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Comment by beeman | Hacker News Reader

But what makes it obsolete if this is what you use it for?

1. No more security updates means using it is deeply risky 2. A closed ecosystem and App store bitrot combine to make installing anything new on it next to impossible. So, while it may be still useful as a pdf reader, it’s no longer useful as a general purpose computing device - but it COULD be if it was supported.

Make no mistake - most of these devices won’t be used as pdf readers - they will end up in the landfill. This is part of the business model, and we + the environment pay for it.

Using a Mac without the App Store is simple; it’s not an iPad.

I have 7 Macs that I use to operate 3 businesses (and 2 more by way of consulting); precisely none of them use the App Store.

Fair point. I was talking about iOS devices which are much more locked down than macs. As i see it there are two issues with no-longer supported macs:

1. The security issue i mentioned earlier applies to macs. It’s a bit easier to mitigate because an older mac can run a newer non-system-linked browser. But e.g. firefox is dropping support for 10.14 (released in 2018) this year (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-macos-101...)

2. If you keep your os up to date as long as possible, new features will drag performance down to the point of being nearly unusable. So you’re forced to tradeoff between security+features and performance.

Of course, with a old mac you can always install linux to extend its lifespan… but that’s not thanks to apple

What do you mean, "no more security updates"?

Web browser engine, and OpenSSL (or equivalent) patches alone are the main concern in userspace. Those codebases are a constantly moving target. Look at the stream of CVEs and security patches that Apple publishes. Almost every bug affects every product because of how much code is shared up and down the stack.

You know they keep updating Safari and making security updates for old OSes for years, right?

Apple is definitely not the worst in this regard, but the most recent version of iOS to support the iPad 3rd generation (the device we are discussing which is being used as a PDF reader) is iOS 9.3.5 (a security/bugfix release on August 25, 2016 which supports the WiFi-only version of the iPad 3rd generation) or iOS 9.3.6 (also a bugfix release on July 22, 2019 which supports the WiFi+cellular version of the same device - specifically, this was a fix to keep GPS working).

The iPad 3rd generation was released in 2012, so the 2016 9.3.5 iOS release gave 4 years of security/bugfix support for the WiFi-only version of that device.

Sure, but there haven't been any security exploits in that version of iOS since then. It still works.

Not sure what you’re meaning? A CVE like this: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24201 found in 2025 impacts iOS versions before 18.3.1 (Safari and iOS are shipped together).

Which means there is a decent chance an iPad running 9.3.2 is vulnerable.

And there have been thousands of CVEs since 9.3.2. Most of low severity, but not all.

Apple patches anything with a proven exploit. While it may be vulnerable, no one has written and shown Apple an exploit.

Apple patches anything with a proven exploit as long as it’s in a supported version of the OS. E.g. They will not patch versions beyond macos 10.14 i believe, not sure what the cutoff for iOS is but it’s usually about 6 years of security updates. Which means that iOS 9.3.5 is well outside of that and so a bug that impacts that os will not be patched. Which means using an old device like that on the open internet is deeply foolish

My whole point is that what you believe isn't correct. Apple continues to release security updates for "unsupported" versions (let's be careful about terminology, that term is specific and we're both using it), generally for two more years after a version becomes unsupported.

This is in a lot of the reporting about the topic and linked repeatedly in these comments. Please don't repeat false information.

Now you're right that this particular really old version also doesn't get security updates - but boy do I not have that expectation, and I would be surprised if anyone acting in good faith did.

It's the only thing he can use it for because of planned obsolescence.

Apple forbids everyone to put a newer SSL library on it, so it can't be used on networks. I think this is outrageous, to have a great piece of hardware, and not being able to use it.

When I still had my iPad 2 a few year back, I could not find any app that still run on it except for a few games for my cat. After that it became his iPad.

A cat with its own iPad to play games on. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

iPad 2 was released in 2011, "a few years back" is an entire decade. It received its last OS update in 2019, eight years later, which is not bad at all. Picture trying to use a PC from 1994 in the year 2008.

> Picture trying to use a PC from 1994 in the year 2008.

With all respect to PCs, my HP Pavilion DV6000 from 2006 works acceptably with Windows 10 once it got SSD.

Most other devices can be used until they wear out, or for longer if it's reasonable to replace worn parts.

This should be possible with computers too.

What are "most other devices"? I can't think of any electronics I own that are still usable after 10-15 years besides Apple hardware.

Your average PC build will be completely outdated after ~5 years, suffer some type of hardware failure, or have nearly all of it's software (BIOS, OS, drivers) dead and unsupported by then. It is then only usable by enthusiasts / developers, and ends up in a landfill otherwise.

> Your average PC build will be completely outdated after ~5 years, suffer some type of hardware failure, or have nearly all of it's software (BIOS, OS, drivers) dead and unsupported by then. It is then only usable by enthusiasts / developers, and ends up in a landfill otherwise.

This might have been true 20 years ago, it really no longer is. My main personal computer has a CPU that was released in 2014. I got it for free from a company that was getting rid of it, I guess they could justify getting better machines. I replaced the HDD with an SSD, but that's it. I don't know when the computer itself booted the first time since I'm not the first owner, but chances are that it's about 10 years old at this point.

I mostly use Debian, but Windows supports this computer just fine as well.

The main reason electronics become unusable these days is software bloat (e.g. going from Windows 10 to Windows 11), not the hardware, and a Windows PC still feels like it can last way longer than an iPad can.

Not that I disagree about hardware lifetime (also have an old machine running strong on Debian) but just FYI Windows 10 ends this year and Windows 11 doesn't support CPUs older than 2017.

Game consoles. People still game on the Playstation 4, which first came out in 2013.

Cars still work after 15 years and have plenty of electronics in them.

Phillips HUE bulbs from 2012 are still going.

All the apps that were released when the ipad was supported still work. Same with consoles.

But you can’t download them anymore. And if you need a new app, you also can’t download an older version that would work on your device.

Not to mention apps (usually banking apps) that plainly refuse to work if you aren’t running the last version.

What you're describing is a choice by the developer of the application. There are several applications I use where users are directed to download a new app instead of forcing a breaking update.

> What are "most other devices"? I can't think of any electronics I own that are still usable after 10-15 years besides Apple hardware.

Literally everything else, that is not Apple hardware.

A couple Android phones, cameras, audio interfaces, controllers, chromecast, NAS, multiple arduino-style developer boards. All devices I’ve owned where either the hardware died or software became unsupported during the past decade. The only survivors are a PS4 and the Apple ones.

My relatives are still using a more than 15-year-old laptop with Debian just fine. My phone (Librem 5) will be receiving updates for its lifetime.

An ipad 2 is not a PC. 2011 PCs were fine eight years later, in 2019, and they are still fine in 2025. Maybe they are too weak for the some of the latest eyecandy games (not really tho), but there is no planned obsolescence, an Apple that actively makes their past products unusable.

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