Feb 06, 2017 03:27 AM EST By Jordan Pine, UniversityHerald Reporter

Apple is de-cluttering the Apps Store by killing thousands of iPhone apps that do not support the 64-bit processor as revealed by the latest iOS beta update. This latest purge that began 3 years ago may include classic games like "Ocarina" and "Great Lightsaber," which have put the iPhone on the gaming map.

The recent iOS beta update now has a sterner warning indicating that an app will not work with the latest iOS 11. This is a stark contrast to previous versions where users are only warned that a particular app may slow the phone down.

Apple is now aggressively purging the app store by pushing developers to update their apps to support the 64-bit processor, which was first introduced in the iPhone 5S. Two years ago, Apple was already encouraging developers to make the shift from 32-bit to 64-bit in line with Apple's new architecture.

"App rot" is a primary issue that Apple is trying to fix by terminating old, outdated apps that only clutter the App Store. A report from Sensor Tower, an apps analytic company, revealed that the Cupertino giant has been killing thousands of apps in 2014 by as much as 16 percent.

In 2015, Apple killed 28 percent of iPhone apps while last year took a whopping 51 percent or 47,000 apps removed. There may be more apps that will face an untimely death when iOS 11 rolls out.

There is no definitive data on which apps have been updated, but there is now a pressing concern in the gaming community that the recent purge may include classics like "Ocarina" and "Great Lightsaber," which are believed to be one of the greatest iPhone apps of all time, Mashable reported.

Moreover, titles like "Ridiculous Fishing," "Hundreds," and "Peggle Classics" are all classic games that have placed the iPhone on the gaming map. These titles also have garnered a loyal following.

Adam Saltsman, co-founder of Finji, which created "Hundreds," "Canabalt," and "Aquaria" expressed that keeping an app available or accepting its demise is a tough choice. Some developers are already hard-pressed with current projects and may no longer have the time, energy or even the resources to keep old apps available.

Updating an app may require time and effort that result in substantial maintenance cost that does not spell additional revenues. Instead, developers may follow Nintendo's lead and come up with re-releases of classics in remastered editions, Gizmodo reported. In so doing, they get to keep their loyal fans happy and earn extra revenues.

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