We've seen a number of people that have been forced to upgrade to a new computer because they wanted an ipad, and that required the latest itunes, and that required them to make an OS upgrade, and that required them to make a computer upgrade. This is an issue of people running ancient (by computer standards) computers. It's unreasonable to expect a 6+ year old computer to support brand new hardware.
It's no different than OS 9. Classic was available though all the way to 10.4 on powerpc, so there was a longer transition period.
Here's an entirely different perspective (which is, by the way, supported by your example)...
- This is not about expecting a 6 year old computer to support new hardware, but about expecting it to support a new version of iTunes which, heretofore, has been pretty successfully backwards compatible worked in Leopard, and, although I have no idea of the ins and outs of upgrading an iOS, seems like it will ought to continue to be work.
- From what I've seen, iOS devices have captured people's imaginations to such a huge degree that users who
- can't spell OS X, let alone tell you which version of it they're running,
- wouldn't consider spending $29, much less $129, on a version upgrade,
- have absolutely no desire, let alone need, to upgrade their "antique" Macs because their computer usage is so minimal and basic (and let's blow past security updates for the moment), and
- don't run a single 3rd party app, indeed, haven't got a clue that MacUpdate and its ilk exist
are
- head over heels into their "i" devices,
- hot to upgrade them the second a new version of iOS is released, and
- running many, many iApps.(I hear numbers exceeding 50 all the time.)
With that in mind, then, I'll suggest that it will be in Apple's best interests, public relations-wise, anyhow, to
not abruptly pull the plug on such people...to give them a substantial lead time in which to make their decisions and save their pennies.
(Aside: Hmmm... The apparent simultaneous release of Lion and vintage-esence of all PPC Macs is, in this context, frightening to contemplate.)
Apple did the right thing with Classic, and I'm hoping, even expecting, that they'll also do the right thing with iTunes, but...?
They officially support the current os and one version back. they also support any computer in warranty, guarantee parts for computers 5 yrs from manufacture, and limited parts to 7 years, at which point they stop providing parts. (california being the exception, parts get diverted there during the process and continue availability I believe until 10 yrs?)
Actually, Macs go "Vintage" after 5 years and "Obsolete" after 7. (See
Vintage and obsolete products.)
