Apple details iOS 6 limits: no FaceTime 3G for iPhone 3GS/4

Apple couldn't resist a brief jibe at Android over how many users have Ice Cream Sandwich, but the company has quietly admitted that while iPhone 3GS and 4 owners will get iOS 6, they won't get all the features. In the freshly posted small-print on the iOS 6 preview page, Apple confirmed that much-anticipated functionality like FaceTime over cellular would be limited to the iPhone 4S and new iPad, while 3GS owners would also miss out on Shared Photo Streams.

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The original iPad won't get iOS 6 at all, staying on iOS 5, while the iPad 2 will miss out on Siri functionality, unlike the new iPad on iOS 6. Flyover and turn-by-turn navigation in Apple's new Maps app – replacing Google Maps in iOS – will be limited to the iPhone 4S and iPad 2/new iPad.

The list of omitted features for the iPhone 3GS also includes VIP list support, VIP/Flagged smart mailboxes, and Offline Reading List, all of which are only on the iPhone 4 or later, and iPad 2 or later. Apple's plans for Made for iPhone hearing aids, meanwhile – which will offer certification to compatible hardware – will demand the iPhone 4S.

Although several Android OEMs have opted not to upgrade their older phones to newer releases of the OS, a common explanation has been that the usability experience is not necessarily worth the accompanying performance compromise. Limits on functionality for older devices is not particularly unusual – hardware requirements for more processor-intensive features are always going to rub difficultly with lower-power chips in earlier phones and tablets – but Apple's decision to mock Google and Android while slipping these omissions into the small-print is likely to earn the company some criticism.

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[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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