To those who own iPhones and iPads, some of the apps in these devices will stop working whenever you install the latest operating system from Apple. Apple said that the only apps that are being affected by this upgrade are the ones that have not been upgraded for the past 24 months. It’s important to realize that these apps are in use despite being abandoned by the people who developed them. In technological terms, the new operating system called iOS 11 can only accommodate applications that have been coded using the 64-bit code. For starters, the 64-bit number signifies the data that can be handled by a processor at a time. This means that larger figures can process information faster. According to Apple, they were compelled to drop the 32-bit software by the need for a faster platform. They said that by dropping the 32-bit model, they don’t need to load software libraries into the new operating system so that it can recognize the older programs. Since June 2015, Apple App Store does not accept updates that don’t support the 64-bit version. At the same time, the company says that the new technology allows for reversion which makes the work of developers easy.
However, the latest move by Apple brings about the question of how long companies especially those dealing with operating systems should support software that is no longer in production. According to a professor from Computing Department at Surrey University Alan Woodward, two years are not enough to make a software obsolete. He notes that some vendors like Microsoft have demonstrated that they can keep products that are compatible as long as possible. It’s for this reason that he feels that it shouldn’t have taken iOS 11 much effort to support the older version of 32 bit. This can only be described as a ploy by Apple to force people to move on hence accelerating the pace. However, it has been noted that most of the products that have been affected are from independent producers. Some of these apps include those from Disney like Princess & the Frog app, Tangled digital book as well as Winnie the Pooh Puzzle Book. High-profile games that have been affected by the upgrade include XCom from 2K, Flappy Bird by Gear as well as the Enemy Within. However, Apple has assured its customers that there are plenty of benefits of upgrading.
Dil Bole Oberoi
