If you are an iPhone 4 user, then last night’s iOS 8 announcement must have brought in some bad news for you. The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, which will be available from this fall, will not be rolled out to iPhone 4.
With this announcement, Apple has left a vast number of iPhone 4 owners stranded, who must now upgrade to a newer model in order to use the new iOS features. However, it does not come as much of a surprise to most people. Launched in 2010, iPhone 4 is now five years old and typically Apple does not update the operating system of a model beyond four years. iPhone 3GS too did not get the iOS 7 update last year.
In fact, iPhone 4 did not even get the full version of iOS 7 last year. A stripped down version that has several features missing was rolled out for this model; users did not get access to AirDrop, camera filters, panorama etc.
Moreover, the ageing hardware too may not be able to deliver decent performance if iOS 8 is rolled out to iPhone 4. Considering how iOS 7 slowed down iPhone 4 (though it got a slight reprieve with iOS 7.1), it can be expected that iOS 8 update may make the smartphone’s performance worse.
Apple products that will get iOS 8 update are iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S, iPad 2, new iPad, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display and fifth-generation iPod touch.
iPhone 4 is the cheapest Apple smartphones in India, available online for less than Rs 20,000. The buyback scheme that the company introduced for this model approximately two years ago helped increase its share in the price-conscious Indian market.
Though it was officially discontinued in September 2013, it was brought back to emerging markets like India to give flagging sales a boost. It was discontinued four months later, after Apple started a cashback offer on iPhone 4S.
Here’s what Twitter users had to say about iPhone 4 getting stuck on iOS 7:
