back to article PEAK APPLE: iOS 8 SHUNNED by refusenik fanbois

Apple has failed to persuade the fanboi legions to abandon the old versions of its mobile operating system and plunge into the many pleasures of iOS 8. Adoption rates of the new version of iOS 8 have stalled, with equal numbers of Apple fanfolk using both the new and old operating system. If true, this means the rollout of …

  1. Kebablog

    'Sadly, iOS 8 doesn't seem to have had the same aphrodisiac effect'

    Or maybe the recent negative press about dodgy updates has made people wait.

    Still nearly 50% is decent compared to other platforms.

    1. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      I'm scared that it might cause my iPhone 4S to bend.

      One can't be too careful...

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      I think this is a downside for Apple about all the media hype they get. I've talked to a couple of people about it this week, who would happily admit they know bugger-all about computers. Both said that Apple updates were designed to slow down older iPhones so you'd buy the latest one.

      I'm no fan of Apple, but that sounds like bollocks to me. I certainly thought that my iPad 1 slowed down with both the updates it got. I think they must have been building down to a price, because I remember that the iPhone that came out a couple of months after it, got a newer processor, and I think more RAM. Then iOS 4 didn't go onto the iPad 1 for at least 4 more months, and I felt slowed it down - and re-introduced a bunch of WiFi bugs they'd only just squashed in iOS 3. I had to put the iPad back on a fixed IP address on the local network, as it seemed to be unable to stay connected if it had to talk to the DHCP server.

      iOS 5 was a mistake, and I regretted putting the poor iPad 1 on that. There was sometimes quite severe lag in the UI, if it was trying to process stuff in the background.

      On the other hand, I've since waited for updates until the reports after the first patch comes out. And my work iPhone 5 went to iOS 8 with no problems, and seems to be just as fast, and have just as good battery life as before.

      One comment I would make about iOS is that it's getting awfully complicated. It used to be that there only a few settings, scattered somewhat randomly around the settings menu. But I went through them from top to bottom after my latest update, and there are absolutely loads now. Almost as many as the last 'Droid I set up (Galaxy Note 2 for a friend). Also Apple had reset some of them to their defaults after the update, that I'd specifically set the other way before. Which is rather cheeky - although backing up to iCloud worked perfectly, other than that obvious deliberate decision to re-enable all sorts of stuff that I don't want.

      They need to nuke their settings and start again from scratch, in some more logical way. Quite a few useful bits are hidden away in the accessibility stuff. Although I do give them credit for having lots of accessibility options, far more than Android. And I happen to know that this is an area Tim Cook takes personal interest in pushing - as I know people with disabilities he's talked to about how to improve their systems (along with enrolling them on a testing/evaluation program). So kudos to Apple for making considerable effort in that area.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Does this include all 3 versions so far? There was an 8.0, an 8.0.1 (very briefly) and the current version is 8.0.2.

      1. CPU

        It definitely has some bugs, not least of which is that it keeps disconnecting from internet with some Apps. And has anyone tried deleting subscription content?

    4. big_D Silver badge
      Paris Hilton

      Hmm, maybe 8 is an unlucky number in computing terms? Windows 8, now iOS 8 slow adoption?

    5. Peter 48

      irrelevant

      as a percentage of units maybe, yet there are actually a lot more Android KitKat devices than there are of all iOS variants combined, let-alone iOS8.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    My jailbreaks are just too useful to give up.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Android gets around the problem by not allowing many older handsets to run the newer OS - think I'd prefer the option of being able to upgrade than having to replace my phone. Suits the manufacturers as they can sell you a new Galaxy Raspberry Ripple or whatever...

      1. P. Lee

        Re: prevented upgrade

        I'd agree with allowing users to decide on upgrades iff they can downgrade if it all goes wrong. My 3G is far less useful than it was. The keyboard often freezes especially if maps is or has been used.

        I see ios doesn't even report ram, which smacks of guilty embarrassment. I can cope without upgrades, but making things worse with no remedy is a culture I can't easily forgive.

      2. Peter 48

        Android has nothing to do with controlling which devices are updated, in fact KitKat was specifically designed to improve performance on older units. The blame lies with the manufacturers and networks.

  3. Tom_

    Trouble is that although the new versions of iOS bring new features they also bring more bugs. So the longer you use an iPhone the more you realise you're better off avoiding the updates and keeping the functionality you like.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      New versions of iOS run like shit on old hardware in order to make you buy a new phone. Any real new feature requires real new hardware, so upgrading to iOS 8 won't make the GPS tracker any more accurate on my iPhone 4S, but it probably will make the app slower and use more battery,

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @AC

        "New versions of iOS run like shit on old hardware in order to make you buy a new phone. Any real new feature requires real new hardware, so upgrading to iOS 8 won't make the GPS tracker any more accurate on my iPhone 4S, but it probably will make the app slower and use more battery"

        Ars did some detailed tests on this, as they always do.

        Feel free to google and learn. Not all things are worse, and some trivial costs are worth paying for extra functionality.

        This issue is not a set of binaries as you imply.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

          Re: @AC

          I agree. My iPhone 5 is on iOS 8 now, so that's it's second upgrade. I was mostly happy with iOS 7, and 8 adds a few useful options. I wouldn't be sad if I hadn't upgraded to it though, there's not much I'd miss.

          I've noticed no appreciable loss in the battery life or speed. I can still easily get 2 normal days of use out of it (probably 80% of the time at locations with WiFi) - and well over a day if I'm out-and-about all day and hammer the phone, plus a bit of sat-nav / WiFi hotspot.

          I've not got an iPhone 4, and I'd be wary of chucking iOS 8 on that. Depends on whether any apps I used demanded it. But phone hardware has been moving very fast of late, although that seems to be flattening out. So it's no surprise that older stuff will struggle with newer software requirements.

  4. Tom Womack

    Simultaneous with the release of iOS 8 were reviews demonstrating that it slowed down iPhone 4S or original iPad Mini hardware by about 30%; at which point my desire to upgrade rather went away.

    1. Synonymous Howard

      Not seen any slow down on the iPad mini myself ... maybe I'm holding it right.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      And they have already pulled the ability to downgrade back to iOS 7. Utterly ridiculous.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    My first generation iPad Mini has been a bit shit

    Since upgrading to iOS 8. A previous incarnation of Apple was trusted not to offer an upgrade that degraded the customer experience. I was intending to upgrade to the soon to be revealed second generation iPad Air, but I'm currently suffering an angry, fuck-you attitude, towards Apple.

    1. whatevs...

      Re: My first generation iPad Mini has been a bit shit

      And had they not offered the upgrade, you'd have bitched and moaned about forced obsolescence and how Apple are forgetting their customers. Damned if they do...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Music-production apps

    I'm holding off on the iOS8 upgrade for the time being, mainly because I use the iPad for music-production, and the developers of Audiobus (a widely-used app for routing audio between compatible apps) have basically said "wait".

    My understanding is that developers of AB-compatible apps, need to include a new piece of AB-related code which is iOS8-ready, or else there may (will?) be issues with those apps if you upgrade to iOS8 before the code is in there.

    I'd like to have the latest/greatest/up-to-datest OS, but I'd prefer things to not break...

  7. Mike Flugennock
    Devil

    After reading about the battery-killing "upgrade"...

    ...I chose to stick with 7.0.4 on my 4S. I don't give a shit if IOS 8 is supposed to run OK on my phone or not; all I know is the past three or four upgrades have failed to deal with the battery-drain issue.

    I ended up having to turn off wifi on my phone to keep Apple from shoving unwanted upgrades down my throat. I've still got a 7.0.x upgrade installer stuck on my phone, scarfing about a gig and a half, and can't find any way to get rid of it that doesn't involve procedures which go "over my head" and run the risk of bricking my phone.

    1. gotes

      Re: After reading about the battery-killing "upgrade"...

      I used to get amazing battery life out of my iPad, which I used to rave about to my friends. Ever since a 7.0.? upgrade the battery life has dropped significantly, with no noticeable increase in functionality or reliability. The iPad 3 is a perfectly "good enough" device for me, I certainly won't be shelling out for whatever the latest model is now, nor will I be installing any more OS updates.

      1. Andy Christ

        That sounds odd, gotes.

        My iPad 3 runs a lot better on iOS7 than it did on 6, and battery life is still phenomenal. Haven't updated to iOS8 yet, only received notification of it from Apple a couple of days ago — which might explain why many others still haven't installed the new iOS either. Me, I'm temporarily in the boondocks where I don't have access to decent WiFi, just LTE, so won't be able to update for a while, but certainly will when I get the chance. Hear [Mobile] Safari is much improved.

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: After reading about the battery-killing "upgrade"...

      Mike Flugennock,

      If you factory reset your iPhone would that not get rid of Apple's update installer? Or would restoring from backup then lumber you with it again? There seems to be no way to stop the buggers from downloading again, short of disabling WiFi (as you said).

      I guess a reset followed by manual re-install of stuff might do it. But that would lose all your in-app data. Which may or may not be worth considering, depending on how much the loss of that Gig annoys you.

    3. bygjohn

      Re: After reading about the battery-killing "upgrade"...

      Can't guarantee it'll be in the same place on a phone, but on my iPad 3 (7.0.4 at present due to the AudioBus apps issue) you can delete the installer by going into Settings/General/Usage, wait for the list of individual apps to populate, then look for an entry called "iOS 8.0.2" or similar. Tap the arrow at the right and you'll find a Delete Update button. HTH.

  8. Craig Cruden

    Most iPhones except newest have problems with 8

    I have an iPhone 4S - although it is the lowest of the phones that will run it - it reportedly runs 2x slower. I am not willing to cripple my phone, and I don't plan on buying a new one for a while (years). If it were to run well on 4, and 4S the upgrade rate would probably be MUCH higher. Apple is the author of the slower uptake....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Most iPhones except newest have problems with 8

      I stuck 8.0.2 on a 4S and it seems OK. The phone was initially slow, but I either got used to that or it has finished something, maybe re-indexing the search facility - works fine now. Personally, the ability to initiate or pick up a call from my (iOS8) iPad makes it rather worth it.

  9. Buzzword

    6 GB free

    Anecdotally, it's the requirement for 6 GB of free space that is putting most people off.

    Don't tell them that they can connect their iPhone to a computer running iTunes and perform the upgrade without having to delete anything.

    1. Hellcat

      Re: 6 GB free

      I'd rather delete my content than have to install itunes.

    2. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: 6 GB free

      BW suggested: "...they can connect their iPhone to a computer running iTunes..."

      Yes, but the significant downside of your otherwise helpful suggestion is that you'd need a computer running iTunes (a horrifying prospect in itself).

      Another issue is connecting one's iPhone to a computer running iTunes. Sixteen hours later it will have automatically "Sync'ed" one's files and photos into a nonsensical disaster area.

      1. kryptonaut
        Boffin

        Re: 6 GB free

        ...automatically "Sync'ed" one's files and photos into a nonsensical disaster area.

        Maybe in this case the correct participle is 'Sunc' ?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 6 GB free

      The 6Gb requirement is only for over-the-air updates - if you plug in via iTunes it's not an issue.

      1. Darryl

        @AC just above this Re: 6 GB free

        Buzzword told you not to tell them that.

        Sheesh

      2. Isendel Steel

        Re: 6 GB free

        You still need 5GB free to update via iTunes (iPAD2).

    4. graeme leggett Silver badge

      Re: 6 GB free

      What happens if your don't have a computer to even consider installing iTunes on - because now tablets,and to some extent phones, have replaced computers for everyday tasks such as doing emails and browsing the web etc?

  10. David Austin

    Still not bad

    Most companies would kill for those adoption rates on their upgrade march.

  11. Blergh

    More iDevices already out there?

    Presumably when iOS5 first came out there were less older devices which people couldn't be bothered upgrading than there is now.

    What I mean is that for iOS5 say 5M new devices were bought in the first month and there was already 10M older devices out there. Then 33% of the upgrades would simply be new devices. Now however for iOS8 say 5M devices are bought in the first month, but now there are 20M older devices. Then only 20% of the upgrades are new devices. Obviously I've completely made up those figures since I don't know what they actually are but I hope you know what I'm getting at.

    Also when iOS5 came out presumably there weren't so much of a back catalogue of old devices which couldn't handle the upgrade, or at least users figured there might be issues. I guess a lot of people also upgrade their phone every year and therefore don't bother with the software upgrades at all.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lost the game

    As Cook couldn't keep the team together like Jobs could and got rid of Forstall they've really lost their "magic" now.

  13. JDX Gold badge

    Weird

    So the massive changes to iOS7 were taken up quickly, and not that popular, but people are now happy to stick with iOS7?!

    1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Flame

      RE: JDX Re: Weird

      "So the massive changes to iOS7 were taken up quickly, and not that popular, but people are now happy to stick with iOS7?!" I upgraded my wife's iPad2 to iOS7 because of the continual nagging from the Apple updater. Whilst initially nauseating, the big difference was iOS7 didn't seem to break anything. However, the 'upgrade' to iOS8.02 (held off on 8.01) has made the device slower, introduced unwanted changes to Safari that actually make it less useful (and all seem to be copies of Chrome features anyway), and introduced problems with touchscreen action and sensitivity. I have checked with other iPad users and they report the same issues so it's not just the wife's iPad that is the problem. Frankly, if I get the time, I'll be looking for a way to downgrade back to the better iOS7, if only because the wife is now hopping mad and threatening to drag me down to the Apple Store to talk to one of their incredibly annoying and ineffective 'experts'.

  14. Asok Asus

    Ruh, Roh

    "ios 8 stopped users of the new iPhone from making calls"

    Apparently, that's a bad thing for a telephone, right?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ruh, Roh

      Some users of iOS 8.0.1. reported problems making calls or dropped calls but the update was pulled and 8.0.2 released.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Ruh, Roh

        Problem is, 8.0.2 is still having problems with phone reception, wifi, bluetooth, battery life...

        1. basher

          Re: Ruh, Roh

          My 4s battery since &.0.2, life is so poor I have had to turn off all the things that make it useful just get it to last from 8 am -4pm , and that's without using it! Unless I plug it in , all I have is a crap phone

  15. chivo243 Silver badge
    Meh

    Another angle

    With the upgrade to iOS8 comes updating your iCloud drive too... somethings iCloudy are not playing nicely with Mavericks, but "should" play nicely with Yosemite. So my thinking would be to wait until Yosemite is RTM, and see what the uptake is then. And if things are bricked then, SOP, business as usual, nothing to see here...

    1. Synonymous Howard

      Re: Another angle

      The iCloud Drive upgrade is OPTIONAL .. you don't have to do it in order to upgrade to iOS 8.

      Apple helpfully tell you that iCloud Drive is a one-way upgrade and you can easily hit the "Not Now" button.

  16. Fab De Marco

    Crazy idea alert!!!!

    Is it possible to split security and feature releases... this goes for both iOS and Android.

    This way a device can be kept up to date from a security point of view, but new features are reserved for compatible hardware.

    Windows manages this in a desktop environment by having "important" and "optional" updates. You would just need to lock certain optional updates out by Hardware ID.

    Sure you may find your two year old device still gets slower, same as windows does with successive updates. but the main element of slowness will be your old device trying to run up to date features.

    This will certainly reduce fragmentation on Android devices and you can even still keep the e-penis element of it alive by saying my device is on 4.4.4+/iOS8+ or 4.4.4/iOS8 Full Fat or whatever you want to call it. you can then have the same I want new shiny shiny factor the day your device loses its + or FF status.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Crazy idea alert!!!!

      I can't speak for Apple, but there's plenty of my own obsolete code that isn't actively managed. If anyone wants something done about legacy code, I tell them to upgrade. Of course, my manager doesn't see it like that. It's just software, innit? In his fluffy bunny world, any developer can take a piece of legacy code, half of it missing or undocumented, and just 'make it work'.

      At the end of the day, Apple need to sell new devices – they don't make their money out of software. And despite having billions in the bank, they don't have an infinite supply of developers.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Tried to update - not enough space

    The solution it offered - plug the iPad into a PC. So what about used for whom the iPad is their only PC.

    And no - the iPad is not full of media - it's empty except for the few apps installed.

    I'd like to see stats from Apple explaining how many devices can't be updated due to the bloatware nature of this new update requiring more disk than users have free, rather than blaming the users.

  18. Bugsplatr
    FAIL

    Too slow...

    iOS 8 is slow, very much slower on iPad 3. And iBooks crashes often, losing it's memory and starting over. User taps are frequently disregarded or acted upon much too late for proper feedback. When's the 8.1 fix coming out?

    1. Mike Bell

      Re: Too slow...

      8.1 is in beta (2) now.

      8.2 and 8.3 are also being worked on concurrently. You can look forward to another update before the end of this month.

  19. wolfetone Silver badge

    It's all well and good to choose not to upgrade

    But who here has an iPhone 4 or above that is connected to the internet that is still running iOS 6?

    That's exactly what I thought. You will get this update whether you like it or not, it's the Apple way.

    1. Alex Trenchard
      Thumb Up

      Re: It's all well and good to choose not to upgrade

      A sample size of one is of limited use, but I am one such. I have an iPhone4S, still happily running iOS6 (6.1.3, to be specific), because I simply loathe the aesthetic of flat design.

      I literally couldn't tell you the last day when I didn't use it to go online, and it regularly also gets plugged into, and synced with, a computer that does include iTunes.

      Admittedly, I've lost access to some apps like Facetime; and yes, I'm aware that I'm potentially at risk due to Heartbleed, so I don't use it for anything even remotely sensitive or personal. But I'm stubborn enough that I'd rather wait and upgrade my whole phone to something Android-based than accept iOS7.

  20. Zippy's Sausage Factory

    How many iPhone 4 (not s) are left in circulation?

    I'd guess a few. And they've just been stranded on iOS 7. So maybe the lower takeup is actually just down to the fact that iOS 8 supports fewer devices than iOS 7? Or would sales have negated that effect? Hmm...

    1. KroSha

      Re: How many iPhone 4 (not s) are left in circulation?

      They were still on sale not that long ago.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If only it was as good as Apple say....

    ...they would let you downgrade back.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    BYOD impact

    In my firm we are seeing lots of old iPad 2's coming to us with strange faults (hanging app's, especially Mail) after the owners upgraded to iOS 8. When asked why they upgraded, a common answer is the mistaken belief that the firm's security bods would insist on them upgrading.

    On the bright-side we are busy and, as has been noted on El Reg before, you cannot easily throw an iPad at a service desk several time-zones away.

    1. Will 30

      Re: BYOD impact

      My iPad 2 has been fkd by IOS8 - 3g broken most of the time, painfully slow and crashy apps, etc.

      The funny thing is, if they'd tried to manipulate me into an upgrade by blocking IOS8 for iPad 2, then they might just have succeeded. Cynically breaking my existing device is going to have exactly the opposite effect.

  23. J 3
    Alert

    Aphrodisiac

    I do not think it means what you think it means.

    Anyway, my old iPod touch is still on iOS 6. Because it is "not compatible" with anything newer. Not sure if that would affect figures significantly, but anyway.

  24. Frankee Llonnygog

    Peak Hamill

    I'll reprint this press release and give free publicity to Fiksu - their figures are bound to be more accurate than Apple's as they've just bought a new calculator, and a shed!

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It looks like 8 is an unlucky number then?

    Windows 8

    iOS 8

    Take note Google devs., Android to go straight from 7.n.n to 9.n.n, do not pass Go etc. ;-)

  26. Smilin' Stan
    FAIL

    Now crossed over the line to "evil"

    I've got ONE spreadsheet in Apple's cloud. I tried to update it this morning from my Win7 laptop - no go, cannot access it any way. I had to upgrade to the new, improved, shiny iCloud first. But wait, there's more! Once upgraded to the new cloud, I can no longer access my spreadsheet from my iPhone or wife's iPad without upgrading THEM to ios8, which I have no intention of doing! Risk to upgrade to ios8: high; possible benefits: none (in fact, even if ios8 worked perfectly, it adds features and complexity I would remove if I had the option). Summary: evil, pure evil.

    1. Handy Plough

      Re: Now crossed over the line to "evil"

      That is pure evil? You really have got first world problems...

      1. Smilin' Stan

        Re: Now crossed over the line to "evil"

        "Evil" only within the micro-climate of tech > user tech > this thread. Otherwise, meh.

  27. Naughtyhorse

    Who would have thought it

    The continually fuck up the upgrades and only 1/2 the bois jump ship.

    I don't pay too much attention, apart from the fleeting 'Ha!' when something leaves the reality distortion field and turns out to be a turd.

    but this must be the 4th or 5th time they have delivered this particular nutshot to the faithful.

    It's prolly only their shit maps that allow the boy cook to avoid having a brick's through his windows™

    almost makes metro forgivable.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Who would have thought it

      Who would have thought it

      The continually fuck up the upgrades

      You must have a definition of "continually" that the rest of us have not come across yet..

  28. DerekCurrie
    WTF?

    Here's Why:

    The outrageously bungles iOS 8.0.1 update that DAMAGED iPhone functionality, a thoroughly unforgivable blunder. It was pure 'Version 1.0 Effect' gone mad. Then 8.0.2 came out to grumbles.

    So what cures 'Version 1.0 Effect'? Version 1.1. I entirely expect and adoption of iOS 8 to go back on the rampage once iOS 8.1 is released, after Apple boots out the morons who allowed 8.0.1 to happen. And Apple will.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I didn't inhale

    I think their software quality control peeps are smoking weed.

  30. Medixstiff

    Well until MobileIron tells us it's OK to roll-out, it's not touching any devices that get email for our company.

    Staff have been told this and will answer to the CEO if we find it installed.

    that's one good thing about him being paranoid about security.

    1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Medixstiff

      "....until MobileIron tells us it's OK to roll-out, it's not touching any devices that get email for our company....." IMHO, based on personal experience, MobileIron is not the best choice for mobile email. Save yourself a lot of trouble and go back to BES, even if you're using BES Connector with Apples rather than BBs.

  31. dch0ar
    Thumb Down

    Useless changes

    The new feature of Safari's shrinking address bar is a pointless change. Every time you want to use it you need to tap it to reveal the controls. Most of the other changes have been made to make it look different.

  32. MiniVan

    Apple are doomed, only 49million in 3 months.They'll need to start burning the furniture. nice to see windows is now Windows 10... That catches up with OSX 10.10... That's 10 all round ;-)

    I'll get my fanboi coat...the one with 10 on it....

    ps: nokia couldn't even get 20% to upgrade and Android is a crapshoot if you can upgrade at all 50% upgraded in 3 months way back to a 4S.... Wow, that some refusing going on. (And the challenge is the space required on the device that is the news here, as users need to make space for OTA updates)

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