EDITOR'S NOTE: Apple Right To Leave Older iPhones Behind

EDITOR'S NOTE: Apple Right To Leave Older iPhones Behind 

Eric Zeman

It was bound to happen eventually. With the impending arrival of iPhone OS 4.0, many iPhone users will be sad to learn that iPhone OS 4.0 may not work for them. Here's why Apple made the right decision.

During Apple's introduction of iPhone OS 4.0, one key fact came that light that is sure to disappoint many iPhone owners: iPhone OS 4.0 will not work with all iPhones.

So far, Apple has been able to update the iPhone OS to support the original iPhone (2007), the iPhone 3G (2008) and the iPhone 3GS (2009). That's something the competition is not doing. Google and its handset/manufacturer partners haven't made Android 2.1 available to every Android handset out there. Many are sadly stuck on Android 1.5. Think of all the BlackBerries released in 2007. Have they all been updated to OS 5.x? No, they haven't.

Now, Apple has to move on. iPhone OS 4.0 will not work at all on the original iPhone. I say this is fine. Why? Because that handset is three years old, and the vast majority of users have already moved on to a more capable model.

The iPhone 3G won't support multitasking, but most other features of iPhone OS 4.0 will work. Apple says the hardware just can't handle it. That's more than fair. iPhone 3G owners are still getting a significant operating system upgrade, even without the multitasking.

There are far more iPhone 3G owners out there than the original iPhone at this point. Those who purchased the iPhone 3G in 2008 have nothing to worry about, however, because new hardware is around the corner. Apple will release a new version of the iPhone this summer, and everyone who bought am iPhone in 2008 will be at the end of their two-year contracts, and can upgrade at a lower cost.

Owners of 2009's iPhone 3GS are good for another year. Their devices will support all of iPhone OS 4.0's features.

Many are bemoaning the fact that older iPhones won't be able to get the full OS upgrade, but there's really no reason for it. Apple made the right call here, and is doing what it needs to do to move the iPhone OS forward.