New data from Apple suggests adoption of iOS 8 has practically come to a halt
According to new data measured by the App Store yesterday and just published by Apple on its developer portal, iOS 8, which was released almost three weeks ago, is now running on 47 percent of iOS devices.
While that number may sound impressive, it actually indicates a tiny increase from Apple’s previously posted figure. A week after its release and just days after the launch of the iOS 8-powered iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 8 was reported to have been running on 46 percent of devices. Given the most recent data, iOS 8 turns out to have been installed on a mere one percent of additional devices in two weeks.
The new operating system’s predecessor, iOS 7, is now tied with iOS 8 at 47 percent, down from 49 percent, while earlier versions of iOS are now at 6 percent, up from 5 percent. This suggests that the additional increase in iOS 8 adoption, albeit slight, may be attributed mostly to devices having been upgraded from iOS 7.
But why aren’t more users upgrading to iOS 8? Well, as noted by my colleague Bryan in an article from earlier today:
The reason for the slow iOS 8 adoption rate is unknown, although one can guess. Apple’s iOS 8.0.1 became a public relations disaster when it was launched on Sept. 24. Though the problems were quickly resolved with the release of iOS 8.0.2, many might be waiting until further issues are worked out before upgrading.
Another probable inhibition among holdouts is the fact that iOS 8 requires between 4GB and 6GB of available storage space to be installed over the air, thereby forcing them to delete content from their devices. They could upgrade via iTunes (like a caveman), but that method is rather cumbersome and entails the downloading of the entire software update at up to 2GB.
See also: Apple Pay might launch on Oct. 20 alongside iOS 8.1, Bad Apple: Some iOS device owners can’t download and install apps with iOS 8, and Bug found in iOS 8 causes all iWork and iCloud Drive data to get erased.
