Zachary Boddy
Staff member
- Aug 3, 2014
- 2,419
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I never said they didn't update phones longer than other manufacturers. IN FACT, I said the exact opposite, my friend. My point, it's not infinite, and Apple is still only releasing a small handful of devices. Microsoft is trying to update WAY more than just a handful, and it's far more of a struggle.Apple's update policy is very simple and consistent. They update 3 year old devices, but not 4 year old devices. For example, in 2014 when iOS 8 was released, the iPhone 6/6+ (new model), 5s, 5, and 4s (released in 2011) received the update. The iPhone 4 did not get iOS 8, but it had gotten iOS 7 the previous year.
I haven't heard officially, but I guarantee you that the 4s will not get iOS 9, but the iPhone 5 (released in 2012) and later will. Their devices also receive the more minor updates during the year, even in the 4th year. Support stops at the time of the major version update at the 4 year point.
In a nutshell, Apple updates devices up to the 4 year point, at which time no smartphone is very viable anyway. Apple is the model that every OS provider/manufacturer/carrier should follow. It might not be perfect, but it is the closest to perfect we've ever seen.