Posted on 10/09/2014 2:02:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
According to reports, Apple Inc.'s iOS 8 adoption rates have started to stagnate, increasing only 1% since the last reported figure. Bidness Etc explores the possible reasons behind users' reluctance to shift to Apple's latest mobile operating system.
iOS 8 was Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) eighth major mobile operating system. With its release, the company increased focused on refining and enhancing built-in features and functionality, instead of relying on a major overhaul of user interface as with the iOS 7. With iOS 8, Apple incorporated user feedback received from iOS 7 users and developers.
Previously, Apple had kept the operating system (OS) closed to developers, not providing access to key areas such as keyboards, notification center, and default Photos app. However, with iOS 8’s release, the company has followed open-source nature of competitors such as Google (GOOGL), while retaining quality control to ensure seamless usage experience.
The company reported an initial adoption rate of 46% for iOS 8 on September 21. It has since struggled with numerous bugs and glitches, making users hesitant in switching to the latest firmware.
There have been complaints of poor battery performance, sudden app-crash, and faulty HealthKit, causing third-party health apps to malfunction. Reports came in suggesting that iOS 8 apps were crashing 78% more than its predecessor.
Apple moved swiftly to counter the bugs and other flaws, but the subsequent update, 8.0.1, failed miserably. Instead of fixing existing issues, it created further glitches within the OS, with many users complaining about losing cellular-network connectivity. Apple pulled the update from its servers the very next day and issued an apology to users, allowing them to switch back to iOS 8.0 version.
Usually, Apple’s update-release cycle consists of firmware updates being rolled out after a few months; but considering the latest update’s poor performance, the company released iOS 8.0.2 the very next day. The latest update managed to fix issues with Health app, HealthKit platform, third-party keyboards, Wi-Fi connectivity and battery drain problems.
While issues plaguing users since updating to iOS 8 have been resolved and iOS 8.0.2 has proved to be a stable release, the damage has already been done as revealed by the company's latest figures, which show a mere 1% increase in adoption rate since the new update's release.
This stagnation demonstrates how Apple mishandled iOS 8’s rollout strategy. Bugs and glitches are common place for OS’s as similar issues were also faced by Google Inc’s (GOOGL) Android OS. But Apple’s first foray into a more open software infrastructure has caused it problems, as it tries to adjust to the new system of working with developers.
Based on stalling iOS 8 adoption rates, analysts and users have widely speculated the reasons behind this decline.
Initially, low adoption rate was accounted to the flurry of bugs and glitches plaguing the system, but since then various reasons have come to light. As we mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons for the reluctance in updating devices was the requirement of high storage space.
Users looking to update their device over the air faced a serious issue with free storage space. The new iOS 8 operating system requires an estimated 5.7GB of free storage space to download the new system. Users widely complained about deleting their personal files, apps, and photos in order to free up space, with many giving up on the update as a result.
Users took to social media services like Twitter Inc (TWTR) and Facebook Inc (FB) to express their disappointment about the new software update. The social media backlash and numerous analysts criticizing Apple’s new update rollout strategy became another reason for many holding-off on iOS 8, waiting for a stable release before updating.
With regards to low adoption rate numbers, we must take into account how Apple tracks data regarding iOS versions. The company tracks users accessing App Store. While this will accurately show how many devices on iOS 8 are accessing the App Store, it does not account for users who do not use the store.
Some users allow automatic updates for apps in the background, making it needless to launch the App Store. Such users’ iOS version is not recorded by Apple in its official adoption rate, possibly leading to a much lower figure.
Another reason for not updating devices could be compatibility issues of major features with the Mac OS X. Many Mac users are waiting for Mac OS X Yosemite update to adopt iOS 8 as their mobile operating system. Various new features such as iCloud Drive and Handoff are currently unavailable on Macs until the Yosemite update is publicly released.
The inability of iOS 8 devices to sync with iCloud Drive and using the powerful new features with older versions of Mac OS X could also be the reason for not updating their iPhones and iPads. Once Yosemite is released, we can expect a rise in iOS 8’s adoption rate.
Apple looks set to launch iOS 8.1 this month, with features such as Apple Pay coming into play. Many users could also be holding-off for a full featured update to iOS 8, which will make new features available for use. With third-party developers beginning to update their apps to support Health app and new Widgets in iOS 8’s Notification Center, we can expect many more users to shift to the latest firmware.
In iOS 8’s current version, users have also complained about an issue with Bluetooth pairing. Apple is reported to offer a fix in the upcoming iOS 8.1 update, which it has already been pushed through to developers.
Users are likely to wait for reviews of any upcoming software update released before taking a leap this time around, following bad experiences with both iOS 8.0 and iOS 8.0.1.
There’s no big benefit for iOS 7 user to upgrade yet, but once OS X 10.10 and Apple Pay start becoming available, there will be.
I predict an uptick in upgrade activity after the 10/16 event and another after the first of the year.
Everyone is waiting on the iOS10 to come out.....
The very last thing we need is even shorter battery life!! !!!! Already have to carry larger spare battery packs just to get thru a day
My biggest beef with 8.0.2 is losing access to the best single player “Texas Hold’em” game out there. The one that came with the early iPhones.
bookmark
Glad I found out before upgrading.
That's a non-starter. Im still on iO6 and its just fine. WSOP app screwed up their tournament section but its a good multiplayer.
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