Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey
But it happens; and here's a good example.
Back in 2010, Apple released the iPhone 4 (Jun) and the iPod touch 4 (Sep). Both got the same A4 chip, but the RAM was different. The iPhone got 512MB and the iPod got 256MB.
Fast forward to Sep 2013 when iOS 7 was released. The iPhone 4 received the upgrade, but not the iPod touch 4. The reason, it didn't have enough RAM. So the iPod was left behind, stuck on iOS 6.
Fast forward again to now and this thread --> Orphaned apps on iOS6. Now developers are leaving iOS 6 behind. That's only natural as technology advances. Unfortunately for iPod touch 4 owners, many apps are now requiring iOS 7 and up. Older versions remain available, but without updates.
So, planned obsolescence? You bet, Apple deliberately made the decision to have the iPod touch 4 stop receiving iOS updates sooner than the iPhone 4. It made that decision when it shorted the iPod 256MB of RAM. |
I can see what you mean, but does the iPod Touch 4 still work as it was designed? I'd think that the answer is yes.
I have an old iPod Nano (2nd generation). No OS upgrade, but it still does everything it was designed to do - very well. I'm perfectly happy with it and have not seen a reason to upgrade. That is a product that was not designed to fail. It is not obsolete for me; it still plays music, podcasts, etc. Since I never expected any upgrades to its software, I am not disappointed. I got an excellent device that has lasted longer than I had hoped. Apple still provides troubleshooting literature, manual, etc on their website. While several generations of more complex iPod Nanos have been produced, this early Nano still continues working. Planned obsolescence/failure is not even close to what Apple's design plans appear to be to me.