We’re precisely two months away from Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Convention (WWDC), which is predicted to kick off with a keynote the place the corporate will unveil the following spherical of main updates to all of its working techniques for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and extra.
It’s additionally about that point after we start listening to extra rumors and leaks about what we will count on from a few of these updates, which isn’t shocking as Apple begins to lock down the options in iOS and the remaining to arrange for its first developer betas to be launched throughout WWDC.
We don’t know a lot but about what we’ll see in iOS 17 — a lack of awareness that implies it would in all probability be a bit much less thrilling than we’ve gotten in earlier years — sources have begun sharing conflicting info on which iPhone fashions might drop off the checklist with this yr’s launch.
This started on Tuesday with a rumor noticed by MacRumors that indicated that iOS 17 would spell the tip of the highway for the 2017 iPhone fashions — the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. The identical supply indicated iPadOS 17 would drop assist for the 2 earliest iPad Professional fashions — the unique 2015 12.9-inch iPad Professional and the 9.7-inch model that arrived in early 2016.
Whereas MacRumors famous this supply has “a confirmed observe report for upcoming software program updates,” one other dependable leaker countered this declare in a put up on the MacRumors boards, claiming that an inside supply inside Apple’s growth group instructed him that iOS 17 will proceed to assist the identical gadgets as iOS 16. AppleInsider experiences that it acquired the same tip, as did we, though it’s unclear if these have all come from the identical supply.
It wouldn’t take lots of clairvoyance to imagine that the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X could be the following gadgets to be dropped by a serious iOS replace, as these are the oldest ones presently supported by iOS 16. Nevertheless, that’s additionally removed from a positive factor with Apple’s newest software program releases.
Opposite to conspiracies about “deliberate obsolescence,” Apple has a protracted historical past of attempting to assist as many older gadgets as it could actually for so long as it could actually. Apple didn’t begin ending assist for older gadgets till iOS 4 — the primary model of the iPhone working system to be referred to as “iOS” — and of the 12 iOS releases since then, solely seven have dropped assist for older iPhone fashions.
- 2010 — iOS 4 dropped the unique 2007 iPhone
- 2011 — iOS 5 continued to assist all earlier fashions from iOS 8
- 2012 — iOS 6 dropped the 2008 iPhone 3G
- 2013 — iOS 7 dropped the 2009 iPhone 3GS
- 2014 — iOS 8 dropped the 2010 iPhone 4
- 2015 — iOS 9 continued to assist all earlier fashions from iOS 8
- 2016 — iOS 10 dropped the 2011 iPhone 4s
- 2017 — iOS 11 dropped the 2012 iPhone 5 and 2013 iPhone 5c
- 2018 — iOS 12 continued to assist all earlier fashions from iOS 11
- 2019 — iOS 13 dropped the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus.
- 2020 — iOS 14 continued to assist all earlier fashions from iOS 13
- 2021 — iOS 15 continued to assist all earlier fashions from iOS 14
- 2022 — iOS 16 dropped the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus
Apple made some fairly deep cuts final yr with iOS 16 by eliminating two generations of iPhone, however one might argue that the iPhone 6s was already dwelling on borrowed time at that time.
In spite of everything, we had a fairly nice run from 2019 to 2022, when not one however two main iOS releases may very well be put in on all the identical fashions as their predecessors. When iOS 15 was launched in 2021, it might nonetheless be put in on six-year-old iPhone fashions — a stage of software program longevity that Android handset house owners might solely dream of, and certain the rationale that Google and Samsung have just lately begun promising 4–5 years of updates for his or her respective telephones.
Nonetheless, with Apple’s observe report and the tendencies we’ve seen over the previous few years, we’re placing our cash on the report that iOS 17 will proceed to assist the older A11-equipped iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus.
After all, that doesn’t imply these older telephones will get entry to all the brand new options coming in iOS 17. Apple has drawn the road for a lot of of its extra highly effective options on the 2018 fashions since iOS 15. Nevertheless, that’s not an arbitrary choice on Apple’s half; most of those options require the extra highly effective Neural Engine launched within the A12 Bionic chip or newer NFC {hardware} that got here to the iPhone XS/XR fashions.
So, it’s comprehensible why some might imagine the older A11-equipped iPhone fashions may very well be dropped off the checklist this yr, and Apple’s engineers have possible mentioned the likelihood. Nevertheless, whereas iOS 17 will add just a few new options this yr, it’s not anticipated to be almost as groundbreaking as the previous couple of main updates, which implies there’s little motive to attract the road on the A12 Bionic now.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]