[toast0]

Apple doesn't have a spotless record with security. However, they are significantly better at pushing updates. A large majority of eligible iOS devices install OS updates, and iOS devices tend to be eligible for updates for many years.

Additionally, because sales are much lower for iOS than Android, it's hard to get to the same scale. I don't know about iPad numbers, but 1 billion iPhones is about 5 years of sales, and five years is around where Apple stops providing updates (edit: as pointed out below, they're doing closer to 8 years from release now, but not all sales are from current model phones) and that combines with other factors and very few devices make it past five years of use.

[gord288]

Just a few days ago, Apple issued a security update (iOS 12.5.3) for the iPhone 5s, a phone that first came out in Sept. 2013. Not bad huh?

[GeekyBear]

> that combines with other factors and very few devices make it past five years of use

The original version of the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s are six years old now.

They run the current version of iOS and still work just fine.

[toast0]

How many of those sold six years ago are still operating?

My guess is many have had something go wrong to the point that they're no longer used.

[hungryforcodes]

The iPhone 6 and SE are still hugely popular in Asia. I see them everywhere, and there is a whole after market economy for repairs and parts replacement.

[GeekyBear]

They are also still hugely popular in the US.

Even the performance under the current OS, six years later, is still fine.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/ios-14-on-the-iphone...

[pwdisswordfish0]

The 5s received iOS 12.5.1 in January, it was released Autumn 2013