A 2013 iPhone 5s is still getting security updates.
A 2011 iPhone 4s doesn’t support LTE and soon won’t be able to connect to any network. Verizon is shutting down their CDMA network as is Sprint.
So how does open source make my life better?
From a hardware side, why wouldn’t I just take my phone to any number of places to get the battery replaced?
Even Google had to prematurely abandon support for one of its phones because it couldn’t get driver support for a cell phone chip.
On that same note, cellular standards are a minefield of patents to the point that even when Apple starts producing its own cellular chips, it will still owe Qualcomm patent fees.
Some years ago I was thinking of a way to separate the functions we insist in cramming into phones, making them in the process nearly unusable for anything but consuming media content and advertising.
The idea was to have a small battery powered 3g (now 5G) modem whose task was to route Internet connectivity to a local PAN (low power WiFi, BT, etc) while allowing other PAN devices talk each other. Other PAN devices would be: a very small phone piece with minimal display and navigation keys to receive calls and make ones picking contacts from the list; a pocket keyboard to enter data; a small camera to take pictures and movies; a tablet like device screen with touch, a more capable OS and physical buttons for apps and games; a belt-like holder with housings for all PAN devices. All PAN devices would have their own battery along with contacts exposed for recharging, so that their battery would be recharged by a bigger one contained in the belt as soon as they're snapped into their place in the belt; also all devices would store their data in a central small NAS-like device, also contained in the belt. The communication protocol would allow for example to talk with someone using the phone piece, then grab the camera, take a photo and have it sent automatically to the person on the other side, including geographic coordinates. ...etc.
I spent some good hours wondering about this contraption, then realized that, although very open to expansion, it would also be extremely unpractical for most users, and eventually let the idea die.
for my pc if I wanna use a sim card after old network shutdown, all it is is swapping a single card on the mobo, perhaps swapping out some antennas too
for the pinephone, just swapping the baseboard without the rest changing, or make/group hire someone to make a case with an updated modem
for battery, because you get a free battery to keep around for emergencies when you buy a new one.
I guess if you want to pay to fix your problems, fine, but not everyone has the luxury to do that!
Sure I can still use a Core 2 Duo 2.66Ghz laptop with 8GB RAM, a nice 1920x1200 display, 250Gb hard drive, and gigabit Ethernet from 2011 [1] in 2022. But could I use a computer from 2001 in 2011?
There is a reason that you can use a iPhone 6s from 2015 in 2022. But an iPhone 3G from 2008 would have been unusable in 2015.
[1]https://www.ebay.com/itm/224241464162
This is similar. Mine was much higher specced. It was given to me after a startup I worked for went out of business in 2012. I used it to run Windows CE emulators while writing C# Compact Franework applications.