14 DAY TRIAL // Apple doesn’t sell hardware with the promise that it will last for too long, though most people hope to get years-worth of good usage out of their devices. For iPhone, the expiration date is always just around the corner.
An interesting comment on Apple Support Communities caught our eye today. Someone opened a topic headlined “how long should iPhone 4S last?” with high hopes to get a straight answer based on usage scenarios. In other words, real life experiences from owners of the iPhone 4S.
Instead, what he got was this: “It lasts only until Apple decides it can not be upgraded to the next iOS version. It is then obsolete.”
The “right” answer
This particular reply is encased in a green frame on the forum, which designates it as the correct answer to the topic, based on the platform's rules. Sometimes the OP won’t even bother to say whether or not anyone in the forum has solved his / her question, but this time around, it seems the answer was convincing enough to prompt the thread starter to let the world know that his question had been answered.
The sad part about it is that it’s true. The rapid pace at which iOS upgrades are released is directly tied to the expiration date of every iPhone out there. Sure, you can still use your iPhone on a lower firmware, but the reality is that once your phone can no longer take new firmwares, the countdown has begun for its hardware parts as well.
Considering that iPhone 4S will probably not support iOS 9 (expected to debut this fall), an even more accurate answer to our guy’s question would be: “until late-2015.” And from then on, the iPhone 5 group should start to worry as well.