4 ms·

The analysis of phone lifetimes based on software support is dubious. Apple generally supports groups of devices together that are similar hardware. Given iPhon

The analysis of phone lifetimes based on software support is dubious. Apple generally supports groups of devices together that are similar hardware. Given iPhones 12-14 are virtually identical I’d expect these will all lose support around the same time. Generally, this article is apple hate on steroids!! Apple is still releasing security updates for a 7-year-old device; name a mainstream android phone that’s doing that. The author should get a refurbished 12 mini. $350 right now and will probably get 5+ years of updates.

ovao 4y ago
I don’t think you read the article fully. The gripe is more about what mobile app developers do with respect to long-term support for older hardware/OS versions and much less about what Apple does.
- wccrawford 4y ago
  Apple and Google now both require that you keep your app up to date with the new SDKs, even if your app works perfectly fine on the old version. As you upgrade to fix changes for that, it gets harder and hard to maintain support for older OSes. I'm not at all surprised that most app developers don't spend the time to ensure that their app continues to work on older devices, especially those that have a tiny marketshare now. You can blame it on the developer for not supporting that, but it's in response to things that Apple and Google are doing, and I'd argue that they're really the ones at fault.
dmix 4y ago
Those 12-14 minis are amazing phones. My girlfriend has one and the form factor is perfect for her and it was affordable. Feels high quality in your hand, reminded me of a modern iPhone 4.
Aromasin 4y ago
I was trying to find an answer to your question and found a great website I thought I should share, documenting when Samsung EOL their devices. Oldest mobile device (not including smart watches) to have security updates is the Galaxy C7 from 2017. Genuine device support only extends as far back as 2019 to the Samsung S10 though. I found Apple's list also, which I'll share below. https://endoflife.date/samsung-mobile https://endoflife.date/samsung-mobile https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/ios https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/io...
- ericpauley 4y ago
  For comparison, iOS 12 just received a security update, and supports the iPhone 5S from 2013.
everdrive 4y ago
5+ years is only good in the context of the poor Android support model. We’re throwing away hardware which is still perfectly good because a company cannot profitably support the older models. It’s a major problem, and a huge waste of resources.

ovao 4y ago

I don’t think you read the article fully. The gripe is more about what mobile app developers do with respect to long-term support for older hardware/OS versions and much less about what Apple does.

wccrawford 4y ago
Apple and Google now both require that you keep your app up to date with the new SDKs, even if your app works perfectly fine on the old version. As you upgrade to fix changes for that, it gets harder and hard to maintain support for older OSes. I'm not at all surprised that most app developers don't spend the time to ensure that their app continues to work on older devices, especially those that have a tiny marketshare now. You can blame it on the developer for not supporting that, but it's in response to things that Apple and Google are doing, and I'd argue that they're really the ones at fault.

dmix 4y ago

Those 12-14 minis are amazing phones. My girlfriend has one and the form factor is perfect for her and it was affordable. Feels high quality in your hand, reminded me of a modern iPhone 4.

Aromasin 4y ago

I was trying to find an answer to your question and found a great website I thought I should share, documenting when Samsung EOL their devices. Oldest mobile device (not including smart watches) to have security updates is the Galaxy C7 from 2017. Genuine device support only extends as far back as 2019 to the Samsung S10 though. I found Apple's list also, which I'll share below. https://endoflife.date/samsung-mobile https://endoflife.date/samsung-mobile https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/ios https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/io...

ericpauley 4y ago
For comparison, iOS 12 just received a security update, and supports the iPhone 5S from 2013.

everdrive 4y ago

5+ years is only good in the context of the poor Android support model. We’re throwing away hardware which is still perfectly good because a company cannot profitably support the older models. It’s a major problem, and a huge waste of resources.