The launch of the iPhone 5 in September could mean a final end for the aging 3GS.
The new iPhone is to be announced on the 12th of September and the new device is to include new technology we have yet to see in a device in its class. What does that mean for Apple’s older devices though? The iPhone 4 and 4S certainly aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, Apple still makes plenty of money on those devices even if currently the older devices aren’t selling very well.
Stock of the even older 3GS has started to thin out, so much so that Apple stores are having trouble getting new stock of the 3 year old smartphone. Now sources ‘close to retailers’ in the UK are saying that the iPhone 3GS is going to be replaced completely by a new 8GB iPhone 4 that will be free on contract from most UK carriers.
This is still a rumor of course, there is evidence that the 3GS is to receive iOS 6. To update a device you no longer support or sell seems crazy, but Apple has always been a company well under wraps about their plans until an official announcement has been made.