cell phone support

[Jim Becker]

I wouldn't be too quick to blame Intuit - Apple computers are notorious for their lack of compatibility with newer software. I follow a high-end music editing program and the Apple users are always asking if the software will run on their version of the Mac OS, often to their dismay.

There was a time when that was more true and when applications were 'different' between the MacOS version and the Windows version. That ship sailed quite a few versions back. Folks on older versions of both MacOS and Windows will suffer the same fate relative to applications that is the focus of this thread for wireless phones. Things change and it's difficult to hold onto old gear and expect to run current versions of some or even many applications because APIs change or go away and security accommodations block "work arounds" that some developers used to use for their own purposes.

[Brian Elfert]

I had to upgrade my 2017 LG V20 (Android) to my 2020 LG V60 (Android) just to maintain service. The V20 wasn't 5G compatible the V60 is. The V20 was a better phone, for me at least. My LG V60 is working fine and I hope to get another year or two out of it.

Why would you be forced to go to 5G? 4G/LTE is not being shut down any time soon. Are you sure it wasn't the 3G shutdown that killed your phone?

[Rich Konopka]

Manufacturers of Android devices have the same challenges as Apple does with iOS devices for continued OS upgrade support, both because of computing power and security advancements.

My mid-2014 MacBook Pro with 1Tb SSD and 16gb cannot be upgraded to the latest MacOS. It was rendered obsolete by Apple. It has plenty of disk and memory. It is how Tech companies are able to keep generating revenue.

I just did and Windows 11 upgrade check on my HP z820 workstation that has 128Gb memory and Dual Xeon processors. Microsoft states the processor is not supported.

There are no technical reasons why these systems cannot be supported with OS upgrades.

[Curt Harms]

My mid-2014 MacBook Pro with 1Tb SSD and 16gb cannot be upgraded to the latest MacOS. It was rendered obsolete by Apple. It has plenty of disk and memory. It is how Tech companies are able to keep generating revenue.

I just did and Windows 11 upgrade check on my HP z820 workstation that has 128Gb memory and Dual Xeon processors. Microsoft states the processor is not supported.

There are no technical reasons why these systems cannot be supported with OS upgrades.

I think there's something different about the way Windows drivers will be written going forward that require certain functions not found in older CPUs. I've read about it but don't really understand it. There is a way to install Windows 11 on machines that don't 'officially' support it. There are instructions on the interwebz but the simplest way is to download something called Rufus. Download Rufus then download a Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft. Use Rufus to create a Windows installation USB drive, choose what restrictions you want the installer to ignore. A big caveat is that Microsoft may or may not choose to support Windows installs created via the non-standard way.

[Brian Tymchak]

My Iphone 5 is long past upgrading, on the other hand it still works for many purposes (I use it now primarily as a music player and MIDI controller). An antique operating system seems appropriate for operating an antique phone. Similarly, my "unsupported" 13 year old MacBook is humming along, albeit somewhat slowly. It got a new battery last year and is good as new for most things -- it's been a long time since anyone introduced a novel "must have" feature into an OS. A couple of programs that require annual updates (eg TurboTax) won't run on it anymore, but I blame the bean counters at Intuit who milk their cash cows for all they're worth for that.

The technology that web sites and apps use has undergone significant change over the last 10 years. App and web developers can't affordably maintain multiple technologies within the code and still add new features. Been there. It becomes a pile of spaghetti and expensive (and sometimes impossible) to make changes and keep support for older APIs, older libraries, etc.

[Thomas McCurnin]

It's an Apple World, I just happen to live in it.

I loved my Apple 7, perfect size and worked for me, but the battery drain was enormous and changing the battery didn't help, so I just shrugged and bought a new small SE model. Battery lasts for a couple of days.

[Jim Becker]

My mid-2014 MacBook Pro with 1Tb SSD and 16gb cannot be upgraded to the latest MacOS. I

Actually you can if you are brave...you can use OpenCore Legacy Patcher to load the latest OS on your 2014 machine. I actually have a 2014 MacBook Air sitting here. (it was my daughter's and I traded her a 2012 MBP which was faster and more powerful and had new batteries for it) I may try the patcher just for grins, but honestly, I only use that machine as an emergency device and might use it for a small, cheap laser engraver in the shop if I ever get around to it. The Windows machine in my shop that runs the CNC cannot be upgraded to Win11 as it does not have the security chip and I'm not about to diddle with that. I can run Win11 under Parallels on my MacBook Pro, however, as there's software emulation for the security ship.

As consumers, we are certainly sensitive and not happy when latest software will not run on an older machine, but is any one of us was put in the position of the OS manufacturers, we'd almost certainly do the same thing as they have done for both practical and expense reasons. Remember, these companies don't work for us...they work for shareholders.

[Lee DeRaud]

It just boggles my mind that anyone would think that having their thermostat online and/or on their cell phone is in any way a good thing. So, other than avoiding Sensi, how do you like the online thermostat? Is it an actual improvement in your quality of life over having one on the wall?

At most twice a year, coming home from vacation, it would be nice if I could pre-cool the house because the 'Heat Monster' had moved in over SoCal while I was away.

File that under "Not Gonna Happen". I'm more tech-savvy than most, but so far I've had zero luck getting my Honeywell thermostat to play nice with any of the Samsung phones I've had since it was installed. And at this point I have zero desire to go on a scavenger hunt for a t-stat that will...just not worth the aggro.

[Bill George]

I loved my Blackberry's but they had to go, been with Apple for years no complaints. My Honeywell thermostat works great with the IPhone App, love being able to check temps and adjust from anywhere.

[Tom M King]

I like having all our security cameras, thermostats, a great camera and video camera in my pocket, etc., etc. Sometimes I take calls on it. It understands what I say to it also. Also, some apps are really convenient and save a bunch of time, like one that I can walk in a room, scan the camera all around, and it gives me an accurately measured 3D copy of the room. Another one identifies birds by their call. A sound meter. GPS navigation. on and on. You have to pay to play, but if you bought stock early enough it's more than paying for itself. I'm content to upgrade every other model or so. Pam upgraded hers to a 14 last Summer and it costs all of 6 bucks a month.

[Jim Becker]

Well, the washer, dryer, refrigerator and induction range talk to me. So does the front door lock, the security system and some outside lighting fixtures that we control using "smart" switch setups. The Mr Cool in the shop is communicative. And my Subaru talks to me, too. The Honeywell thermostat has that capability, but I never bothered setting that up since we only change the temp twice a year.

[Steve Demuth]

Yeah, it's increasingly clear to me that, notwithstanding that my professional responsibilities have been to bring advanced technology to bear on improving people's lives through better medical care, I am basically a creature of the past. I can't argue with a thing you say about your cell-phone enabled thermostat, and I'm glad it works for you, but I also can't imagine setting my own phone and thermostat up that way.

[Steve Demuth]

Well, the washer, dryer, refrigerator and induction range talk to me. So does the front door lock, the security system and some outside lighting fixtures that we control using "smart" switch setups. The Mr Cool in the shop is communicative. And my Subaru talks to me, too. The Honeywell thermostat has that capability, but I never bothered setting that up since we only change the temp twice a year.

I am so not ready for the 21st century. That all sounds like a script from a science fiction - horror fusion script, to me. I have one talking device - an Amazon Echo that my kids gave me a decade or so ago. I put it in the shop, where, literally, the only thing I have used it for is to pause and restart recorded books and podcasts, and maybe a few times a year, music, that I listen to when doing safe, relatively mindless tasks.

[Tom M King]

Even though our rental houses are just a few hundred yards away, there is no need to keep AC low or heat high when no one is there, or even on a lot of times. We'd be going in and out of them much more without the phone control. Security cameras let me see what's going on around them, and my shops, pastures, and barn without making the trips. I love it like this. I can see where it wouldn't matter if you stay home all the time and rarely turn the system off, but even in our house if we don't need anything on, I can turn them off from my chair or bed. Now if I can just get it to cut the grass.

[Lee DeRaud]

To be fair, there is one IoT/connected widget that I own and use: my garage-door opener. That app was set up once, has worked without glitch over three phones and uncountable Android updates, and keeps me from having to turn around a mile out because I can't remember if I closed the door while backing out of the driveway.