what are u do?

You are currently running the most currect version of iOS that your hardware can support.

If you need a newer version of iOS then you need newer hardware to run it.

Allan

iTunes makes it hard to find apps which are compatible with older iPhones and iPods, but there are plenty of useful apps and games for them. Here are some tools to search for compatible apps (The first one is my recommendation).

iOSSearch - search the iTunes store for compatible apps.

Vintapps 3.1.3 - paid app.

Apple Club - filter apps by iOS version.

iTunes does nothing of the sort. It is up to the developer to decide what version of their app is in the App Store. When developers decide to only support the newer iOS, that is their decision to make. It has nothing to do with iTunes or the App Store.

In defense of the developers there is a significant workload to maintain their apps on multiple version of iOS for what is a dwindling customer base. Plus the newer versions of iOS offer so many more advantages over the the older versions so the developer almost feel forced to use it. For both of those reasons, apps for the older versions are very rapidly disappearing and it will only get worst.

Allan

I realize all of that. I am not saying I blame the devlopers, the point was that iTunes does not have anything to do with it as the previous poster said.

I think what was meant is that searching for an app that still runs on an older iOS is difficult with the iTunes search function. At least, that's the way I read it.

Whoops. I had meant to link that Mackerm and not to you. Chris. Sorry.

Not a problem

I agree that iTunes does not have a search function that you can use to search based on iOS version, but the OP is using a 3G, with iOS 4.2.1, and you will find that most of the popular apps available in the App store right now all require iOS 5 or above. There may be some obscure apps that still run something older, but most of the ones that would run on a 3G would have to either be ones you already have, or ones you would find as the poster stated via a 3rd party site. Consider the 3G was released in 2008. For a phone, that is an eternity!

Oh, I completely agree! It's like having an outdated gaming system and looking for games in Best Buy. Not gonna find many Atari 2600 cartridges there. And that's not Best Buy's fault either, lol.

"It is up to the developer to decide what version of their app is in the App Store. When developers decide to only support the newer iOS, that is their decision to make."

Not quite true. Which iOS a developer supports has a lot to do with Apple and the developer tools Apple supports. The current Apple tools do not support the earlier iOS. Since Apple will no longer allow an app to be built using the older tools that supported the earlier devices, a developer has no choice but move upwards, killing support for all the earlier customers, or to stop developing. Another choice is to create an app using a hack of both the supported and unsupported tools which today is the only way I know of to create that rare app store app that runs on all iOS devices.

So... create an App for the Apple App Store using a 'hacked' toolset, which means it will never pass quality control for Apple to allow it in the App Store in the first place?

It is the only way and it has passed Apple's "quality" control evidenced by app updates in the app store after May 1st built for iOS 4.2.1 or earlier.

Part of the blame, if that is what you want to call it, is on the user as well. It is up to them to decide whether or not to update an app, since the update notes provide infomation such as what iOS the app supports. They have to keep the old apps on the older devices or upgrade the device. After a certain period of time, a user should understand how this works.