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Apple details iOS 6 hardware requirements: iPhone 3GS to be updated, original iPad and third-gen iPod touch left out

Apple details iOS 6 hardware requirements: iPhone 3GS to be updated, original iPad and third-gen iPod touch left out

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Apple has confirmed at its WWDC keynote that iOS 6 will not offer support for the original iPad or the third-generation iPod touch.

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On stage at Moscone West minutes ago, Scott Forstall confirmed Apple is trimming the list of hardware that will be compatible with iOS 6 when the software is released later this year. Just as rumors hinted, the original iPad and third-generation iPod touch won't be eligible for the latest update. Instead, upgrade paths for both devices will end with iOS 5. The iPhone 3GS and its 256MB of RAM, on the other hand, will be receiving iOS 6.

That brings an end to almost three years of software support for the third-gen iPod touch (which originally hit shelves in 2009) and a bit over two for Apple's inaugural iOS tablet. Inevitably some iPad owners will claim this cutoff arrived far sooner than they might have expected, particularly for a product often touted as a viable PC replacement. Thankfully both devices can rely on the App Store to extend their utility moving forward — at least until apps start requiring iOS 6, that is.