iOS8

[Steve]

Not checked yet properly but will later, it will be interesting to see how the 4S are performing as I've one in the household still on 7.

[Gary]

Not checked yet properly but will later, it will be interesting to see how the 4S are performing as I've one in the household still on 7.

From looking at the Apple site the few posts I have seen seem quite positive. I'm still glad I didn't change my iPhone 5S for an iPhone 6 though, after seeing the performance of the iPad Air 2 I bet the 'S' versions gets the triple core processor and 2GB ram. That extra ram and A8X I imagine really helps with apps like Pixlemator which on the iPad is superb, considering how good the Mac version is. 

[Steve]

The advice on here - http://www.tuaw.com/2014/11/18/how-much-does-ios-8-1-1-improve-your-iphone-4s/   is still to stay away from 8 on the 4S, yes performance is improved over earlier versions of iOS8 but suggests it's not as able as it was on 7.

[Steve]

In my experience with the iPad 4 , I now where they're coming from

http://www.wired.com/2014/11/ios-8-buggiest/

The software boys can't keep up with the hardware advances, however as long as there's resolution I suppose it's ok , trouble is when they update to the next version the cycle starts again.

[Gary]

In my experience with the iPad 4 , I now where they're coming from

http://www.wired.com/2014/11/ios-8-buggiest/

The software boys can't keep up with the hardware advances, however as long as there's resolution I suppose it's ok , trouble is when they update to the next version the cycle starts again.

They are working on 8.2 next and also 8.3 simultaneously. Its not just software, the recent Assassins Creed Unity game was released with a huge amount of bugs that are being patched as the game is being sold, but it should never have been released in the state its in. It seems the force to push code out on the dates determined by the companies has no bearing on how ready the software is. Same happened wit GTA V yesterday with a buggy patch that had to be re released the same day.  I have to say I have no show stopping issues on my 5S or iPad Air 2 at this time after 8.1.1 which is good, it all works quiet well. Having an 802.11AC router helps with wifi on the AC enabled iPad as well, also it seems to mean I missed the wifi issues. Saying that I didn't have any on the 5S either 

[Steve]

I've not thrown the iPad on the floor in disgust yet since the 8.1.1 update.

Btw the floor is carpeted

[Gary]

The advice on here - http://www.tuaw.com/2014/11/18/how-much-does-ios-8-1-1-improve-your-iphone-4s/   is still to stay away from 8 on the 4S, yes performance is improved over earlier versions of iOS8 but suggests it's not as able as it was on 7.

Considering how old the 4S is now its not really surprising. Nokia smartphones never updated the Symbian 60 version to later releases, they just gave patches for the version you had.

[Gary]

I've not thrown the iPad on the floor in disgust yet since the 8.1.1 update.

Btw the floor is carpeted

[Simon]

The 4S is only three years old.  I know that's 'old' in technology terms, but for the money these things cost, they really shouldn't be seen as disposable so quickly.  If Apple only brought out new software and hardware every two years, the 4Ss would still be going strong. 

[Steve]

It's certainly fine on iOS7 at present , perhaps that's where the mistake was made. I think that Apple knew (as people have since found out) that the 4S struggled along with the earlier iPads on iOS 8.0.

[Gary]

The 4S is only three years old.  I know that's 'old' in technology terms, but for the money these things cost, they really shouldn't be seen as disposable so quickly.  If Apple only brought out new software and hardware every two years, the 4Ss would still be going strong. 

Its 4 years old, it came out in 2011 Simon. It also only has a one Ghz CPU and half the ram of the 5, 5S and 6. I think any phone at that point will struggle with latest software. Computers do. As more/faster ram and faster CPU's come along it happens, its a shame with the power in android phones they don't get that many updates as they could probably handle it, as no phone really needs eight cores and 3GB ram 

  As to bringing out software and hardware every two no company makes a profit doing that anyway, and the jumps in tech hardware and software would seem even greater. I mean the iPad Air 2 makes the iPhone 6 and 6 plus look old already with a geekbench score of 4489 multicore compared with the iPhone 6 at 2920 and the 6 plus slight worse as its taxed more by having more pixels to push around with the same CPU and ram. iPhones get updated with software more often than Android phones and you know your phone will be top of the tree of a year while some firms like Sony release two top tier models a year, thats crazy. Its like OS X, it used to be two years between new operating systems, now its a new one every year and no way can all the bugs be ironed out in just one year <sigh> Microsoft seem to now be following a similar model too.

[Steve]

Sorry Gary , it just over 3 years , October 2011.

[Simon]

I was trying to work out which handset I'd missed! 

[Gary]

Sorry Gary , it just over 3 years , October 2011.

Sorry I was miles away, it is indeed three phones behind the current phone, still as I was saying underpowered and with half the ram, what do people expect especially since Apple started using 64-bit architecture. Maybe Apple should do a end of life edition for old phones   

[Simon]

What Apple should do is draw the line in the sand sooner with regards iOS upgrades for older devices.  If iOS 8 doesn't work properly on the 4S, then, like the 4, it shouldn't have been allowed to be updated.  That would then give people the choice as to whether to upgrade device and operating system, rather than applying the offered new iOS and finding out afterwards that it screws up the device. 

[Steve]

There is a way back of course , well there was until 8.1.1

[Simon]

Oh, thought those bridges were burned quicker than that.  Like, when you did your first backup. 

[Steve]

Jail.......

[Simon]

Oh, yes.    Haven't done that since the 3GS.

[Gary]

What Apple should do is draw the line in the sand sooner with regards iOS upgrades for older devices.

The thing is each new version of iOS like Android comes with security fixs so its as much a patch as a new OS. So many iOS users and Android users are wandering around with handsets with gaping holes in them security wise that will never get patched. Maintaining older phones with security updates would be the answer but Android based phones makers, and  Apple are more interested in your money, so that's not going to happen. Answer is upgrade every two years or put up with it and stop winging tbh. Thats the world we live in now, and its not one I like, but I cant do anything to change it. Also putting an unsigned version of iOS using a jailbreak on a handset which makes the phone more vulnerable to malware seems like p*ssing into the wind really...

[Steve]

I'm still getting the Safari page reload error although not as frequently , it's interesting that I've now gone back to my laptop as my main web browser. Why because it works most of the time instead of some of the time.

[Gary]

I'm still getting the Safari page reload error although not as frequently , it's interesting that I've now gone back to my laptop as my main web browser. Why because it works most of the time instead of some of the time.

Im not seeing reload errors in tabs, maybe its the extra ram  It was one of the complaints last year about the iPad, hence why people wanted more power and extra ram, you cant render pages and have multiple tabs with those issues and not realise in the end it comes down to hardware limitations , a more graphically intensive web, and the need for more memory basically. 

[Steve]

I tend not to use many tabs at all on the iPad so I'm discounting that but I agree it's on graphically intense web pages where it tends to fail, probably why the iPad Air 2 has quad core and 2Gb. It usually gets it right second call but it's the inevitable delay that's irritating, I do not recall this being feature of iOS7 .

Interestingly I thought I had an home WiFi issue as well but now reading around I'm not sure I have at all.

Seriously considering whether my wife needs a second hand MBP 15 but coming from a dual card MBP the equivalent upgrade cost for me is very high although a lot depends whether I would require dual cards on a new MBP this time.

[Steve]

I've had another look at this today and I've switched browser on the iPad to Google Chrome. Initially it was fairly slow but as cache has built up the experience has improved, what I'm not seeing is any of the page reloads/errors that I see with Safari personally I''d rather have a page that's loading and therefore useful than a blank screen.

The other choice if this fails is to try Dolphin.

Certainly there's an advantage to using one browser across all platforms although Chrome on the MBP activates the high power graphics card which obviously consumes more battery power.

[Steve]

One Chrome iOS crash so far, if this carries on it maybe time to cash it in whilst it still has value. I do find a tablet very useful when away from home so a replacement will be required, however I think there are more options now for me than there were a couple of years ago. Certainly I can get a modern tablet for half the price this iPad cost, note to oneself - no hasty decisions.


The other choice would be to go back to 8.1 whilst it is still signed and then JB back to 7.1.2, it might give the advantage of checking stability but it throws up other imponderables plus it's a bit of work which I probably can't be bothered to attempt.