iPod touch users slow to upgrade mobile OS - Study
While nearly 95 percent of iPhone users have upgraded to iPhone 3.0 or greater, only 55 percent of iPod touch users have done the same.
According to numbers compiled by online advertiser Chitika, only 55 percent of iPod touch users have paid the fee to upgrade their devices to OS 3.0 or higher. Nearly 95 percent of iPhone users have made the free upgrade. These numbers were based on the sampling of traffic across the Chitika advertising network.
Chitiaka attributes this, aside from the obvious price difference, to OS 3.X having little to offer the typical iPod touch user. "Push notifications? MMS? Tethering? Essentially useless on a device that relies on WiFi for a connection. iPod touch users are essentially asked to pay for copy/paste, in-app purchases, and the ability to buy a segment of the latest apps from the app store."
Apple released iPhone Software 3.0 in June, adding MMS, cut/copy/paste, landscape keyboard, and Spotlight Search among others. To upgrade the iPod touch's OS, one must pay $5 to $10, depending on the time at which they purchased the device.
According to numbers compiled by online advertiser Chitika, only 55 percent of iPod touch users have paid the fee to upgrade their devices to OS 3.0 or higher. Nearly 95 percent of iPhone users have made the free upgrade. These numbers were based on the sampling of traffic across the Chitika advertising network.
Chitiaka attributes this, aside from the obvious price difference, to OS 3.X having little to offer the typical iPod touch user. "Push notifications? MMS? Tethering? Essentially useless on a device that relies on WiFi for a connection. iPod touch users are essentially asked to pay for copy/paste, in-app purchases, and the ability to buy a segment of the latest apps from the app store."
Apple released iPhone Software 3.0 in June, adding MMS, cut/copy/paste, landscape keyboard, and Spotlight Search among others. To upgrade the iPod touch's OS, one must pay $5 to $10, depending on the time at which they purchased the device.
Comments
iPod touch users slow to upgrade mobile OS
Given the information stated and the apparent greed for nearly nothing in return, it's really doesn't come as a shock to me that so few have upgraded.
I also suspect that a lot of people bought the iPod Touch as a MUSIC DEVICE, thinking it's the "latest iPod" and such haven't quite used it for anything else.
I had to tell several friends who bought the Touch that it can access the internet nearly like a computer. They don't see the sense in surfing with such a small screen.
A suspect a lot of Touchs went to kids, with no credit cards, thus not able to buy much of anything for the device.
So many people I know still click the "Big E" for internet, oblivious what that thing is that slides out of the front of the computer tower and they have to push it back in.
It does not seem that anyone is buying the story about accounting issues forcing Apple to charge since none of its competitors seem to have that problem. Just quietly change the policy and gain a decided advantage over competitors by leaving behind as few customers as possible.
Then I happily downloaded some application updates and ... P'oh.
App upgrades really like 3.x.
Pah.
Wow, amazing that significantly more people are willing to download a free upgrade, as opposed to a paid one.
I was adamantly against upgrading my second-generation Touch to OS 3.
Then I happily downloaded some application updates and ... P'oh.
App upgrades really like 3.x.
Pah.
For 3.0, the developer changes were so radical that it seemed useless to continue development on iPhone 2.2.1 or earlier. Add to that the fact Apple pretty much forces all developers on Snow Leopard to use 3.0 or later, and you can't blame developers for only developing for 3.0 and later.
For 3.0, the developer changes were so radical that it seemed useless to continue development on iPhone 2.2.1 or earlier. Add to that the fact Apple pretty much forces all developers on Snow Leopard to use 3.0 or later, and you can't blame developers for only developing for 3.0 and later.
It's true that if you use iPhone OS 3.0 you get way more goodies as a developer, but it's not true that Snow Leopard forces you to 3.0. You can easily target 2.2 with all your builds in XCode, which makes you compatible with iPhone OS 2.2.
For now, a lot of developers are doing so and adding in special code/libraries to make their apps work under iPhone OS 2.2. However, increasingly apps and their upgrades are going to require 3.0 to make them smaller, faster, easier to maintain, and more feature-full. That will likely drag the last iPod Touch 2.2 users kicking and screaming over to 3.0.
That will likely drag the last iPod Touch 2.2 users kicking and screaming over to 3.0.
I wouldn't be kicking and screaming if the update to 3.0 was free.
It's true that if you use iPhone OS 3.0 you get way more goodies as a developer, but it's not true that Snow Leopard forces you to 3.0. You can easily target 2.2 with all your builds in XCode, which makes you compatible with iPhone OS 2.2.
Perhaps you missed the PRETTY MUCH that I put there.
While it does give you the ABILITY to target 2.2.1 on device, it doesn't in simulator, a pretty much standard requirement for quickly designing and building new applications.
Read a post before you try and correct it.
I own an iTouch and was not happy about the fee to upgrade but was basically forced to pay it because some of my purchased apps would update and then be useless until I upgraded the OS. Sad face. It should have been a free upgrade.
You can de-upgrade apps by going into your ~/Music/iTunes/Mobile Applications/ directory, deleting the new version of the app (the .ipa file with the highest number), then loading iTunes and double-clicking on the app. It will prompt you to find the app. Select the older .ipa file and sync.
Perhaps you missed the PRETTY MUCH that I put there.
While it does give you the ABILITY to target 2.2.1 on device, it doesn't in simulator, a pretty much standard requirement for quickly designing and building new applications.
Read a post before you try and correct it.
Sorry, didn't realize some folks still used the simulator. I found it too limiting and too different from the actual device to make it basically useless and never use it anyway. I didn't see not having a 2.2 simulator as any sort of hinderance at all, but if you use it I can see your point.
They do their homework and if it's advantagous they will upgrade otherwise they will pass.
It's common for all PC users (hence XP being here for a decade).
This is not new news it's just poor forecasting for current user base.
PC users don't upgrade everthing that Vendors tell them too.
They do their homework and if it's advantagous they will upgrade otherwise they will pass.
It's common for all PC users (hence XP being here for a decade).
This is not new news it's just poor forecasting for current user base.
Most PC users don't upgrade ANYTHING vendors tell them too. Most don't do any homework either. They stick with what came on the device and never upgrade unless a trusted advisor gives them a darned good reason to. That, as much as anything, is why XP is still in such a dominant position.
Mac users tend to be a different bunch. Some are well informed and make their own choices, but many just want their computer to work and don't want to know how any of the technical details. However, both groups seem to have a relatively high level of trust in what Apple recommends.
If Apple is surprised by these figures it's because they naïvely believe that all their customers trust them and will automatically do what they're told. Most people are too smart, paranoid or lazy to follow every decree that issues forth from Cupertino.
Apple released iPhone Software 3.0 in June, adding MMS, cut/copy/paste, landscape keyboard, and Spotlight Search among others. To upgrade the iPod touch's OS, one must pay $5 to $10, depending on the time at which they purchased the device.
I don't think that decision is very smart because if those ipod touch owners bought 10 x $3 apps that were only 3.0 compatible, they make their revenue back anyway. I know that being forced to pay for upgrades that iphone owners get for free would put me off supporting Apple's entire distribution method. I'd stop spending money on apps and use the ipod just for music.