Android users quicker than iPhone users in upgrading to new OS versions - report

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  • Reply 41 of 129
    OK - Maybe I'm reading this graph wrong. The article mentions Android 2.2 was rolled out in stages. I see this reflected in days 0-6 where you see several jumps and plateaus particularly on days 4 and 6. But then on the 7th day it spikes to nearly 100%. Was this just another "stage" of the roll out or did something more significant happen on the 7th day?
  • Reply 42 of 129
    Thanks for the experience recall Achiever.



    It's pretty similar to what I assumed it was like.



    OTA updates seem like a good idea in theory (especially for security updates that address critical flaws), but it only takes one bad update to completely trash the validity of the whole process (see Sony vs. PS3 "update" which bricked peoples units).
  • Reply 43 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    OK - Maybe I'm reading this graph wrong. The article mentions Android 2.2 was rolled out in stages. I see this reflected in days 0-6 where you see several jumps and plateaus particularly on days 4 and 6. But then on the 7th day it spikes to nearly 100%. Was this just another "stage" of the roll out or did something more significant happen on the 7th day?



    And on the seventh day, He rested, so that He could establish that He had a stable cellular connection in a controlled environment, in order that He might download Android 2.2 without concern for the possible bricking of His Droid. And so it was.
  • Reply 44 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I believe the survey is of just one Android phone model that was capable of getting v2.2. I think the total percentage of Android phones with v2.2 “Froyo” is still at around 4.5%, with 35% still using version 1.x, which is pretty sad.



    Latest stats from developers blog:



  • Reply 45 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by haruhiko View Post


    Possible reasons:



    1. Android 2.2 brings a very huge improvement over 2.1, pre 2.2 versions suck.



    2. iPhone 3G / 3GS with iOS 3.1.3 run very fast.



    3. Android users have to wait for a very long time for *announced* software update to 2.2, and many of them simply cannot upgrade to this version, thus increasing the desire for current eligible users to upgrade.



    4. Geeky users tend to upgrade at once. There are no doubt more tech geeks in the Android platform than that of iOS.







    Last point sounds credible at first. But that goes against the Open for all philosophy where all can't be equal to geeks
  • Reply 46 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    I didn't upgrade to 4.0 on my 3GS because I knew that it wasn't really designed for the 3GS. And my concerns were realized when performance issues were reported by upgraders. Don't know if that's a factor, but it was why I refrained from upgrading. And my mom never upgraded her iPod Touch because Apple charged money for the OS updates. So there.



    As many users have pointed out, the 3GS is MUCH faster with 4.0 than with 3.whatever it was (I already forgot, thats how important it still is). I have a 3G, a 3GS and a 4, and I can say without any qualms that 4.0 only slowed down my 3G, the 3Gs became a little better at not running through my battery like cocaine and was certainly much more useable with the addition of multi-tasking. The 4 obviously only ran on 4.0 and higher, so I can't really compare it to anything.



    Also, 4.0 was a free upgrade for the iPod touch as well. Yes, its true they made you pay for both 2 and 3, but if you had decided to read to the articles you would have found out that 4 was free.



    So, basically, it sounds like you've been drinking too many negative-nancy's kool-aid rather than listening to Apple. You should try being optimistic about your $700 purchases in the future rather than letting jealous fans of competing products convince you of the"failures" of your own product.
  • Reply 47 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    I didn't upgrade to 4.0 on my 3GS because I knew that it wasn't really designed for the 3GS. And my concerns were realized when performance issues were reported by upgraders. Don't know if that's a factor, but it was why I refrained from upgrading. And my mom never upgraded her iPod Touch because Apple charged money for the OS updates. So there.



    There are no performance issues on my 3GS and I don't remember reading about any either.



    IOS4 is a great OS.
  • Reply 48 of 129
    geekdadgeekdad Posts: 1,131member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I believe the survey is of just one Android phone model that was capable of getting v2.2. I think the total percentage of Android phones with v2.2 ?Froyo? is still at around 4.5%, with 35% still using version 1.x, which is pretty sad.



    This does bring up a logistical issue with OTA updates for iOS devices. Is it really feasible for Apple to issue worldwide iOS updates for (say) 200,000,000 iOS-based devices come next summer when they move from iOS 4.x to iOS 5.0? Apple has a history of issuing this updates together, and for a full three years, which is a completely different model than the carriers in each country combined with the vendor for each model that have a say and keep their updates few and far between despite the number of new Android activations per day.



    Those are some good points....Also speaking for just the US market could AT&Ts network handle just a OTA update? I doubt it.....
  • Reply 49 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bigdaddyguido View Post


    As many users have pointed out, the 3GS is MUCH faster with 4.0 than with 3.......So, basically, it sounds like you've been drinking too many negative-nancy's kool-aid rather than listening to Apple. You should try being optimistic about your $700 purchases in the future rather than letting jealous fans of competing products convince you of the"failures" of your own product.



    My partner and me both have iPhones with a one-year shift between contracts, meaning one of us is eligible to upgrade to a new subsidized iPhone each year. We both like our phones very much but past experience makes us cautious, not optimistic about our "$700" purchases.



    The 2G and 3G were both snappy when we bought them. Somehow, they mutated into frustrating snails after several recommended updates. This is a fact, confirmed by many and peaked with the disastrous iOS 4.0 performance on the 3G.



    As a result, we do NOT upgrade to a new iOS version when it comes out anymore. We wait until there's enough feedback on-line that the upgrade doesn't take away the reason why we bought iPhones in the first place: smooth, fast, sleek user experience.



    Our 3GS has not been updated to iOS4 (but we may soon, given the positive experiences reported on forums) and I waited until a few days ago to update my (launch date) IP4 to iOS4.1, skipping the previous version altogether because I just don't trust Apple with updates anymore. I want my phone to be fast for the whole 2 year contract term.
  • Reply 50 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zaim2 View Post


    Latest stats from developers blog:







    Are these users or developers? It makes sense that developers aren't putting their efforts into pre-2.1 applications.
  • Reply 51 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    Possible Reason:



    Android updates tend to be far more extensive/feature-laden than the average iOS update, and they seldom cause more problems than they solve, which isn't always the case with iOS updates of late.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Newtron View Post


    Indeed. Many people refuse to upgrade their iPhone because doing so ruins so many aspects of their phones.



    They're baaaaaack!



    Ugh.



    Bye.
  • Reply 52 of 129
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    What is the metric they are measuring? OTA upgrade of iOS 3 to 4? You can only upgrade the phones via desktop connection, correct? What am I misinterpreting?



    ...morning coffee not set in yet....
  • Reply 53 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    Are these users or developers? It makes sense that developers aren't putting their efforts into pre-2.1 applications.



    Users. It's a pie chart based on every single handset which has accessed the market within a two week period (ending 1st September). Due to the OS' automatic update checking, this covers practically all Android handsets.



    Android fragmentation is overblown. It has plenty of other legit problems to attack though.
  • Reply 54 of 129
    The solution for Apple is simple, open the phone to ALL carriers or as many as possible.

    A couple of friends of mine switched to Android on Sprint because the monthly plan prices are HALF of that of ATT, and guess what! They're starting to get used to it and actually like it. De Ja Vu!!
  • Reply 55 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    Possible Reason:



    Android updates tend to be far more extensive/feature-laden than the average iOS update, and they seldom cause more problems than they solve, which isn't always the case with iOS updates of late.



    Could be that the original OS was slow and sub-par that people are desperate to upgrade.
  • Reply 56 of 129
    jetzjetz Posts: 1,293member
    I can't believe the denial in this thread. I am willing to bet good money that if Apple cut the umbilical cord to iTunes and started running OTA updates for iOS devices, the music would change with this audience very quickly and many here would suddenly start defending OTA updates as the only way to do business.



    Is there nobody here that can be the slightest bit objective and give credit where it is due?



    Smartphones should be stand-alone devices. You should not need a desktop for anything. The moment you do, it's not a stand-alone device anymore and the device becomes something less than 'smart'.



    Is Android's OTA system flawless? Of course not. But they deserve credit for developing a system which completely cuts ties to the desktop. Apple can and should follow their lead. If anything it would be easier for Apple, with far fewer devices, to offer OTA updates.
  • Reply 57 of 129
    Lazy iOS upgraders.
  • Reply 58 of 129
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Motorola Droid users have a higher adoption rate of Android 2.2 than that of iPhone 3GS users and iOS 4.0, according to a new report.



    Mobile app analytics firm Localytics took a look at data from its analytics reports to compare the upgrade rates of two major smartphone upgrades from the summer: Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) on the Motorola Droid and iOS 4.0 on the iPhone 3GS. Android 2.2 for Motorola Droid was released on Aug. 12 and iOS 4.0 was released on June 21.



    Based on the data, Localytics concluded that over-the-air upgrades result in a significantly higher upgrade rate. After two weeks, 96 percent of Droid users had upgraded to the new Android OS, while only 56 percent of iPhone 3GS users had upgraded. ....



    I call BS. I have read many many reports where previous Android phones running previous releases cannot be upgraded because the carrier is the one who has to revise the custom code in the machines they sell. Because of this, users cannot upgrade even if a newer version of Android is out there.



    As indicated in another reply..... many Android machines are STUCK at an earlier version. So where is this information in the data presented.????? Did they only look at the latest Android machines ????



    Just curious here.



    en
  • Reply 59 of 129
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    Are these users or developers? It makes sense that developers aren't putting their efforts into pre-2.1 applications.



    Those stats look to be from developer.android.com, which are legit stats and where I got my previous 4.5% for Froyo and 35% for 1.x stats from just a couple weeks ago. Zaim2 oddly chose not to offer a link or supporting text to explin his post, but I can attest to his overall accuracy.



    To me, this shows a rapid adoption of new Android phones running v2.2, which is expected as I would think most of the Android phones being activated in the US are from newer models with Froyo pre-installed. Note that v1.x is still at 30% as of this post, and while Android 2.2 is on a huge rise it’s still at 28.7% and doesn’t seem likely to tackle those v1.x devices until they are stopped being used as I most of them simply aren’t going to get v2.2. I would hope that most running v2.1 will get v2.2 at some point, but there will surely be some stragglers in that bunch when v3.0 arrives.



    We also need to ultimately realize that these automatic updates also indicates that about 72% of Android phones current on the market are NOT ABLE TO GET the latest version of Android. And the only way most of these Android users are going to get the latest version of Android is from buying a new Android phone. That is not the user experience I want.





    Back to the original topic, OTA has plenty of pros but none of them seem realistic for a large company like Apple that will likely have 200,000,000 iOS devices being ready for iOS 5.0 come next summer. Even if we discount all the WiFi-only devices that is a lot of OTA updates, with the largest single collection by far on AT&T’s network. Now, they could build in a mechanism for manual OTA updates but that is about as likely as include Ogg codecs in QuickTime.



    Now a small x.x.1 critical security update I’d love to see, even if it’s just an “In case of fire, break glass” situation. My only concern there would the potential for this service to be highjacked as accessing the root remotely from a server in and of itself is a security risk.
  • Reply 60 of 129
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jetz View Post


    I can't believe the denial in this thread. I am willing to bet good money that if Apple cut the umbilical cord to iTunes and started running OTA updates for iOS devices, the music would change with this audience very quickly and many here would suddenly start defending OTA updates as the only way to do business.



    Is there nobody here that can be the slightest bit objective and give credit where it is due?



    Smartphones should be stand-alone devices. You should not need a desktop for anything. The moment you do, it's not a stand-alone device anymore and the device becomes something less than 'smart'.



    Is Android's OTA system flawless? Of course not. But they deserve credit for developing a system which completely cuts ties to the desktop. Apple can and should follow their lead. If anything it would be easier for Apple, with far fewer devices, to offer OTA updates.



    You?re not thinking through the pros and cons of including such a model. What works for one model often doesn?t work for another, and Android OS and iOS (which is only available on iDevices and from one vendor) are very different models.
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