iPad 2

[silifa]

Unfortunately I cannot afford to upgrade my IPad 2.
I don’t understand why APPLE stopped allowing updates. I am stuck on IOS 9. It seems a way for Apple to make money.
My parents old tv has outlasted two LCD tv’s.
Product design from 60’s, 70’s were designed for a lifetime, not what it’s today, a 7 year cycle.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Your iPad 2 can’t handle anything above 9.3.5. Hell I thought my iPad 3 was absolutely awful on 9.3.5 and felt it never should of been allowed to upgrade past iOS 8. Your iPad 2 is only 32 bit, iOS 11 is for 64 bit only. You should just realize the iPad 2 is too old and should just be used for basic things like music, video and internet use.. I’m actually surprised you think it works well on iOS 9..

 

[Sunshoopa]

Can your parents TV be updated to the latest firmware? No? Didn’t think so. Your iPad is still working just fine.

 

[slooksterPSV]

64-bit is the main reason. Since calculations are getting bigger than 32-bit can allocate for they need the 64-bit ecosystem to grow. 32-bit can probably run a bunch of what iOS 11 has to offer if it was built that way but it isn’t. Try using a pre 2004 pc. It doesn’t do too well :-/. Sorry dude

 

[Richard8655]

I think you make a good point. Apple certainly doesn’t go out of its way to ensure their devices (iPads) reasonably still function after only a few years. If a stereo component suddenly stopped working well after 4 years, the manufacturer would be held to the fire.

 

[joeblow7777]

Software gets more powerful and advanced so hardware has to be upgraded to keep up. Apple stops updates to devices that simply aren't capable of running it properly. The iPad 2 launched with iOS 4. The fact that it received updates up to 9 actually blows away most mobile devices in terms of longevity. Most Android device might receive just 1 or 2 OS updates.

But nothing is stopping you from continuing to use your iPad with the OS it can handle.

 

[slooksterPSV]

Software gets more powerful and advanced so hardware has to be upgraded to keep up. Apple stops updates to devices that simply aren't capable of running it properly. The iPad 2 launched with iOS 4. The fact that it received updates up to 9 actually blows away most mobile devices in terms of longevity. Most Android device might receive just 1 or 2 OS updates.

But nothing is stopping you from continuing to use your iPad with the OS it can handle.

I’ve had 5 android phones. Only 1 received any sort of update (security). Androids only get updates if it’s a flagship phone.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I think you make a good point. Apple certainly doesn’t go out of its way to ensure their devices (iPads) reasonably still function after only a few years. If a stereo component suddenly stopped working well after 4 years, the manufacturer would be held to the fire.

Um what? the iPad 2 got 6 years of software updates. Six! The iPad 2 could not handle iOS 10, not a chance. iOS 9 ran terribly on it. It does not have the processor or the RAM. Your analogy is terrible. A component is not a computer.

 

[rui no onna]

Your iPad 2 can’t handle anything above 9.3.5. Hell I thought my iPad 3 was absolutely awful on 9.3.5 and felt it never should of been allowed to upgrade past iOS 8. Your iPad 2 is only 32 bit, iOS 11 is for 64 bit only. You should just realize the iPad 2 is too old and should just be used for basic things like music, video and internet use.. I’m actually surprised you think it works well on iOS 9..

I actually found iOS 9 to be faster and more stable than iOS 8 on the iPad 3, 4 and Air. That said, even on iOS 6, the iPad 3 was already slow and I wouldn't want to use it past iOS 7.

 

[Richard8655]

Um what? the iPad 2 got 6 years of software updates. Six! The iPad 2 could not handle iOS 10, not a chance. iOS 9 ran terribly on it. It does not have the processor or the RAM. Your analogy is terrible. A component is not a computer.

Electronic components should be able to function well beyond just a few years, and that includes computer devices. This is the OP’s point. We know software will eventually slow down devices as processors won’t be able to handle the work load. However, Apple and other manufacturers make little to no effort to mitigate that in their tablets, knowing full well that profit is in new purchase when the consumer gets fed up with poor performance. The analogy holds.

 

[Mlrollin91]

Electronic components should be able to function well beyond just a few years, and that includes computer devices. This is the OP’s point. We know software will eventually slow down devices as processors won’t be able to handle the work load. However, Apple and other manufacturers make little to no effort to mitigate that in their tablets, knowing full well that profit is in new purchase when the consumer gets fed up with poor performance. The analogy holds.

Apple gave the device 6 years of updates. Find me any other tablet or phone that gets 6 years of updates. Windows machines will never get 6 new operating systems.

 

[jbs-horn]

Electronic components should be able to function well beyond just a few years, and that includes computer devices. This is the OP’s point. We know software will eventually slow down devices as processors won’t be able to handle the work load. However, Apple and other manufacturers make little to no effort to mitigate that in their tablets, knowing full well that profit is in new purchase when the consumer gets fed up with poor performance. The analogy holds.

The iPad 2 functioned well electronically for many years. “Software” did not slow the iPad 2 down. Software updates slowed it down because new features required more horsepower than it could deliver. An iPad 2 without those updates would continue to function as it always did, battery capacity not included, just as the legacy systems run for decades by large corporations continue to function as they always did. Trying to shoehorn too many new features into any computer will eventually find the limits of its hardware. This doesn’t just apply to Apple or to iPads. It applies to every computer from the Apple Watch to the big iron previously sold by IBM.

In the end, the decision to install a software update is nearly irresistible, but it is not mandatory.

 

[slooksterPSV]

Apple gave the device 6 years of updates. Find me any other tablet or phone that gets 6 years of updates. Windows machines will never get 6 new operating systems.

Whoa whoa whoa hold on. When my mom got her computer it came with XP it’s dual core. 4Gb ram 64-bit. We updated it to Vista 7 then 10. It still works it doesn’t get driver updates but the drivers built for 7 work with it. That’s.... xp vista 7 8 8.1 and 10. That’s 6 right there hahaha. My MacBook originally shipped with Lion? 5,2. It went from 10.7-11.2 and 11.3 as a hack so yeah PCs can get 6+ os upgrades. Tablets... probably not too many same with phones unless it’s Apple.

 

[rui no onna]

Whoa whoa whoa hold on. When my mom got her computer it came with XP it’s dual core. 4Gb ram 64-bit. We updated it to Vista 7 then 10. It still works it doesn’t get driver updates but the drivers built for 7 work with it. That’s.... xp vista 7 8 8.1 and 10. That’s 6 right there hahaha. My MacBook originally shipped with Lion? 5,2. It went from 10.7-11.2 and 11.3 as a hack so yeah PCs can get 6+ os upgrades. Tablets... probably not too many same with phones unless it’s Apple.

One thing to note, it wasn't until the A9 and A8X that iPhones and iPads were actually able to match performance of, say, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400.

Pentium II, III and IV didn't fare well OS upgrades. Even the horribly slow Atom chips are, I believe, at least 2x faster than the iPad 2 on GB4.

 

[slooksterPSV]

Atoms are just terrible in general

 

[Neodym]

When comparing, please keep in mind that the ultra-mobile (i.e. tablet) market as well as iOS are barely in their infancy, when compared to evolved products like stereo components or TV sets (and even PC's and Laptops, for that matter).

Old TV sets could only be used for decades because there had been no relevant technical progress for decades. Old tube TV's can not (properly) display HD ready programs, let alone FullHD. And their practical size for home use was at the limit with ~32".

Same goes for older computers: Performancewise, technology plateaued several years ago for "standard" tasks like office (and to a certain extent web browsing), so it's easy to run newer OS's on older machines. But there has been a time where you had to upgrade your computer hardware nearly on a yearly basis to keep up with software development.

Same is now going on with mobile devices like tablets and smartphones: Software progress is so fast that hardware components struggle to keep up. How someone can make up a conspiracy theory from the fact that a 6 year old device in the ultra-mobile market is technically unable to meet current software requirements is beyond me ...

 

[Richard8655]

The iPad 2 functioned well electronically for many years. “Software” did not slow the iPad 2 down. Software updates slowed it down because new features required more horsepower than it could deliver. An iPad 2 without those updates would continue to function as it always did, battery capacity not included, just as the legacy systems run for decades by large corporations continue to function as they always did. Trying to shoehorn too many new features into any computer will eventually find the limits of its hardware. This doesn’t just apply to Apple or to iPads. It applies to every computer from the Apple Watch to the big iron previously sold by IBM.

In the end, the decision to install a software update is nearly irresistible, but it is not mandatory.

Yeah, I agree with this. I’d only add that Apple doesn’t go out if its way to make their 3+ year old devices function more smoothly with the latest software updates. And clearly when a consumer replaces their iPad every couple years, their bottom line looks better and better.

 

[skeleton11223]

Isheep...
Heh, PC's from 2008 still run on Windows 10 fine.
Core 2 Duos are way better than every modern atom and better than most modern celerons.
The whole "it's old" thing is just excuse for Apple to make it obsolete.

 

[Mlrollin91]

Isheep...
Heh, PC's from 2008 still run on Windows 10 fine.
Core 2 Duos are way better than every modern atom and better than most modern celerons.
The whole "it's old" thing is just excuse for Apple to make it obsolete.

That’s funny. Because my 8-core, 32GB desktop computer still ran Windows 7 like crap. No way a 10 year old computer runs Windows 10 fine.

 

[skeleton11223]

Sorry, I meant pc's that aren't full of viruses and pups that bog down the system are fast.

 

[Mlrollin91]

Sorry, I meant pc's that aren't full of viruses and pups that bog down the system are fast.

Yeah okay. Whatever. Why don’t you actually try to be helpful and contribute something to the conversation. Because currently you’re not.

 

[Richard8655]

Isheep...
Heh, PC's from 2008 still run on Windows 10 fine.
Core 2 Duos are way better than every modern atom and better than most modern celerons.
The whole "it's old" thing is just excuse for Apple to make it obsolete.

My early 2009 Mac Mini (Core 2 Duo) runs El Capitan perfectly. Next year it’ll be 10 years old.

 

[ajcgn]

Unfortunately I cannot afford to upgrade my IPad 2.
I don’t understand why APPLE stopped allowing updates. I am stuck on IOS 9. It seems a way for Apple to make money.
My parents old tv has outlasted two LCD tv’s.
Product design from 60’s, 70’s were designed for a lifetime, not what it’s today, a 7 year cycle.

I have the opposite problem with my ipad 2, in my case I wish Apple would let me downgrade from ios 9 to 7.
It ran fine on ios 7 for a long time, but it recently crashed and I couldn’t get it to work without plugging it into itunes and it was restored to ios 9 instead of 7.
Thing runs like garbage now. While I may have screwed something up on the restore, it would be nice if Apple let me go back to a time when it ran ok.

 

[Cigsm]

Actually the vast majority of android devices are stuck on the version they shipped with.

Software gets more powerful and advanced so hardware has to be upgraded to keep up. Apple stops updates to devices that simply aren't capable of running it properly. The iPad 2 launched with iOS 4. The fact that it received updates up to 9 actually blows away most mobile devices in terms of longevity. Most Android device might receive just 1 or 2 OS updates.

But nothing is stopping you from continuing to use your iPad with the OS it can handle.

 

[joeblow7777]

Actually the vast majority of android devices are stuck on the version they shipped with.

I was being generous. The point is, iOS devices, for all the accusations of “planned obsolescence”, receive MUCH better support from Apple than any other mobile devices. I’ve never even heard of anyone still using an Android device from 2011.