Other It’s data-oriented reports as these which remind why I maintain Apple-“obsoleted” Intel Macs

[B S Magnet]

Threads like this remind me of WALLE.

Our legacy will be massive mountains of waste.

This is a troubling geological-scale nanosecond for this planet and for all the life it could support — humans excluded — which are, for now, still extant and neither extirpated nor extinct… yet.

As for us, our species, there’s rarely a day to go by when I feel as if the ratio between people who race blithely toward that image of a scorched planet (the wealth extraction), as well as being direct forebears of the people portrayed on the Axiom being toted around on their adult bassinet consoles… and people who (for want of a better way to put this) are (and have been) seeing that recovered plant right now as the urgent, vital, precious priority work toward a stewardship over what we still have left (and also factoring that 40-year lag between our waste footprint and when that exacts has a direct, measurable impact on planetary health and climatological conditions), runs 300-to-one on a good day and more like 1,000-to-one on the more grim of days.

I am constantly envisioning ways things could improve and be remediated, if not restored (I spilled a lot of scholarship ink and field work on these topics leading into my trained career path), but the inertia of push-back against that path becomes faceless, cacophonous and even inhumane once panning back to the scale of that 1,000-to-one lopsidedness.

I don’t stop being hopeful — I can’t… it’s not in my nature — but I’m well aware of what’s ahead for the generations already alive right now, all ages, and what slow-walking a profound, necessary, unavoidable course correction portends. Either we do it, or this planet is going to, mercilessly, do it for and to us.

Real talk, tho: hope and optimism are not synonymous. They exist on different axes. I have more of the former and really flagging for the latter. The best I can strive for, in the time I have left, is a pragmatism of not being taken very seriously by the lopsided ratios described above.

Nary a day passes when this doesn’t feel like a whole Sisyphean thing.

Go team WALLE.

Word.

 

[B S Magnet]

As for us, our species, there’s rarely a day to go by when I feel as if the ratio between people who race blithely toward that image of a scorched planet (the wealth extraction), as well as being direct forebears of the people portrayed on the Axiom being toted around on their adult bassinet consoles… and people who (for want of a better way to put this) are (and have been) seeing that recovered plant right now as the urgent, vital, precious priority work toward a stewardship over what we still have left (and also factoring that 40-year lag between our waste footprint and when that exacts has a direct, measurable impact on planetary health and climatological conditions), runs 300-to-one on a good day and more like 1,000-to-one on the more grim of days.

As grammar goes, this sentence was a beast and kind of a hot mess, so I’m sorry — especially so for anyone who relies on English as a second or third language. 😳

 

[swamprock]

<snip>
This documentary about the practices of Google (and Facebook) was particularly eye-opening. Ironically, we're able to view it using a subsidiary of Google...

</snip>

These two companies and their shenanigans go much, much deeper than what was highlighted in that documentary, and it will all be exposed here in the coming months...

 

[rampancy]

It's for these reasons really that I've always thought about longevity when it comes to my Mac purchases (up until now at least), and why I still love the openness of the Power Macs and early Intel Macs. And why I always encourge folks to buy used or refurb if they need a newer Mac.

 

[sdfox7]

That's…difficult to answer. I can get the Gmail app on to my iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 12, but Google will not allow me to add the account. On my 6s Plus (iOS 15) and my 11PM I can still use Gmail in the Mail app.

I just really don't use Gmail (for personal use) so I'm not up on all the account security hoops Google makes you jump through. My employer does use Gmail, but with our own domain so not sure how that works either. Again, no problems with it on iOS 15/iOS 17.

On my old iPhone 6, relegated to Wifi usage mostly, Gmail and email still works. However, the integrated Chat function does not. Also, the standalone Google Chat no longer works.

The App Store "requires" iOS 15 for both Gmail and Google Chat, but the Gmail still works if you download the old version. You just need to have downloaded it in the past and have it in your "Purchased" history.

I would expect iOS 15 to become the baseline requirement for Gmail/Chat once iOS 18 is released this fall. For example the Walmart app forces you to update if you're iOS 14--it will not function upon loading, only showing an upgrade screen.

Below left is the Gmail app trying to access Chat, to the right is the standalone Chat app.

 

[Wheel_D]

I would expect iOS 15 to become the baseline requirement for Gmail/Chat once iOS 18 is released this fall. For example the Walmart app forces you to update if you're iOS 14--it will not function upon loading, only showing an upgrade screen.

Will any iOS 15 apps get updated after iOS 18 arrives? For now, I continue to use an iPhone 6S Plus as a "daily driver" (iOS 15.8.2). It currently gets security patches and third-party app updates, but I'm expecting support to end completely come September. Is my assumption incorrect?

Regardless, I plan to keep using my 6S Plus as long as the battery remains viable. It would be great to eke out another eighteen months, though it's probably not a realistic notion.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Regardless, I plan to keep using my 6S Plus as long as the battery remains viable. It would be great to eke out another eighteen months, though it's probably not a realistic notion.

The battery can be replaced very cheaply and easily by the end user. You only have to locate the correct one for your phone and this can be carried out in 30 minutes. I've replaced the batteries in half a dozen iPhone handsets - including those of the 6 range.

 

[Wheel_D]

The battery can be replaced very cheaply and easily by the end user. You only have to locate the correct one for your phone and this can be carried out in 30 minutes. I've replaced the batteries in half a dozen iPhone handsets - including those of the 6 range.

Yes, my 6S Plus is on its third battery in eight years. Given the imminent end of software support, I won’t be replacing the battery again.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Yes, my 6S Plus is on its third battery of the past eight years. Given the imminent end of software support, I won’t be replacing the battery again.

Fair enough.

Come what may on the software support front, mine will still be useful as a backup phone or a secondary one when I'm abroad and need to use a localised SIM card and have the option of Internet tethering at my disposal - which it will continue to excel at, obsolete or not.

 

[sdfox7]

Yes, my 6S Plus is on its third battery in eight years. Given the imminent end of software support, I won’t be replacing the battery again.

My iPhone 6s is still on regular duty.

Like you I'm on my third battery. The first was replaced due to the well-documented peak power shutdowns issue (2016-2017ish?). The second battery which I installed myself (2020ish?) didn't seem to hold a the greatest charge. The third battery I installed myself (2021ish?) has about twice the mAh capacity of the original. Three years later it's still at full capacity. I assume the higher capacity batteries age better.

One thing that I think makes the batteries last longer is not leaving them charge all night long. I fully charge it when I get home from work and then unplug it and leave it on low power mode all night. When I get up in the morning, it's still at 100% battery level. I'm not on my phone all day long so a full charge usually lasts the entire day.

 

[sdfox7]

Will any iOS 15 apps get updated after iOS 18 arrives? For now, I continue to use an iPhone 6S Plus as a "daily driver" (iOS 15.8.2). It currently gets security patches and third-party app updates, but I'm expecting support to end completely come September. Is my assumption incorrect?

Regardless, I plan to keep using my 6S Plus as long as the battery remains viable. It would be great to eke out another eighteen months, though it's probably not a realistic notion.

It's hard to know. Chronologically, iOS 15 only the second version in recent memory that was the end of the line for certain iPhones.

iOS 12 was the last version for iPhones not capable of upgrading to the then-current iOS such as iOS 13, iOS 14, and iOS 15. iOS 12 widespread app support continued through around 2022, 4 years after the release of iOS 12. So, depending on how many iOS 15 devices are still in use, we might see another year or two of iOS 15 support. Developers have access to the market share/data that tells them which iOS version their apps are running on.

And don't forget, these apps won't suddenly stop working just because they "require" a new iOS version. Many popular apps like Netflix, Roblox and Google Maps work just fine on the older operating system. You just won't receive new features (Roblox still updates on iOS 12).

 

[Wheel_D]

My iPhone 6s is still on regular duty.

. . .

View attachment 2367974

You might consider updating your phone to 15.8.2. Recent updates reportedly resolve critical security vulnerabilities.

 

[sdfox7]

You might consider updating your phone to 15.8.2. Recent updates reportedly resolve critical security vulnerabilities.

I deliberately left it on 15.7.1 as that's the final version that was an option across all iPhones as iOS 16 was released. And Apple has already admitted they only patch all vulnerabilties on the current OS only, so on 15.8.x you're still not getting all the security updates: About software updates for Apple devices

One never knows what Apple might do to compel you to upgrade--maybe they'd release a poison pill to make the phone run slower, al la iPhone 4 and iOS 9.

Even Microsoft is adding ads and "end of support" popups to Windows 10 updates. You know Windows 11 is a failure when they have to harass you to "upgrade".

Microsoft is pestering Windows 10 users with full-screen pop-ups to upgrade to Windows 11​

 

[Wheel_D]

One never knows what Apple might do to compel you to upgrade--maybe they'd release a poison pill to make the phone run slower, al la iPhone 4 and iOS 9.

If I recall correctly, wasn't Apple sued for doing so?

 

[sdfox7]

If I recall correctly, wasn't Apple sued for doing so?

Yes, I believe they paid a whopping $15 to each customer. Of course, the customer still needed a new (i)phone after their old one became unusable.