Got an old iPhone? Insanely cheap bike computer solution
12-19-19, 10:36 AM
#26
Senior Member
While this may be getting side railed, does anyone know why OS 7 is so slow and unacceptable? I mean it seems like this is around the bottom when it comes to computing. Why was it fine 7 years ago, but problematic now, given that none of the inputs or outputs have changed?
iP4 originally shipped with iOS4. Yep I queued at AppleStore and gave them lots of $$$... dayum that was one Good Looking Phone!! If you had that same phone today still running on iOS4, it'll still be as snappy quick as it was back then.
The problem is upgrading... iOS5 is ok, iOS6 it's starting to lag... iOS7 kills it. My iP4 has stayed on 6 I think, before I retired it to desk duty.
Whereas iP4S... that's got maybe 2-4X the CPU horsepower vs iP4. It debuted with iOS5 and runs ok on iOS7... heck it's pretty decent even up to iOS 9.3.6!!
As for later iPhones... 5 & 5S are perfectly usable today if you're not into crazy gaming. iOS 10 didn't do much favours but then iOS 11 brought a miracle - they actually sped them up! iOS 12 consolidated that, a few extra doodads (depending on model) but still pretty snappy.
TLDR - if you want to keep your iPhone snappy, don't upgrade the iOS. You'll be downgrading the speed.
I avoid upgrading as much as possible. Updates to latest of that generation, fine. Maybe even the next iOS. But once the next model iPhone is released... resist upgrading at all costs! (And boy does Apple nag and nag and nag and nag...) The big trap being once you upgrade iOS there's no going back.
We've got every model from 3G & 3GS upwards... all are still functional today & perform just like new... long as they're still on their old iOS. Apps too... many old apps don't work on newer iOS so it's nice to be able to continue using them on old devices.
When iOS offers enough new goodies that you can use, buy a new phone then.
