You’re totally correct - and there seemed be be few changes in iOS 6 that necessitated that move. That said, getting it above iOS 11 was never going to happen given the architecture change.
>That decision about accepting the limitations and trade-offs should be in the hands of end users, not the device's manufacturer. I can install a relatively recent Linux distribution on my 20 year old PC and decide for myself whether I can live with the performance.
iPad users are not even remotely in the same group as Linux users.
As a Linux user using old hardware you are making an educated decision to do so, knowing all the pitfalls.
Your average iPad user just wants the thing to run at speeds comparable to current devices and with minimal loss of functionality.
An iPad is not a full blown computer like a modern day laptop is.
I used to be an Android girl. I owned an original Xoom and later on, a Nexus 7.
They were both unusable within a few years because the needs of the OS was greater than the devices could handle: and that’s even after I rooted them both and upgraded to the latest Cyanogen versions at the time.
Like dude, a 14 year old pc would suck today. A 14 year old laptop would suck today. A 14 year old phone would suck today.
True, but neither is it up to him (or a corporation) to continue issuing free software updates from now until the heat death of the Universe.
Jailbreak it and use it as you will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQKXN5F7dGI
(disclaimer: haven't actually tried this specific one... a web search turns up many sites that claim to show you how to do this).
Yep. They are the ones that chose to end software support for the device a mere 2 years after it was released. Or did someone else make that decision?
> And, if “the hardware works beautifully” how is it “pretty much a brick”?
Because it only runs the pre-installed apps, and not even all of them because several of the pre-installed apps rely on non-functioning cloud services. This is the fault of 1. Apple for ending OS support, 2. Cloud services ending support for old apps, and 3. 3rd party apps ending support for old devices + Apple not allowing users to download the "latest compatible version."
> iPads are not the same as laptops or desktops. Sure, you can still run some Linux distros on older 32 bit hardware, but everyone who does knows of the limitations of doing so and realize that they lack the horsepower of modern day computers and use them accordingly.
That decision about accepting the limitations and trade-offs should be in the hands of end users, not the device's manufacturer. I can install a relatively recent Linux distribution on my 20 year old PC and decide for myself whether I can live with the performance.