Apple Highlights Low Fragmentation Among iOS Devices in Direct Jab at Android

[garygrapeappleb]

Nonsense

Absolute nonsense. iPad 1.0 cannot run beyond iOS 5. Look at the sales numbers - iPad 1.0 is more than 7% of iOS sales numbers (not to mention older phones). They conveniently use iTunes store percentages instead of web browsing or some other metric. Older device owners use the store less because they generally already have the apps they want and newer apps require newer OS, so there is less for them to buy. Apple, you are ignoring the people who keep older devices because they still function perfectly well and arbitrarily preventing them from updating their OS. You too, will fragment as a result.

 

[!GS51!]

I'd hate to be an Android developer. All that extra work for less money.

True, i currently develop for both iOS and android. I gotta say android has severe piracy issues and people not buying applications. Where as on iOS you can be safe that piracy is way less and your application will get the support it needs. And we have to worry to support even older versions of the OS, dont get me started.

 

[chrisbru]

The black bars, iPhone apps on iPad - they are equally horrible looking to me - so what's your point?

I think the point is your view is the minority.

But, mostly, functionality. Stretched apps don't function as designed like boxed apps do.

 

[parapup]

So what? Those features may have been first on Android but they're usually implemented so poorly and badly designed that most users can't be bothered with using them or get almost no benefit from it.

My favorite example of a feature that was Android-first is copy and paste. Android had it well before iOS. I know because I had an Android phone at the time. But trying to use copy-and-paste on an Android phone was a crap shoot.

It may not have been perfect but I don't recall it being that bad - having something that works most of the time is a lot better than having nothing. So Android had it first and then they improved it in Gingerbread - which is what is the topic of discussion here. Besides what other than Copy/Paste was crapshoot in Android - Apple still can't get notification as right as Android did it first.

 

[2bikes]

Hey let's cite AppleInsider for this one - only 24% percent think it is a big problem.

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When I look at this graph I see, only 27% see it as no biggie. Rest sees it as a problem.

 

[pirg]

Hey let's cite AppleInsider for this one - only 24% percent think it is a big problem.

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And another 63% think it's a problem. That's 87% who think it's some sort of problem. I think the more important thing to glean from that chart is that only 14% DONT think it's a problem.

Now that we got that outta the way, your source that those 87% are "wusses"?

 

[derek4484]

Skewed

These numbers dont tell the whole story. Yes, Iphone 4 users got iOS6, but they didnt get all the features that the 4S and 5 got? There is fragmentation within the iOS 6 community. No one set of users got all the features except for the iphone 5 users.

 

[parapup]

And another 63% think it's a problem. That's 87% who think it's some sort of problem. I think the more important thing to glean from that chart is that only 14% DONT think it's a problem.

Now that we got that outta the way, your source that those 87% are "wusses"?

No. The 24% are. Software development itself is problem solving. So that doesn't count. Any more pedantic questions?

 

[chagla]

If you look at feature set of the OSes - Android 2.3 had all of the features of iOS7 So big deal Apple - same OS from 2007-2013 and ONE relatively significant iOS7 update that even tries to match Android 2.3!

Besides, Android people don't need to wait for an OS update to update most of their OS - it's called modularization peeps! (Chrome, Google Services(GMail, Play Store, various frameworks), Launchers, Keyboards - everything updates outside of the OS. So yeah, big deal with the numbers Apple - they don't mean as much as you make it sound they do.

No wonder this post ranking is only 7 atm. Most people don't realize how Android updates work. Thanks for explaining it.

I see a lot of overly dramatic posts from IOS fans here. I was going to refute some points but it's not worth my time. I wish I could vote for your post few times.

 

[BaldiMac]

Read the "fine print." The chart is based on iOS devices that accessed the App Store over a 2-week period. Two short weeks! Two short weeks that ended on June 3 (so, two RECENT weeks).

I've got three iOS devices running iOS 5. I haven't "accessed the App Store" with these three devices in MONTHS.

The people MOST likely to have accessed the App Store in the two weeks ending June 3 are , SURPRISE, the people that have RECENTLY purchased their iOS devices! And every one of those new devices are running (surprise again) iOS 6!

DUH!

Talk about picking and choosing bits of data to skew statistics to meet your objective!

Mark

Fortunately, the Google data also only considers active Google Play users, so the comparison is still valid. Though Google's data does not even consider all of those Android devices that don't even use Google services.

These numbers dont tell the whole story. Yes, Iphone 4 users got iOS6, but they didnt get all the features that the 4S and 5 got? There is fragmentation within the iOS 6 community. No one set of users got all the features except for the iphone 5 users.

As pointed out may times, this is about fragmentation for developers targeting the platform. Not end user features.

 

[pirg]

No. The 24% are. Software development itself is problem solving. So that doesn't count. Any more pedantic questions?

You make the ridiculous claims and then say my questions are pedantic? How funny.

Just say you were wrong and move on. Fragmentation is a real problem to android developers and your chart proves it. Really not sure what you were thinking even posting that thing. Like someone said, it's clear you are not a developer.

 

[dejo]

Mod Note: This thread is closed for now so that we can clean up all the off-topic bickering. When it reopens, please remain civil and on-topic. You can debate the comments but do not attack the posters.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
The thread is now open, but I want to reiterate the need for civil discourse. Debate the topic, any posts that attack or belittle a member will not be tolerated.

If you need to reacquaint yourselves with the Rules for Appropriate Debate please do so.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Observation: A week ago, Microsoft was crucified here for their ad poking fun at Siri and the iPad. They were called all kinds of names and ridiculed. Now Apple takes a shot at Android and it is high fives all around. Cheap shots are cheap shots no matter who takes them. Or a funny jab is a funny jab no matter who the target is.

 

[RolyPolyBird]

Have a Galaxy S3 and my wife has the latest iPhone. I have phone envy. Can't stand my phone.

I should probably declare I also have an android , and an early one as well. I have been waiting a long time to return to the iPhone so my smugness is in theory only.. I understand your envy.

 

[sittnick]

I have an iPod Touch 2g

I noticed that most apps, even new versions of apps I already had, aren't compatible with my iPod Touch 2g.

owever, I had no idea I was a 1%er!

 

[djstile]

The black bars, iPhone apps on iPad - they are equally horrible looking to me - so what's your point?

The point is when I buy androids most recent big screen phone (like I did with the GS3), the apps should be correctly formatted for the screen. Not made on a smaller screen and stretched. This is yet another example of Android fragmentation - too many screen sizes.

 

[BaldiMac]

Observation: A week ago, Microsoft was crucified here for their ad poking fun at Siri and the iPad. They were called all kinds of names and ridiculed. Now Apple takes a shot at Android and it is high fives all around. Cheap shots are cheap shots no matter who takes them. Or a funny jab is a funny jab no matter who the target is.

It's a chart posted to the iOS developer site. Not an ad. And it makes no reference to Android.

 

[bag of kittens]

Question for the Mods:

It seems like the operating system holy wars have gotten worse over time, to the point that it is common to see most threads being hijacked by these debates (which ultimately turn to insults).

Has there been any thought on the mod side to restrict iOS vs. Android posts to specific forums/sub-forums?

For instance, when the initial iOS7 thread was up, it went downhill in a hurry. Instead of a back and forth about new iOS7 features, it became a heated argument about what iOS7 stole or didn't steal.

Is there a way to create specific threads that encourage a place where people can talk about Apple features only, without having to deal with people comparing it with Android?

In other words, there are some of us who would like to discuss Apple news without having to either defend Apple, or denigrate Android. Will there be a place on these forums where this can happen?

 

[AppleScruff1]

Question for the Mods:

It seems like the operating system holy wars have gotten worse over time, to the point that it is common to see most threads being hijacked by these debates (which ultimately turn to insults).

Has there been any thought on the mod side to restrict iOS vs. Android posts to specific forums/sub-forums?

For instance, when the initial iOS7 thread was up, it went downhill in a hurry. Instead of a back and forth about new iOS7 features, it became a heated argument about what iOS7 stole or didn't steal.

Is there a way to create specific threads that encourage a place where people can talk about Apple features only, without having to deal with people comparing it with Android?

In other words, there are some of us who would like to discuss Apple news without having to either defend Apple, or denigrate Android. Will there be a place on these forums where this can happen?

I think you bring up some good points.

 

[maflynn]

Has there been any thought on the mod side to restrict iOS vs. Android posts to specific forums/sub-forums?

A bit off topic, these types of questions should generally be raised in the feedback forum but for a quick answer. We have an alternative's forum where any discussions on android go. If a member opens up a thread about android in the iOS forums, it will get moved.

News threads of course have their own forum and of the topic covers android or what not the discussion is permitted.

 

[inkswamp]

It may not have been perfect but I don't recall it being that bad - having something that works most of the time is a lot better than having nothing. So Android had it first and then they improved it in Gingerbread - which is what is the topic of discussion here.

Exactly. And what's the point of improvements when most users either cannot upgrade to the next version or can't figure it out? In my case, the Android phone I owned was taken off the upgrade list several months after it was purchased. Android users are often stuck with old versions with features that don't work for crap. So, remind me, what's the point of getting there first if it's a lousy implementation?

Besides what other than Copy/Paste was crapshoot in Android - Apple still can't get notification as right as Android did it first.

I owned an Android device and the notifications were horrible. I'm still not sure why Android fans keep retreating to that defense. Notifications was another instance of Android being first with a half-baked implementation but Apple doing it right. On the phone I had, many notifications never seemed to make it into the notification list. This is something that happened frequently and randomly enough that it make the notifications useless as you couldn't trust that it was accurate. Inevitably, it meant checking on everything individually, exactly what a notification center is supposed to obviate.

Again, being first with a feature isn't much of a bragging point if it's so poorly implemented that the user cannot reliably use it.

 

[twoodcc]

no doubt apple makes a good point here. however, some people that buy smartphones only want a phone, and those people don't care which version of the operating system is running on it

 

[Rogifan]

It's a chart posted to the iOS developer site. Not an ad. And it makes no reference to Android.

Not even sure why it deserves front page news on MR other than to generate the exact bickering they closed the thread for.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Let me guess: the many fundamental ways that the touch-based computing market today is NOTHING like the 1900's PC market don't matter at all.

And the cherry-picked handful of ways they are similar... matter so completely as to be fate itself.

And yet this fate will lead Apple to doom and Apple users to regretting their choice, despite the "PC wars" ending with Apple seeing the biggest growth in the industry while treating their customers to the best products.

Right?

Huh? I dont get what you're saying at all. I am not talking about doom and gloom, I have no idea if that will happen again to Apple and frankly I really don't care anymore (I actually found the new OS X more exciting than iOS last week)

It's as simple as an OS anyone can build hardware for vs an OS only one company can build hardware. This has happened before, and touch or no touch the cheap OS beat out the other OS.

BTW, I have only owned iOS phones. So I am not a Fandroid. Just someone who lived saw the 80s and 90s this exactly take place.