Obsolescence. A method of adaptation. And Apple's iDilemma

   The personal computing device has been around for quite sometime now. So long, in fact, that enough time has past that many computers have become obsolete and disappeared.
I've given some thought to this phenomenon.
   An older computer could be saved by retiring the machine early and storing the machine along with the associated software. This, then, becomes a 'period piece'. An instance of technology frozen in time.
   I'm preparing to replace a 2009 laptop. The machine was designed at a time when 32-bit software was still considered relevant. The machine is 64-bit, but can run Windows '98 and period software. I'm going to dedicate the machine to 32-bit software and not install any 64-bit programs. A lot of programs I have ran on a 32-it machine running Windows '98. They will not run on the machine while the 64-bit verison of Windows 10 Pro is installed. As a mater of fact, the machine has reached it's limit on advancement in the Windows operating system evolution. If I install the latest (1803) version of Windows 10 Pro, my audio goes bad. I had to use the rollback option to return to an earlier version still available on my computer. I'm replacing the model with a duplicate. This will allow me to verify the upgrade problem, and improve operations. The current machine is falling apart and the audio problem is probably related. I have a clamp attached to the side of the screen to keep the LED screen visible. There are two lines on the screen. A black horizontal line two or three pixels thick, and a vertical line, about one pixel thick, that changes color depending on the background. The line is invisible on a white background but may turn green or yellow on other colors of backgrounds. Other things are happening that tell me I need a replacement. Eventually, I'll get a faster machine with more memory(of course) to act as primary machine.
   But to get back to obsolescence, as operating systems get more advanced, the hardware gets faster and has more memory. That is why older machines will eventualy fail. Too slow and not enough memory.
   Ergo, I have an idea. Stop updating your devices' operating system once the device has reached three or four years of age. Fortunately, some manufacturers will let you go back to an older version to keep your device running. Apple will not. Once you update your iPhone or iPad, there's no going back. If the device becomes slow and sluggish, you're stuck with it. That is prossibly corporate strategy. The device will eventually not be qualified for operating system upgrades and Apple will not release them. Your device may, or may not, have become difficult to use by that point.The computer industry is dependent on each year  bringing faster machines with more memory and the software uses up all that new speed and memory. That leaves older systems in a rut.
   Something else about Apple phones and tablets. I've had several iPhones and a couple of iPads. One problem they shared, was poor memory management.
   I watched a lot of movies stored on the devices. I always get the 32Gb or larger memory option. I found that movies deleted did not always return the vacated space to the operating system. I would, periodically, have to erase the machine and re-nstall the operating system, in order to get the lost memory back. This was true for phones and tablets. The problem is not noticeable with small deletes, like letters or photos, but looms large when you start downloading and deleting movies of a gigbyte or two in size.
Another problem with the iPhone, and I tried to tell Apple about the problem, but the agent was in a state of denial, is the fingerprint recognition system has an issue.
   If I use the fingerprint recognition to unlock my phone, and then put the phone into a case without a hole for the home button, the phone will not present the keypad, so I can't unlock the phone.
   I have to turn the phone completely off, then place the phone in the case and power the phone back up. Then the phone responds with a keypad when I need to unlock the phone.
   Again, if I put a phone in a case with a covered Home button, so fingerprint recognition is not possible, and then put the phone in a case, the phone waits on a fingerprint to unlock.
   The only solution is to go into settings and turn fingerprint recognition off before placing the phone in a case. A nuisance.
   So, to sum up, keep your old computing devices as time pieces. Stop upgrading them while they are still useful, keep the software, and erase your iDevices occasionally to recover lost memory space.
   A good laptop can be useful for ten years. And gripe to Apple about pefecting their operating system. The little things count.