iPad 2 is still on board but Apple finally ditches iPhone 4

Jun 2, 2014 19:45 GMT  ·  By

Apple has finally confirmed the list of devices that will be compatible with iOS 8 when it’s deployed this fall. The list surprisingly includes at least one device that was thought to be unsupported when iOS 8 comes out.

According to Apple’s official documentation for iOS 8, the new build will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad mini with Retina display.

The reason why iPhone 4 has been dropped out of the mix is of course the old-generation A4 chip, which doesn’t sport enough RAM and processing power to handle the workload. The A5 apparently does, and therefore Apple is keeping the iPad 2 on board for another year.

Available for download as early as today, iOS 8 is currently only offered to the developer install base alongside an all-new software development kit with 4,000 new APIs, Notification Center widgets, and third-party keyboards, frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit, and Metal, a new graphics technology that leverages the A7 chip. Apple today also announced a new programming language called Swift.