zlacker

Committing to 7 years is a big step! Apple does't commit to its support timeline at all and seems to average around 6 years, so this is more firm and also longer.

I would like to see Apple respond by committing to their timeframe but they won't.

>>withzo+(OP)
Apple averages around 6 years of major OS updates, but I think security patch support goes on for much longer than that.

edit: iPhone 5s from 2013 received an update this year

>>369548+91
They certainly have a few outliers. They released 12.5.7 in January 2023, which supports the iPhone 5s and 6 - 10 years after the 5s was initially released! However, that was an outlier; they haven't backported most security patches to older devices.

They only do it when there's clear evidence of in-the-wild exploitation or it's a big compatibility bug that would prevent you from migrating to a newer device.

Google's announcement was for full OS support for 7 years, not just security fixes. Comparing it to Apple's ~6 years of OS support is fair.

>>withzo+(OP)
Hasn't Apple been doing this for years? The difference between 6 and 7 years is hardly a line in the sand, especially considering the quality issues the Pixel has had.

>>bdcrav+e5
The point is that Apple makes no public commitment about how long any particular iPhone model will be supported for.

Some of the models in the range have had relatively longer or shorter periods of support.

An iPhone 5 got less than a 5S. An iPhone 6 got less than a 6S.

>>daveoc+F6
You’re right. We only have 15 years of data showing Apple tends to provide excellent support. Without a published commitment they could move to a one year model any day.

On the other hand Google put out a press release!

Come on, this seems unnecessarily harsh given Apple has been the industry leader in how long they provide software and security updates for their phones.

>>369548+91
Meanwhile my parents' landline phone lasted for more than 30 years.

>>MBCook+J8
Statements can be enforced by the FTC or be used for the grounds of successful litigation. That’s why it’s a big deal.

Apple has had a great record of support, and I’m a huge fan of their products. A commitment to continue their great support would be a nice step.

>>MBCook+J8
Apple's track record is mostly good, but as has been noted, there are products that have been dropped sooner than others.

As a consumer, I'd prefer that Apple was honest about its intent up front.

I'd rather have a definite 7 years than a possible 8.

>>withzo+(OP)
To me what's interesting is that Google feel the need to make a commitment, and Apple don't.

Apple isn't perfect, but they have a good track record of providing updates/security patches and in general supporting the hardware they put into the world. On the other hand Android updates have been a mess forever, and Google have a reputation of pulling the rug from under customers that adopt their products.

I have more faith in Apple delivering six years of updates for my iPhone without a formal commitment, than I do in Google delivering seven years even with this statement. I wonder how many other people feel the same.

>>369548+91
Apple provides only certain highly critical security updates to older devices. There was an Ars Technica article a year ago on Apple’s support policy for security updates. [1] Officially, Apple guarantees security updates for all known security issues only for the latest version of the OS. [2]

Quoting from Apple’s page [2]

> “Note: Because of dependency on architecture and system changes to any current version of Apple operating systems (for example, macOS 13, iOS 16 and so on), not all known security issues are addressed in previous versions (for example, macOS 12, iOS 15 and so on).”

[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/apple-clarifies-secu...

[2]: https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/deployment/depc4c80847...

>>withzo+(OP)
Samsung and Google are still just giving promises. Apple has just quietly been doing this for almost a decade.

Even Samsung's huge announcement was like 1-2 OS updates and 7 years of security patches or something similar.

I'll be giddy with joy if Google will actually honor the 7 year full OS update promise.

>>MBCook+J8
This is the "trust me bro" argument and while trends have shown that Apple supports stuff longer than most other manufacturers, there is no guarantee.

>>MBCook+J8
According the Wikipedia, the iPhone 4 got only 4 years of updates (released in 2010, last update with iOS 7.1.2 in 2014). And Apple was still selling it in 2015.

That's maybe the worst example but it illustrates the difference between "typical" and a guarantee.

>>cbolto+cB
Huh. I don’t remember what happened there. I thought the 4 was the last 32-but chip but I checked and there was at least one more. So that’s not it.

>>ameliu+a9
But then again the only thing it can do is receive and send calls. You didn't buy an iPhone only for the call feature.