my dude i don't have IT degrees and certs for not knowing anything
Not supporting 16bit apps inst really a way to push you to something new or whatever, it has more to do about the processor they use in the phone
pushing something "new" is and always has been apple's gimmick so i have nothing to say here as it's business per usual for them
but new doesn't necessarily mean good or smart--look at the whole 3.5 jack fiasco for reference
was it a sound business strategy to pair the devices with a new line of wireless headsets as well as existing ones? sure, but you also cut off a portion of your demographic base who either doesn't want or can't afford those extra gadgets (that so many people fell for the "drill into phone and there's the jack" thing should be indicative of this...well, that and people are stupid)
and yeah, something something "times are changing, stuff's moving away from wired, etc.", but we're not at this cusp of tech utopia godhood where EVERYONE needs to make the switch or be left in the dust like some people (read: apple) seem to think we are
i mean, look at how many businesses and places and people still run on WELL obsolete OS's like XP and even win95 in some circumstances--we're not at the technological revolution of the future juuuuust yet
Windows went through this transition too. The 32bit versions of Windows supported 16bit applications, but 64bit processors typically lost their 16bit mode so they were unable to run on those processors. But those routines take up space in the processor, and at some point you have to cut those to progress the chip.
yes, they did, but i note a significant difference between practices of the two companies (as is their prerogative) in that windows doesn't treat its products like an elite superforce with members only jackets as a door prize--you don't see windows phones going for a thousand dollars for a slightly brighter screen and lack of an audio jack, for example
And yes, it is technically possible to emulate 16 bit support, but is it worth it for Apple to sink a huge bunch of manpower and cost into that? Then when 32bit gets removed off the chip, then emulate 16 and 32 bit, at more huge cost and manpower? I think you see the problem there. At some point it just doesn't become worth it to them.
what problem?
the theoretical business-end cost-vs-supply-vs-demand-vs-practicality problem, yes, but i consider that theoretical
when you're at a point where you can charge a grand for a phone and nobody really questions it and sales figures deliver, i'm pretty sure you can afford to run some backwards compatibility on the next, newer, slightly shinier $1500 model with a 2mm-wider screen
apple has more than the necessary funding to do this, it's not a question of money
it's a question of their business model, which has always focused more on aesthetics and sleekness and their crisp clean image--it has nothing to do with them being able or unable to afford such costs, because they absolutely can afford them if they wanted to implement them
Not to mention software emulated processor modes are SLOW. Whatever app you're using with it would be heavily slowed down. Not an easy thing to explain to the customers as well.
i would imagine the big bad trailblazer trendsetter revolutionary corporation that is apple would find it small potatoes to build a faster processor to accomplish bittage compatibility--but again, they won't do it because it's not in their model to dwell for too long on older generations of hard-soft-firmware
as for the customer end...well, apple people clearly are able to adjust and thrive on the OS's inner workings in spite of the deliberate restrictions and complexities put into them, so i don't foresee this being a huge problem outside of the run of the mill lay user
and in those cases, that's what apple invented store "wizards" for, no?
On top of that Apple gives ample opportunity for you to reupload your app compiled into 64bit. They do hand out the libraries ahead of time. We got them and used them to remain compatible.
which is the only saving grace and free pass that keeps me from actively condemning the entire thing as an irredeemably stupid move
i still think it's ultimately stupid, but that safety net exists and i won't be an ass and pretend it doesn't