Older iPhones Slowed Down With Updates

Upon doing my rounds on the latest tech blogs, I came upon a controversy that cut me to my very soul. It was news so dire, and so offensive, that I had to put down my coffee and dedicate a solid five minutes to having my jaw hang upon. “Apple is purposely making older iPhone models slower with the latest updates,” the blog told me. Of all the low down, dirty things a multi-billion dollar company could do, this was among the worst I have ever read about. And this, may I remind you, is in an era where EA is trying to push pay-to-win games at full price. Perhaps the two are having a “scummiest company on earth” show down, and are eager to outdo one another. So why would Apple do such a thing? Well, to encourage people to buy newer model phones, of course. Older model iPhone starting to feel a little more sluggish than usual? Tut, tut, time to get a newer model, champ. Getting a little left behind, aren't we? After all, since newer phones really don’t offer much that requires you to actually upgrade, the next best option is to simply purposely cripple older phones, and force people to adopt the latest technology.

What Does It Mean For Apple Users?

Okay, now that my indignant anger is out of the way, let me put my serious hat on. Apple claims that they are slowing older model iPhones to preserve the integrity of the devices. The lithium batteries in modern smartphones degrade with time, this much is true. And, in fact, it is something I can confirm, as a person having to have replaced the battery in his trusty Samsung several times. But, and let’s just be logical about this, is purposefully slowing the devices really the best way to tackle this issue? Wouldn’t it, for example, be better to let people buy new batteries, and preserve the speed of the device overall? But then, on the other hand, people would be indignant about being forced to buy new batteries, regardless. It’s a debatable topic, really. Either way, older model phones are getting slower, and this does have a serious impact on everyone using an Apple device.

Will It Affect Gaming?

Will Apple devices getting slower affect gaming? Well, of course it will. It will affect every application, and every action performed on an Apple phone. Slower is slower, there is no way around that. And if you’re the one person on earth who was crossing their fingers, hoping that their Apple phone would be just a little slower some day, then allow me to show you to the padded cell and men in white coats, and wish you a nice stay. No one enjoys having to wait while using technology. It’s a right royal pain in the backside, and there are simply no upsides. But, on the other hand, the device will still be stable, and that is not something to take lightly. An unstable device is far more of an inconvenience than a slower one. And for that, at least, Apple users can be thankful.

Will All Games Still Work?

Now, having researched the topic in great detail, Apple has assured users that it will only be the speed of the devices that is affected, and not it’s ability to run applications. This is great, but I’m not sure it’s entirely accurate. Many would say that the speed an application runs is directly proportionate to the device being able to run that application. If a phone can run a game, but runs it so slowly that the game ceases to be entertaining, we have a bit of a sticking point. Again, however, having done my research, I’m not finding any reports that older model iPhones are running any games to a degree that could be called unplayable. But, and think seriously about this, just how long that will be the case I’m not sure.

Is It Time To Upgrade?

Is it time to upgrade, you ask me? Well, I’ve had my phone for a while now, and I don’t feel the need to upgrade. Not one little bit. I’ve had to replace the battery more than once, and it’s been annoying, but a newer model phone doesn’t interest me at all. My old phone is in pristine condition, works just as well as the day I got it, and I still don’t use virtually any of the bells, whistles, censors, or colour changing LED lights. So, if you’re asking me, knowing what I do about older model iPhones getting slower, to be perfectly honest with you I’d say maybe switch to a company that doesn’t purposefully slow it’s older models? Maybe move to a brand that lets you buy new third party batteries, instead? Just my opinion, don’t bite my head off.