undefined | Better HN

0 pointstristanj1mo ago0 comments

There is no intentional slowing. These phones are just old. If you replaced the processor inside an older phone with the latest gen one, you would not notice any performance gap.

Smartphone CPUs are improving exponentially at 20% per year. A 5 year old processor will have half the performance of the latest generation processor. Smartphones are one of the very few industries improving exponentially. Most people do not comprehend this. For example, mature technologies such as internal combustion engine vehicles really only improve a few percentage points per year. You could buy a car from 10-20 years ago and it would not feel obsolete.

0 comments

3 comments · 1 top-level

fsflover1mo ago· 2 in thread

> These phones are just old. If you replaced the processor inside an older phone

Are you saying that the processor got slower with time? The same, old tasks got slower, not new ones.

> There is no intentional slowing.

There was proven intentional slowing. Why are you so sure it can't happen again, given it's still profitable?

tristanjOP1mo ago

No. The operating system, nearly all apps, and most websites are designed to run on faster hardware. The hardware in modern phones is improving by double digit percentages each year. Websites add more features. Apps do the same. Same with the operating system. iOS has added hundreds of features over the past 5 years.

Software is optimized to perform well on current generation hardware, not old hardware. The smartphone industry is the fastest improving industry on the planet, and devices become obsolete faster than most people comprehend. It's a perception issue.

Most other technologies are mature and older devices work fine without issue. A microwave sold 20 years ago performs the same as a modern one, but a 20 year old phone is ancient.

fsflover1mo ago

There is no reason to completely rewrite the well-designed and working parts of the OS like Settings or Camera, apart from making it intentionally heavy and slow on older hardware. Or for promotion of managers, with the same end result. See also: enshittification.

Did you find any actual improvements anywhere after the update?

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse