The iPhone 3GS Might Not Play Nice With iOS 5 (Or At All)

The iPhone 3GS won’t be compatible with iOS 5, according to Mobile Review editor, Eldar Murazin, who made the announcement via Twitter. Although Murazin’s announcement cannot yet be verified, it is certainly plausible and here is why. The iPhone 3GS, originally launched in June 2009, is still available in retail stores. However, if Murazin’s assessments are correct, the handset’s days are numbered, at least for upgrade purposes. Murazin tweets:

Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3Gs wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will.

Apple has a history of withdrawing full iOS support for its handsets after 24 to 30 months. Consider:

Full support for the original iPhone (2007) ended in 2010 with the release of iOS 4.0. However, not all of the features of iPhone OS 3.0 were supported, which was released in 2009.
The iPhone 3G (2008) was no longer upgradable beginning with iOS 4.3, which arrived in March 2011.

Most likely, the iPhone 3GS will lose full iOS support, beginning with Version 5, which will likely be released in September. This would be similar to what happened with the iPhone 3G, which was compatible with iOS 4, but not after Version 4.3. This means that the iPhone 3GS will include some of the features of iOS 5, but not all. Our advice: If you really need a new iPhone right now, buy the iPhone 4. Although the iPhone 3GS is cheaper, its days of upgrading are numbered, and that fact needs to be taken into account. What do you think? Leave your comments below.

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