No iOS 5 for iPhone 3GS?

Tuesday May 24, 2011 8:21 am PDT by Eric Slivka

Eldar Murtazin, editor-in-chief of Russian mobile phone blog Mobile-Review today reported in a Tweet (via MacStories) that iOS 5 will not be compatible with the iPhone 3GS, limiting the next-generation operating system to the current iPhone and of course new models yet to come as far as the iPhone is concerned.
Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3Gs wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will.
The information is unverified and it is unclear from where Murtazin obtained the information, but he does have a very solid reputation in the mobile phone rumor community. Murtazin does not, however, frequently report on Apple's plans.

iOS 4.0 was released last June with compatibility for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4, although some of the iOS 4 features were not available on the older hardware. That fragmentation continued until Apple finally discontinued support for iPhone 3G updates with the release of iOS 4.3 earlier this year, leaving that device at a maximum operating system version of iOS 4.2.1.

Limiting iOS 5 to a minimum of iPhone 4 hardware would be a significant shift toward high-end hardware requirements, particularly considering that Apple still sells the iPhone 3GS. iOS 5 has, however, been reported to be a significant reworking of the company's mobile operating system, and Apple may simply feel that only the latest hardware (relatively speaking) will offer a satisfactory experience.

Tag: Eldar Murtazin
[ 557 comments ]

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
German
114 months ago
They are still selling the 3Gs.
So they should offer at least security updates, if that rumor will be true.
Rating: 26 Votes
Avatar
Hellhammer
114 months ago

Shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone.


The fact that Apple is still selling the iPhone 3GS makes this pretty ridiculous. At least 3G supported some versions of iOS 4, although it didn't get much of the new features and made it laggy as hell. Buy a brand new phone today and you won't be able to get the newest OS in few months. Well, I guess it is Apple's way to make money.
Rating: 26 Votes
Avatar
fabian9
114 months ago

The fact that Apple is still selling the iPhone 3GS makes this pretty ridiculous. At least 3G supported some versions of iOS 4, although it didn't get much of the new features and made it laggy as hell. Buy a brand new phone today and you won't be able to get the newest OS in few months. Well, I guess it is Apple's way to make money.


I agree. It's forced obsolence, nothing more. If an ip4 can handle iOS5, so can a 3GS. Their processors are from the same family of ARM cores and they share the same GPU IIRC. That's different than the comparatively slow 3G to 3GS.

...for a fraction of the price. People buying the 3GS already know they are buying an outdated phone in the first place.


Hardware yes. Last I checked, they had 4.3.2 just like iphone 4 users.


Not being able to install the latest and greatest version of an operating system does not make a product obsolete...

It still does everything and more than it did when it was purchased, so there really is no need to complain.
Rating: 21 Votes
Avatar
Ambrose Chapel
114 months ago
Given how slow the iPhone 3G runs under iOS 4, I can't say I'm surprised. I bet iOS 5 will have optimizations for the A-class processors, and the A4 will be the cutoff.
Rating: 20 Votes
Avatar
miles01110
114 months ago
Shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone.
Rating: 16 Votes
Avatar
decimortis
114 months ago
With my 3GS getting kicked in the balls by iOS 4.death, I wouldn't consider installing iOS 5 even if I could.

D.
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
baryon
114 months ago
My iPod Touch 2nd Gen was much faster when I bought it than it is now. Maybe if Apple would not have allowed whichever iOS version I currently have on it to be updatable to the 2nd Gen Touch, then I would have been left with a much faster device.

I'm sure people would prefer a faster iPhone rather than a sluggish one that can do 2-3 more things.
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
Xero910
114 months ago

Given how slow the iPhone 3G runs under iOS 4, I can't say I'm surprised. I bet iOS 5 will have optimizations for the A-class processors, and the A4 will be the cutoff.

Exactly. Nailed it.
Rating: 12 Votes
Avatar
yetanotherdave
114 months ago

The fact that Apple is still selling the iPhone 3GS makes this pretty ridiculous. At least 3G supported some versions of iOS 4, although it didn't get much of the new features and made it laggy as hell. Buy a brand new phone today and you won't be able to get the newest OS in few months. Well, I guess it is Apple's way to make money.


Right, the 3G got iOS 4, and people complained non stop about performance. Looks like they are trying to avoid a repeat of this.

We're not used to it in the fairly mature hardware world of laptops and desktops, where gains is software are significant, but hardware doesn't change too much. But at the moment, mobile hardware capabilities and development is outpacing software development. We can't expect the same amount of OS backward compatibility on mobile devices.
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
johnnymg
114 months ago
Wouldn't surprise me at all.

iphone 3GS will likely be discontinued with the release of the next phone anyway. Don't get stuck on the past folks.

JohnG
Rating: 9 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]