Why do these devices become obsolete?

Just because a device doesn't run the latest version of the OS doesn't mean it becomes unusable. All that means is it cannot run the latest version of the OS and no more. Unless there's some feature in the newer OS that you simply cannot manage without, you can still run the device with the older OS. After all, that's what you have been doing for years, right?

Puppies_are_the_best wrote:

But why?

How old are you?

Just look at the history of technology.

When I was younger used to be cassette, then cd, and now it stream.

Same as videos, VHS, to dvd to now stream.

ETC.. you catch the drift right.

1. More capable hardware is designed and build as technology improves and market conditions drive down prices;
2. New software is written - or existing software improved - to take advantage of those capabilities and provide better experiences and services to users;
3. Users come to expect the improved level of service and more users adopt new hardware and software to get it, increasing the market share of newer technology;
4. Increasing diversification of hardware and software versions increases the technical debt held by companies who have to issue updates and patches to multiple, often increasingly incompatible, versions;
5. At some point, the market share of the older hardware and software is so low and the technical debt cost so high, that it is no longer worthwhile (profitable) to maintain older versions and they are abandoned.

This is the reason Apple only supports the current and previous two versions of macOS, and while they may issue critical security updates for older versions it isn't guaranteed or even technically offered. It is why Apple hardware has a lifecycle stage of current, obsolete and vintage after a certain number of years. It is the same - on whatever timescales or market capture rates make sense - for every computer hardware and software vendor.

Alternatively - if they didn't do that, they'd eventually go out of business as profits drowned in technical debt. And then instead of you having no ability to put new software on your old phone, no one would have any phones or software.

Puppies_are_the_best wrote:

We should not have to buy new devices because they’re obsolete. By this, i mean unable to update, and eventually unusable because apps can’t download or update.

It's technology, it becomes obsolete just like everything else.

So, if your device is not capable of doing what you need it to do, it's time to upgrade to one that can do what you need it to. It's the same with all technology: TVs, Cars, cookers whatever.

The hardware that you have can do a certain amount. More recent hardware is more capable. Why should everyone else be limited by what your hardware can run?

I’m sorry your going through this, technology advances over time therefore the software does as well, in order to use your banking Apps, I highly recommend upgrading your devices, or you can use it through a PC