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About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

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Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#91

Post by JohnTHaller »

Y-bar wrote: post #39
alewi481 wrote: post #10

I'd like to give kudos to Apple for including the iPhone 5S in this security update, which was released on September 20, 2013, over 7 years ago! Supporting a product for even 3 years is rare in the smartphone world.

Wouldn't last official sale date be a better indicator of true device support? For example if someone bought it in an Apple store on the last day available, how long period would they have received updates for? For example in mid 2017 it was still officially sold by Apple in India (source: https://www.iphonehacks.com/2017/05/apple-iphone-5s-iphone-s... ).

Comparatively, no. Android phones generally get a maximum of 3 years of security updates from launch, not from last device sale date. So, within mobile phones, it's more informative to compare it to their competition. It shows you just how much better Apple is at mobile device support compared to everyone else.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#92

Post by yabones »

zokier wrote: post #37
snazz wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's worth linking the 12.4.9 page because it's impressive that the software update is available going all the way back to the iPhone 5s. That's some serious longevity.

> That's some serious longevity Well, yes, its better than your average Android vendor. But on the other hand Windows 8 was released 2012 (i.e. about a year before iPhone 5s), and is scheduled to get updates until 2023 . That is pretty serious longevity. And supporting handful of Apple devices must be comparatively simpler than supporting the hodgepodge fleet of Windows 8 devices.

8.0 which was released in 2012 is no longer supported, with the last updates landing in early 2016. [1]

8.1 on the other hand _is_ supported until 2023. [2]

The majority of 8.0 users immediately upgraded to 8.1 (because 8.0 was slightly terrible), so you're mostly correct. 10 years of support is pretty standard for Windows releases.

[1] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-ca/lifecycle/products/windows-...

[2] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-ca/lifecycle/products/windows-...

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#93

Post by evad3r »

gcheong wrote: post #44
alewi481 wrote: post #10

I'd like to give kudos to Apple for including the iPhone 5S in this security update, which was released on September 20, 2013, over 7 years ago! Supporting a product for even 3 years is rare in the smartphone world.

Since this is a security update I think it’s more about support of an OS which is only 2 yrs old than the class of device as that class was supported with the initial iOS 12 release.

I think it's more a testament to the length of time they support their devices for.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#94

Post by mattkevan »

hbbio wrote: post #75
ezekg wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you still have one that's running OK? My Apple products almost always "die" after a few years. I had the 5S but one day it crashed and would not turn back on no matter what I did. The iPhone I had before that did the same thing.

The list of old Apple devices that still work well is impressive: I still have one original iPad, an iPhone 3GS, several iPhone 4. Same goes for the more recent ones, with the exception of the few devices that I dropped on hard floors over the last 10 years...

Still have a first-generation iPod Touch running iOS 3. Works like a charm, can even download some apps from the App Store. Bit of a shock how both primitive and advanced the early versions of iOS were.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#95

Post by chrisweekly »

mulmen wrote: post #87
diebeforei485 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple uses this metric as well[1]. If something hasn't been sold by Apple for 5 years (but less than 7 years), it's considered vintage and you can still get hardware service and certain critical software fixes, though not necessarily any new features. The support for MacBooks is actually great. Certain Late 2013 and Mid 2014 Retina MacBook Pros, while considered vintage, will be receiving the Big Sur update[2]. 1. ht…

I have a Mid-2014 RMBP, there's nothing wrong with it at all. It's sad to think OS support may be dropped in the next few years.

Still rocking my maxxed-out 2012 mbp15r here.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#96

Post by vxNsr »

heavyset_go wrote: post #8

I think it's interesting how iOS exploits are cheaper[1] than Android exploits, because iOS exploits are so plentiful in comparison to Android exploits. [1] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/for-t...

Or possibly bec apple patches quicker so the exploit is less useful.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#97

Post by wil421 »

ezekg wrote: post #16
als0 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 5S is still the perfect iPhone.

How do you still have one that's running OK? My Apple products almost always "die" after a few years. I had the 5S but one day it crashed and would not turn back on no matter what I did. The iPhone I had before that did the same thing.

I have an iPhone 3GS and an iPad 2 that still work. They are very slow and most apps don’t support their oses. I’d still have an iPhone 7 Plus if it wasn’t at the bottom of a river rapid. My wife has a white MacBook somewhere from 2009/10.

The only problem I’ve had was a 2011 MBP have a gpu issue.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#98

Post by ponker »

wnevets wrote: post #38
ponker wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why Apple makes the cheapest smartphones, as long as you avoid dropping them.

until Apple throttles the hardware with their software updates [1] https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/13/21322867/apple-iphone-bat...

I turned off this feature when they shipped the option and promptly turned it back on. I use Apple because they make reasonable decisions instead of requiring endless configuration, and they made the right decision here. The lawsuit feels like pure power politics... Apple can handle the cost, I don’t feel bad for them or anything, but I see it as a pure money grab rather than any culpability for Apple.

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#99

Post by judge2020 »

scarybeast wrote: post #88
dang wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've changed the title above to that of the page. (Submitted title was "Apple releases iOS 14.2 and 12.4.9, fixing in-the-wild exploited vulnerabilities".)

I think this is a bad decision. The "in-the-wild" part is the interesting part because it is not the norm at all and it implies an interesting story.

I’m not sure if it actually means “being used to exploit unknowing devices” given that Apple doesn’t define how they use it on that page. It very well could be referring to news about iPhone 12 jailbreaks (not that there is one yet https://twitter.com/fce365/status/1320691136890109952?s=21)

Re: About the security content of iOS 12.4.9

#100

Post by abawany »

ezekg wrote: post #16
als0 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 5S is still the perfect iPhone.

How do you still have one that's running OK? My Apple products almost always "die" after a few years. I had the 5S but one day it crashed and would not turn back on no matter what I did. The iPhone I had before that did the same thing.

I fired up an old 5S as a result of this post and was sad to find that it appears to be dead.
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