Update: is it OK for Apple to tinker with older iPhones?

Sadly, modern Samsung phones have non-replaceable batteries.

Replaceable batteries are perhaps something Which? should be pursuing? Apple phones might be sealed to make battery replacement very difficult for the consumer, and to be called waterproof, but I know of cases where phones have leaked. There is, I believe, a sensitive paper strip inside the phone so Apple can detect whether water ingress has occurred when a “failed” phone is returned under warranty. Perhaps, if this is true, they don’t have too much faith in their waterproofing?

As I mentioned last time we discussed replaceable batteries you can buy waterproof VHF radios with replaceable batteries. I had one to repair a couple of years ago. Rather than hide moisture detectors in phones (and it’s not just Apple that does this) why not devote ingenuity into making waterproof phones?

Yes and the thing is we as consumers let it happen. They tell us things like oh we need to make it water resistant but actually making it harder to repair so there is not much difference between repair and buy new.

Probably because it’s nothing new. TV, Radio, telephone, internet – they all degrade from time to time, lose signal strength, vary – so I’m not sure I see what the fuss is all about. Technology moves fast – faster now than at any comparable period since the industrial revolution. One of the advances is computing power. Moore’s Law dictates the quantity of transistors packed into integrated circuits doubles roughly every two years and it’s that speed and efficiency increase that provides users with what they want – fluid video, perfect sound, instant access to music, photos, video chat and more. To do all that and remain competitive demands more efficient batteries, better power management and slimmed down systems and inevitably older systems are going to pay the price, as newer apps appear which rely on the latest systems to do their tricks.

Now, our iPhone 6 runs as fast as it ever has, shows no sign of slowing down and is almost as fast as our iPhone7. But we don’t load it with all manner of apps and store masses of data. Perhaps those complaining should take a course in the realities of modern computer technology.

Yes and I complained to trading standards and even they sound not bothered about this. At the end of the day these companies pay huge taxes thus the government feels weaker.

Hmm I disagree with this and do have some knowledge of computer software. What Apple and these other tech giants have done is that they know that the lithium ion batteries have not kept up with the times.
There is a limit to everything where you can push it upto and after that it just stops working so if they strike a balance between performance and usage they know exactly how much a battery will take and than start to degrade. I apologise if I have been able to convey my message properly.
By matching the CPU performance with the capacity a battery can successfully sustain they won’t need to do these kinds of ……

“Perhaps those complaining should take a course in the realities of modern computer technology.”

Perhaps the concept that once you buy something then it is yours, and if anyone – Apple included – want to alter parameters then they should offer the reason to the owners. Seems an eminently sensible and understandable course of action that I hope those who are not complaining can understand.

Suggesting that it is the consumers fault for being technologically illiterate is an unworthy response.

But the principle you espouse doesn’t apply to a lot of modern technology: DVDs, Blu Rays, Games, Music, any of the IOT, modern car systems, Smart TVs – the list is pretty well endless. I might well agree with you, but the sad fact is that it doesn’t, and the lack of awareness of modern computer technological innovation, consumer demand and the capitalist system in combination is what leads many to assume Apple is doing something which is abnormal or in some way wrong. The fact is that although people might be unhappy about it, it isn’t – in the strict legal sense – wrong – and is extremely widespread. One might well argue that instead of pursuing Apple for simply attempting to ensure people’s ‘phones don’t abruptly lock up Which? might be better employed pursuing the DVD companies, the Blu Ray manufacturers, the Music industry, the film industry, the TV industry – in short, just about any modern technology industry where either copyright or the internet are involved.

Odd; our iPhone 6 runs as fast as ever.

Seems to be showing off to your peers to have the latest phone, newest car, brand new kitchen, biggest TV…….and why not? We can all do what we like with our (hopefully) disposable income and not from stacking up a pile of debt. And economies depend upon continuous production.

Personally, my now 11 year old Nokia, on its second replaceable battery, still makes the phone calls and receives messages like anyone else’s. My 24 year old car still runs (used locally) and the kitchen I built 35 years ago has been repainted and still looks nice. Each to his own. Oh, and our 40″ plasma tv from 2006 still shows the same rubbish that other people get – except theirs is bigger.

We circumvented that last by building our own media server. Now we watch only that which we want to. Which isn’t that much, in fact.

Simple Bishbut but not practical nor money conscious but as you say we all have different personalities and being born rich certainly taints your view —the poor dont have a choice.

In my experience a tainted viewpoint is not the exclusive preserve of the rich.

The poor dont have a choice of viewpoints they can only see one from their perspective .

It was doing the rounds for three months. But it’s unlikely to have yielded anything of real value to hackers.

…and, even if it did, like as not any iphone loving “white hats” will have called in the vulnerabilities so Apple could patch them.

Let’s not forget that the source code for linux is out there 247365…

…but that doesn’t make it the least secure OS around.

Its not been patched yet Derek unless you know different ? But you are right its not the most insecure system out there android is nearly a liability. A certain Israeli tech company hacked the iPhone a while back and sold it to the USA/UK – government security so they can snoop . not any real value Ian ? its the code that makes it a secure boot it allows for vulnerabilities and jailbreaks to be checked and contains the bootrom source code -bootrom exploit jailbreak . If you are thinking its not relevant to the latest version bootrom source code rarely changes so IOS 11 could still be affected . All the same it isnt easy but our security services and the US advertise for hackers to “come in out of the cold ” and work for them

No, Duncan; it wasn’t. The company in question has long specialised in reverse- engineering Apple code constructs.