During Apple’s WWDC 2014 event, the Cupertino company announced the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8. Included in the feature list for the OS – available later this fall – is improved OS X integration, new predictive-text keyboard, support for third-party keyboards and widgets, interactive notifications, among other upgrades.
Owners of iOS devices will be ready to clog up the servers with their attempts to download iOS 8 as soon as it’s live.
Here are the devices that will get iOS 8:
- iPhone 4S
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5C
- iPhone 5S
- iPod Touch (fifth generation)
- iPad (second generation)
- iPad with Retina display (third generation)
- iPad Air
- iPad Mini (first generation)
- iPad Mini with Retina display (second generation)
That’s every iPad release since the second generation, released back in March of 2011. The iPhone 4S dates back to October of 2011, while the only version of the iPod Touch that will make the leap to iOS 8 is the most recent generation, released September 2012.
This does leave a handful of devices that won’t get to experience the most recent iOS release.
These devices will NOT get iOS 8:
- iPhone 4 and older
- iPod Touch (fourth generation) and older
- iPad (first generation)
Of those devices, only the iPhone 4 got to experience iOS 7. The iPhone 3GS was left behind in iOS 6, the iPhone 3G ended at iOS 4, and the first iPhone made it to iOS 3. The first generation of iPad lost support at iOS 5. For the iPod Touch, the fourth generation got to iOS 6, the third generations ended at iOS 3, and the first and second generation never made it past the days of “iPhone OS.”
Still, Apple is taking the majority of its devices along for the ride with iOS 8. Only one device that supports iOS 7 – the iPhone 4 – is falling off the bandwagon. Those who have been holding on to older devices can start saving up now to grab one of those iOS 8 compatible devices before the operating system is released in the fall of 2014.
