that has plagued the series for years and are seemingly still unresolved I would think twice about this. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37714579

I feel like most devices have bugs affecting a tiny subset of users and that it’s not usually a reason to choose or not choose a particular device.

From what I can tell following links on your article, this issue hasn’t been reported on after the Pixel 7, so someone buying a Pixel 10 today probably has no reason to have that as a purchase consideration.

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