Apple reveals iPhone upgrade blow

At the WWDC 2019 event that just concluded, one of the star attractions was the announcement of iOS 13 and this update is one of the most exciting updates in recent memory. After the successful release of iOS 12.3.1, Apple has been on a roll with virtually bug-free iOS launches and with iOS 13 due later on this year, Apple has made it a sort of scapegoat with its latest announcement.

The iPhone 11 series and its less appealing camera bump will debut alongside iOS 13 and with it, Apple has made an announcement a lot of iPhone users may not want to hear. In a first, Apple has issued a warning that states iOS 13 will not be supported on not just one but two generations of iPhone handsets. The casualties this year will be the iPhone 5S, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. This move may be considered as planned obsolescence as a total of 220 million iPhone 6 devices will be exempt for the update.

This news was a part of the fine print in Apple’s iOS 13 press page and the brand stating that the release is a software update for iPhone 6s devices and later. Somewhat surprisingly or maybe because of the anticipated backlash, Apple did not announce this information during its keynote event when they announced iOS 13 at WWDC.

With that being said, the iPhone 5S did get a reprieve when it became compatible with iOS 12 and it can be argued that we should not be surprised to witness two generations being removed from the upgrade cycle this year. However, the iPhone 6 is still sold through Apple retail partners around the world and this essentially means that those who purchase it now won’t get any security updates in the next three months which is quite a huge letdown. While the cut off for the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 line-up is the biggest bitter pill to swallow, iOS 13 will not be supported on the 6th generation iPod Touch as well; a PMP that was still selling until last week; until Apple suddenly thought it wise to introduce a 7th generation version of the product.