It's been speculated for years and this week Apple confirmed it; they do slow down older phones. Apple says it's to extend battery life, but if you don't buy that, you're not alone.
USA Today tech writer Matt Granite doesn't buy it.
"Phone manufacturers, distributers and software makers want you to buy the next edition of their phone and they want the older editions to become obsolete as soon as possible."
Granite says Apple's not alone; set top box streamer Roku also plans obsolescence.
"They've actually discontinued their products by not only telling you you can't have access to the new software updates but they give current consumers codes to buy their new devices."
Granite says the good old days, where you could buy electronics and expect to use them trouble free for years, are over.
"We've seen software updates that don't really work to the advantage of the consumer passed along at late points and in many cases software makers making phones obsolete as soon as possible by not updating apps and making sure you can't run the same thing."
Granite says this is a trend that's not going away.