Software engineers say this may be the last upgrade for the 2010 iPhone

Aug 20, 2013 07:36 GMT  ·  By

Confirming our fears that the iPhone 4 can barely cope with the hardware requirements of iOS 7, a source now reveals that Apple is struggling to keep the 2010 hardware aboard for the scheduled launch of the software.

The source that dispatched a treasure trove of iDevice information to 9to5mac regarding Apple’s 2013 roadmap says that “Apple has come to the realization that the 2010 iPhone 4 hardware abilities may not provide a solid iOS 7 experience,” according to the report.

I’m certainly not surprised by the claim and, if you recall, I had a chat with a developer once who told me that the iPhone 4 could barely take Apple’s first iOS 7 betas. Other developers have echoed that report.

Things have progressed since, but the 2010 hardware doesn’t offer the same iOS 7 experience as on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and the latest iPod touch models.

Apple is reportedly “working overtime to ensure that it could keep its promise of supporting iOS 7 on the iPhone 4,” but developers caution that iOS 7 is probably going to be the last major iOS upgrade for this particular phone model.