
iOS 8 Adoption Stalls at 47% of Users After Three Weeks - funkyy
http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/07/ios-8-adoption-stalls-at-47-of-users-after-three-weeks/
======
crazygringo
I upgraded to iOS 8 on my 4S, and regret it immensely. Sluggish doesn't even
begin to describe it. Animations have gone from ~30 fps to maybe 2 or 3 fps.
It's almost as if the update disabled the GPU or something, I can't even begin
to understand it. A popular game like Subway Surfers is now completely
unplayable -- it'll run smoothly for a couple seconds, then freeze for half a
second, and bam, you run into a train. It's bizarre.

What really pisses me off is the attitude of app developers to only support
the newest version of iOS. I'd upgraded from iOS 6 to 7 simply because I
needed HipChat and FourSquare for professional reasons, and both companies had
completely dropped support for iOS 6. And then upgraded to iOS 8 because I
know the same thing is going to happen again. I don't criticize Apple so much
for creating new iOS versions that require greater processor power -- I
criticize the app developers which force us to upgrade to OS's our phones
can't support. And now I basically need to drop $500 to buy a new phone I
shouldn't need, just for my phone's interface to feel even minimally
responsive again. Ugh.

~~~
andrewljohnson
I have sympathy for any developer who supports just the latest iOS. Because:

* you need to maintain a stable of test devices on all iOS versions

* it's time-consuming to support legacy OS versions

* it leads to more support

* it has dubious economic value

Also, to be angry at app developers because they act rationally seems
misplaced. Particularly with HipChat, you want them to support what exactly...
every version of OSX, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux? Because they get
pretty close.

Why don't you just not update your phone, or your apps? Did FourSquare and
HipChat force you to update the app, with some sort of blocking in-app pop-up?

p.s. We do support 2-3 versions for our apps, but that's a practical matter
for us.

~~~
untog
There's a sliding scale here. I don't think anyone is expecting app developers
to support every OS version that ever existed. But iOS8 doesn't work on the
iPhone 4, and according to comments on here works pretty terribly on the 4S,
and even on the 5.

Supporting the current version and the most recent version doesn't feel like
the biggest imposition. As a web developer we've adopted it - we just phased
out iOS6 support now that we're looking at iOS8. And there aren't actually
that many differences between 7 and 8 - especially compared to 6 and 7. What
iOS8-specific SDK features are developers using that means they absolutely
have to only target iOS8?

~~~
rqebmm
The difference is that as a web developer you don't have to drop roughly ~$2k
on devices to test the older versions of browsers, you just fire up a VM.

Apple developers can't roll back the OS version, and need to have at least one
4/4s, one 5/5s, and one iPad for each OS they would like to support. Let alone
the new screen fragmentation.

The inability to roll back iOS is inconvenient for customers, but it's a HUGE
middle-finger to developers. Customer are caught between "don't update a few
of my apps" while we are caught between "don't support a number of new users"
and "spend a lot of extra time and effort"

~~~
untog
_The difference is that as a web developer you don 't have to drop roughly
~$2k on devices to test the older versions of browsers, you just fire up a
VM._

Why? You can fire up an iOS Simulator just as easily for web developer as you
can native development. The same issues affect both. In neither case would I
suggest relying on simulated versions of devices - I've been caught out by too
many touch event oddities in the past.

------
minikites
I bet a big part of it is that you need ~5GB of free space which is really
difficult on 8 or 16GB devices. iOS 7 only needed 1 or 2, if my memory is
accurate.

~~~
acomjean
Thats what holding me back from upgrading and I have 32gb 4s.

Plus it just doesn't seem that compelling and upgrade.

Makes one wonder the 16-64-128 gb storage strategy.

~~~
calvin_c
You don't need the on board space if you upgrade through iTunes. It's a drag,
considering OTA updates have been a big push since iOS 5, but it avoids the
issue of trying to clear out 5 GB of space.

~~~
buro9
And those of us on Linux who have no Mac or Windows PC?

I haven't upgraded my iPod and iPad precisely because of the space issue.
Looks like I won't be upgrading.

~~~
jedberg
If you go into an Apple store they'll let you use their computers to do it.

~~~
buro9
I'm in London so this seems the easiest thing to do when I get the chance.

The VM route feels a lot like yak-shaving.

------
wlesieutre
I'm in that remaining 53%. I still have an iPhone 4S, which works fine, and
the new features in iOS 8 aren't enough for me to justify the performance
hits.

Safari launch goes from 1.25 to 2.16 seconds, and I use that all the time. Not
worth it, as much as I'd like 3rd party keyboards and 1password integration.

Plus there's the fact that everything is being designed for iPhone 5 and
iPhone 6 screens now, so it gets terribly cramped without the extra height.
Integrated apps like Music have already been crammed into the 3.5" screen on
iOS 7, but 8 only takes more steps toward needing a bigger screen.

[http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/09/ios-8-on-the-
iphone-4s-...](http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/09/ios-8-on-the-
iphone-4s-performance-isnt-the-only-problem/)

~~~
acdha
Most of the performance claims are exaggerated – unless you're obsessively
stop-watching or switching apps all the time, the difference in Safari startup
isn't significant and the newer WebKit means that Safari is actually faster
once you actually use it, noticeably so on JavaScript-heavy sites. A fraction
of a second startup time is lost in network overhead or render on the first
page you visit.

In general, it feels like iOS 7 - slower than 6 but still usable, particularly
if you disable background apps to reduce memory pressure.

What is a big deal is screen real-estate: it's not just the apps but also the
new predictive text entry. In an app like Tweetbot, the full keyboard now
leaves only 3 lines of text visible. Some of the custom keyboards are shorter
but you can definitely tell that most developers are now assuming at least the
larger iPhone 5 screen height.

~~~
wlesieutre
Oh my. I don't even want to imagine what Google Voice looks like with the full
keyboard.

On iOS 7 it's already down to two lines of text messages, because it's more
important that they tell me the name of who I'm talking to _three goddamn
times_. If Google's trying to help Apple sell more new phones, they're doing a
pretty good job of it.

[http://i.imgur.com/QHL8FeN.png](http://i.imgur.com/QHL8FeN.png)

Does anybody have GV on iOS 8 with a 4S for comparison? I'm genuinely curious
what it does.

~~~
pfranz
It looks like what you were expecting
[http://imgur.com/Bsq4gYT](http://imgur.com/Bsq4gYT)

~~~
wlesieutre
Ouch, yeah. Thanks for posting it.

------
gbrhaz
Unfortunately this year's release has been... well, awful, from both a user's
and a developer's perspective.

* APIs that were fine in iOS 7 are now broken on iOS 8 devices (that's the OS I'm talking about, not the SDK). 6 -> 7 contained the biggest UI changes of any release, and on an iOS 7 OS, apps built under iOS 6 still looked like iOS 6 apps. How it should be.

* Developers saying they have to get/renew both iOS and Mac developer programs, and then request a refund for the one they don't want.

* Requiring 5GB for an over-the-air installation, which given how most devices are 16GB, is terrible. There aren't many end-users that would go through iTunes for this.

* Shocking performance on 4S and iPad 2. I disagree with allowing users to upgrade on these devices. My iPad 2 was unusable; even swiping on the springboard was dropping frames everywhere. Apps taking 10 seconds to load. That's not a good user experience, keep them on 7.

* Apple silently changing their approval processes (not allowed to authenticate through Safari now - it has to be through a web view, which doesn't handle SSO, and is a lot less secure).

* HealthKit bugs.

* The whole 8.0.1 disaster. I couldn't believe this one.

------
msluyter
At least part of it is that folks like my mom just never attach their phones
to their computers and ignore any upgrade notifications on their devices, so
they basically never upgrade until their son comes to visit. This applies to
me as well -- I have two iPads and frankly it's not really worth the bother.
I'll probably upgrade them eventually; there's just no hurry.

Compounding the problem -- since getting the iPhone 6, I've noticed something
I've almost never noticed before on an iPhone: lag. There are times where it
seems there's a huge (like 1 second) delay between touching the screen and a
reaction. This is noticeable when scrolling in safari. For that reason alone I
would recommend against upgrading until the problem is resolved.

------
eddieroger
8.0.1 got a lot of negative press and scared people who have no idea what
they're talking about into not updating. I don't know how many of those
"cousin's boss' fiance who works for an Apple certified technician said not to
update" posts I saw on Facebook. I imagine if Apple gets 8.1 out with the
rumored iPad announcement in a few weeks, it'll all right itself.

------
CapitalistCartr
I upgraded from 5.x to 6.0 and it broke three important tools I used, all for
political reasons to benefit Apple and hurt Google. I was careful to make a
backup first. Guess what! The backup won't allow returning to 5.x. So a fake
backup process. Don't expect me to trust "upgrades" after getting screwed like
that.

~~~
ck2
[http://www.idownloadblog.com/downgrade/](http://www.idownloadblog.com/downgrade/)

------
Xeoncross
I have an iPhone 4s and I didn't even want to update to iOS 7 because my
brother did, and his phone really slowed down. Since I need to answer calls or
take photos fast I really could care-a-less about other features. If my device
isn't fast, I lose the moment. iOS 6 forever on this device (baring some big
security problem)

------
adamors
I'm staying on 7 for at least a couple more minor versions.

iOS 8 was incredibly buggy so far, with the 8.0.1 update almost bricking
phones, and 8.0.2 introducing a lot of bluetooth connectivity issues/wi-fi
slowdowns and battery problems. The 5S has a weak battery life as is, I don't
need it shrunk to a half day.

------
etimberg
I upgraded an iPad 3 to iOS 8 and I definitely regret it. I don't like how
Safari has changed, and it just feels sluggish.

~~~
eddieroger
I was in the same boat, and ended up wiping my 3. That helped more than it
should have, especially for the pain in the ass that it was to reinstall the
stuff I use regularly.

~~~
tacoman
Wiping it actually increased responsiveness? I guess I'll give that a try.

~~~
eddieroger
Working theory is that it cleared out things like Safari's caches (which I
could have done without a wipe, of course), and cleared up free space. iOS
isn't a happy camper when it lacks free space.

------
NDizzle
My iPad2 runs worse and worse with every new version of iOS. I wish I could go
back to 6.

~~~
soylentcola
That is actually my only iOS device at the moment and it certainly has been
slower with each update. I do understand the benefit of building an OS to more
current specs but unlike a desktop PC where you can add a stick of RAM or a
newer GPU for $50-100, it seems to hit mobile devices a lot harder.

On one hand, nobody wants to buy a shiny new device and find that the software
isn't taking advantage of the hardware you paid for in order to preserve
performance on older models. On the other hand, the more rapid pace of mobile
hardware development and the inability to add inexpensive upgrades can make it
seem like you have little choice but to replace the things every couple of
years.

It doesn't help that there's no official way to downgrade if your experience
is unsatisfactory (no reinstalling XP on that old beater PC because it doesn't
have the RAM to run Vista well, etc) and applications quickly start to require
the latest version of the OS for program updates.

------
lordbusiness
My own personal experience is that iOS 8's feature set is muted until Yosemite
comes out.

Once people with recent enough devices are able to enjoy Continuity, Handoff,
and fully experience iCloud Drive, then adoption will (I predict) increase;
and I believe the "not much difference" statements (which are arguably
currently correct) will subside.

I believe Apple could have done well to coordinate a simultaneous launch for
Yosemite and iOS 8.

------
geuis
I regret doing the upgrade too. My 5s has had terribly slow LTE and wifi since
the upgrade from 7. I usually have to turn off all the radios with airplane
mode for a few moments to get any connectivity back when it slows down. There
aren't any new obvious features that make a big difference. Tried keyboards
but they all kind of suck so just went back to stock.

If you haven't upgraded, hold off for a while.

------
bpicolo
To be honest I wish I were back on iOS7. They got rid of the all photos
(camera roll) view, which was the only way I actually made use of photos.

Terrible decision. Why remove camera roll? It's not exactly a tricky thing to
support / leave in. The new way of viewing photos is awful. I have no clue on
what date or what location I saved / took that one photo I'm looking for.

~~~
calvin_c
It looks like the Camera Roll is back in iOS 8.1 Beta [http://www.product-
reviews.net/2014/09/30/ios-8-1-beta-relea...](http://www.product-
reviews.net/2014/09/30/ios-8-1-beta-release-notes-live-camera-roll-back/)

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misterbwong
I'm surprised the article doesn't take into consideration the fact that
there's a month-long wait for the iPhone 6 and 6+ upgrade. I'm willing to bet
a decent chunk of those with older iPhones are waiting for their upgrades and
not bothering with the update.

------
untog
Urgh. The one upside of web developer for the iPhone is that the users upgrade
quickly. I really don't want to be left having to debug two different, broken,
versions of Safari.

(Please, Apple, break Safari out into an app that can be updated in the App
Store. Oh, and actually update it.)

------
ck2
There are tricks to force downgrade. Doesn't even need root.

[http://osxdaily.com/2014/09/21/downgrade-ios-8-back-to-
ios-7...](http://osxdaily.com/2014/09/21/downgrade-ios-8-back-to-ios-7-1-2/)

~~~
selectodude
That stopped working awhile ago.

------
tehwalrus
I am holding off until I see a compelling reason to upgrade, and a review
showing that that reason works on my (phone-wise) ancient 4S. A custom
keyboard might be that... but I'll still wait for 8.1 for the stability.

------
uptown
iOS8 dropped support for Cisco LEAP. This caused our team to delay upgrading
until the wifi network could be upgraded.

------
fudged71
I know people still on iOS5 because they don't like change.

~~~
lisper
I was on iOS 5 until a few weeks ago. It's not because I don't like change,
it's because iOS 5 did everything I needed it to do, it did it well and
reliably. Upgrading is risky because you can't go back, and nowadays it's a
total crap shoot in terms of whether the upgrade will actually be an
improvement, or if it will be full of nasty surprises when you find that your
favorite feature has stopped working or has simply gone away.

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panikos
0 points

------
panikos
I don't what are do

------
panikos
O

------
happyscrappy
How long did it take KitKat to get to 47%?

~~~
untog
I'm not really sure those comparisons are accurate any more. Most developers
can target Android >= 4.0 and not worry about exactly which point version
users are on.

Coupled with that, things like the browser, maps, e-mail and keyboard are
updated through the Play Store now, not through OS updates. Google have done a
pretty great job with this.

~~~
mhurron
> I'm not really sure those comparisons are accurate any more

They never were accurate because it's mostly not in the users control if/when
they upgrade. The carrier has to 'bless' you with the privilege of even being
offered an update.

This is one of the reasons I just switched to an iPhone.

~~~
untog
It's as if you totally ignored the rest of my post. Was this in the Android
2.x era? That was awful, I agree. But like I said, these days it doesn't
matter very much. Almost every single core app is updated via the Play Store,
out of the control of carriers.

~~~
soylentcola
I'm definitely more familiar with the Android side of things than with iOS but
it really has more to do with the OEM. Sure, if you buy a carrier branded
device then they will stick their approval process after the OS release and
OEM porting but in general, it's more a firmware/driver issue a lot of the
time.

Apple's strength is that they provide the hardware and the software so they
are responsible for building any new version of iOS with applicable drivers
and firmware for each device.

Core apps are one thing but if you want to update to the latest version of
Android, you're mostly out of luck without the OEM's involvement. Third
parties regularly work on building current versions for all manner of devices
as soon as Google publishes the source but without driver source from the
maker of the actual chips and other hardware, they're left cobbling together
unoptimized drivers for important things like the cellular radio or the camera
or reverse engineering their own. If it was just a matter of carrier
interference, there would be a "vanilla" build available for every device
shortly after release.

