Apple's App Store Usage Numbers Suggest iOS 7 Adoption at 74%

[wiz329]

Weird. I 'Googled' iOS 7 and went four pages deep (10 options per page) and not a single one mentioned the word 'sucks' I'm not sure who you hang with, but I've got a large family (5 younger brothers...& we are all married with kids), cousins, aunts and uncles....all on iPhones and we just discussed iOS 7 at Thanksgiving. Overwhelmingly positive. As well, friends of mine that didn't care at all for it initially have grown to really REALLY enjoy it

IMHO, it's a Grand Slam! The design is incredible and simple. Control panel is exactly what I was looking for....iCloud has come a LONG way when it comes to reliability for me, folder structure freedom, closing apps, Safari---this is the first time Safari has become my default browser. iCab or Atomic were my iOS 1-6 choices.

I guess I don't get it. Everyone BEGGED for a 'redo'. Everyone wanted the skeuomorphic design to go away. Flatter. Cleaner. A control panel (like Android), control from the home screen. Air Drop. The ability to 'hide' newsstand. The list goes on and on and on. And Apple delivers! Not only with the software re-write but an entire SoC architecture change that THEY engineered in a 64 bit package with ubiquity across the iOS lineup. No need to sacrifice power or screen size or storage amounts to get the top of the line CPU and GPU.

To dismiss iOS 7 so quickly, like the move to 64bit processing in hardware threads THIS early in the game is pure ignorance. iOS 6 was SIX generations of the same UI with dozens of point updates in between. Imagine the future of iOS 7, the ARMv8 instruction set....and 64 bit processing. They've managed to double the power and speed across the board, shave almost 30% of the weight and maintain battery life! That's flat out BadAss engineering....and the software crew, IMHO were JUST as hard at work on iOS 7 as the hardware engineers

I have had the opposite experience -- most of the people in my extended family hate it.

I think there are the good improvements (especially with the control center).

The biggest thing is usability with an iPhone 4s. I don't understand why is should make older hardware slow down that much. Typing things (and other menial asks) always dropped frames, and was very laggy? WHY? I understand newer APIs and other things that make use of newer hardware (animations and such). But why does it cause core functionality to degrade? That is my biggest complaint about iOS 7.

 

[baruch]

Happy w/iOS 6

...and see no reason to "upgrade" especially when iOS 7 is so buggy still, even in it's 4th updated version.

 

[iisdan]

Ugh, I hate iOS7, so bland, everything is white and ugly. The ONLY reasons I updated is for control center and automatic updates.

 

[djgamble]

No. "Everyone" *didn't* "beg" for that. Some people did. Know the difference or name names and give us a list of 10 people (that should be easy) who "begged" for Apple to lose the skeumorphic design and then later complained about what Apple (Jony Ives) did.

As I mentioned in my last post, there were *some* people who hated skeumorphism, and there are *different" people who are today complaining about the UI changes in iOS7.

FWIW, I don't think the issue is the supposed lack of "skeumorphism". There's still skeumorphism. The old design had some tackiness (e.g., green felt, stitched leather) that few defended. So I don't think there are too many people that are opposed to making things less "tacky." But I don't think there were many people a year or so ago "begging" that everything be made "flatter." Please provide proof of this claim.

I posted this already, but I think the biggest problems with iOS7 are fixable, but I worry that Ives will be too stubborn to change them. The sea of white (background) is just a horrible UI decision. Related to this, is the poor contrast (gray text on white background, yellow text on white background, etc.). Having buttons that just look like text (no button-like rounded rectangle border) is an awful idea, too. The change in fonts to a 1-pixel-thin font is also a usability/readability concern. Fix these three things (maybe I'm forgetting something else) and I'd bet you that very few people would be complaining.

Very few people are complaining...
The ones who are don't use iPhones. GOOD!! Now quit complaining, fire up your Android and go away!!!

Ironically no iPhone users hang out at the Android forum whinging about Androids that we've chosen not to purchase. Inferiority complex a little there...?

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Ugh, I hate iOS7, so bland, everything is white and ugly. The ONLY reasons I updated is for control center and automatic updates.

Buy an Android and quit whinging then.

 

[BvizioN]

So far I know of no one not on Macrumors who likes it..

Please tell me you are joking!!

 

[Eithanius]

So much for the "I'm never upgrading to iOS 6, I know loads of people who are doing the same" crowd. Perhaps the "loads of people" are actually just fellow naysayers on MR?!

I'm still on iOS 6... So how...?

 

[BvizioN]

well, the funny thing is, its a FORCED adoption, I have yet to meet someone that love or even likes ios 7. There is 9 iphones 4s/ 5 in my family circle and we would love to get ios6 back, can't. I work at the hospital and between the workers not a single one like ios7, unless they've been introduced to iphone as new user.
I only meet people here that like/ love ios7, personally looking for a way to get back ios6

Yeah, I find it quite hilarious how all the people who dislike iOS 7 have never met someone who likes iOS 7 outside MacRumors

 

[Virinprew]

7 is only at 74% because no one can uninstall it. If we could still roll back to 6 every one I know would immediately.

I do tech work on the side, every client is calling begging me to work tech magic to get 6 back on, I'm breaking hearts left and right.

This is Apple biggest scam. They act like the adoption and love for the new OS is high, when it's really not. It's only high because we cannot get it off.

I dare Apple to start signing iOS 6 again. See how fast everyone bails.

7 blows. Ive can't design software, he sucks.. "It's just, simple... simple and white with tinny lame letters most people cannot read. No details, no eye candy just a waste of a retinal screen, just siiimmmple...."

People are always like this. Interact with some portion of user and assume all will be the same. Even after seeing that stat from the whole, they are not convinced.
They borrow the whines from someone and echo them. And when the weak minds hear this story, they believe and afraid and echo.
About your tiny lame letters, there is a setting to make it bold and big. For the white background, go make invert color. For not wasting retina, go read some texts.

 

[C DM]

But what did Apple really change here? The icons and the fonts/text. That's about it. Sure, there are minor usability changes (pulldown for search, etc.) but for the most part, Apple just threw a fresh coat of paint on things.

Unfortunately the simple things of making everything overly white and empty, essentially removing even basic borders, separators, and shadows, when combined with thinner fonts and much more pastel colors make it all for a much less eye/brain friendly design as far as usability.

 

[sgscreate]

Agreed

Indeed. Since there's no way to go back to iOS 6 after you've gone to iOS 7, I'd be very curious to see how many people have it, and also hate it and wish they could downgrade. So far I know of no one not on Macrumors who likes it. If you google iOS 7, the fourth most commonly searched word that follows it is the word "Sucks".

After upgrading to 7, I was glad to break my display and get a replacement iPad that still came with iOS 6. I'll check back in at iOS 8, but if they don't sort their visual disaster out, I'm ditching iOS completely.

Yep, I totally agree. I hate iOS 7. I've downgraded my phone back to iOS 6, but my iPad is stuck. Their Music player is awful, the icons, interface interactions, so much more. I'm just shocked, having been an Apple user since the Apple II+, that they dropped the ball this bad. I am a complete Apple apologist and I can't defend this piece of garbage.

What the numbers don't show is how many users upgraded but are unhappy with the new iOS, unfortunately many can't downgrade.

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People are always like this. Interact with some portion of user and assume all will be the same. Even after seeing that stat from the whole, they are not convinced.
They borrow the whines from someone and echo them. And when the weak minds hear this story, they believe and afraid and echo.
About your tiny lame letters, there is a setting to make it bold and big. For the white background, go make invert color. For not wasting retina, go read some texts.

Sorry, but there are many other issues beside the new coat of paint. In 1987 Apple literally wrote the book on Human/Device interaction and this new operating system breaks many of those rules. I'm not going to list all the issues here, there are many websites already listing these issues and I don't want to 'echo' them, but people are not whining about a few icons and font changes, it's worse than that.

While I know we are all Apple 'Fan Boys' here I think it's disingenuous of those here to discount the posters who have a legitimate reason for disliking the new iOS. I own, well I've purchased for my family over the past years, 5 iPads (an original, 2 iPad 2's and 2 iPad 3's) and 4 iPhone 4s', upgraded from iPhone 1, 3GS' and 4's. This new iOS is not just different and needs getting used to, it has interaction issues and logical usage issues, which appear to be oversights in the updates as opposed to decisions made. Things that were in the original iOS that were removed without thought as to why there were in there originally.

We have a mixed iOS household. While my wife and daughter are fine with 'living' with the new changes on their iPads and iPhones, I'm very happy to have gone back to iOS 6 until I see some improvement to iOS 7. That said, I see no reason to update my iPhone to iOS 7 anyway, and I don't intend to by a iPhone 5, c or s, for a few years due to the hardware investments we've made to speakers, chargers and the like with the original connectors.

Hopefully those of you making snarky comments about other users who dislike the new iOS will understand that we're not just Android users coming in to bash on Apple, were actually lifelong Apple users who are asking Apple to revisit their iOS, listen to their long time supporters and fix what they broke. Personally the icons and fonts are the least of my issues with the new iOS.

 

[C DM]

You could make the "not being able to switch" argument about the people who upgraded during the hype of the first couple days. Since then however, people have continued to upgrade. Those are people who took their time and got to see what their friends thought about it.

You can also compare iOS 7 adoption to iOS 6 adoption. Neither allowed downgrades but iOS 7 is out ahead.

Finally, you can look at iPhone production which this quarter will be a new record in the 55 million+ range. The iPhone 5S and 5C, were they running iOS 6, would never have driven sales to that level- there would have been a huge amount of negative publicity about stagnation and all that. Could Apple have made some other radically different look that was even more popular? Perhaps, but chances are the current crop of whiners wouldn't have liked that either.

Long story short, iOS 7 is used by 100 million+ people who chose to install it or buy very expensive hardware that comes with it. It's very well received.

Many of those who didn't upgrade right away aren't necessarily those who took their time to look into it, more of them are typical users who didn't even know about or cares about the update until some days or a week or so later it was automatically downloaded to their phone and they were prompted to upgrade at various points in time while normally using their phone and did so without giving it much thought thinking it was just another upgrade like before or simply thinking it was something necessary for them to do as most computer and other updates are usually explained these days. So that argument can apply even more to those people than even the initial early wave.

As for iPhone 5C or 5S not selling as well if it came with iOS 6 or something other than iOS 7 in its current form--how could anyone even consider making an "argument" like that with absolutely zero information to support it one way or another? Tons and tons of people have been upgrading simply because they have been able to finally as the phones became available on even more carriers domestically and internatiaonally as more varieties of the phone became available in different colors and even somewhat cheaper prices making them that much more appealing to more people and as many of those with older devices were finally at a point where they needed to or wanted to upgrade. All having absolutely nothing to do with iOS 7.

There's so much out there to consider in relation to these numbers that it is beyond simplistic to almost singlemindely think that large usage numbers really imply much of anything else, given everything about iOS as described above and various previous replies.

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People are always like this. Interact with some portion of user and assume all will be the same. Even after seeing that stat from the whole, they are not convinced.
They borrow the whines from someone and echo them. And when the weak minds hear this story, they believe and afraid and echo.
About your tiny lame letters, there is a setting to make it bold and big. For the white background, go make invert color. For not wasting retina, go read some texts.

Ah, yes, when there is no argument to make or support, simply attack the other point of view to cover that up and place attention on else.

 

[pickaxe]

That sounds high to me.

Well done Apple. Once again showing the rest of the industry how it's done. Apple are the true market leaders.

Except the part where iOS 7 is a mass-scale beta test.

 

[MH01]

People don't want an advert-ridden sell out of an operating system.. big surprise.

Based on this comment operating system does not mean what you think it means.

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Yeah, I find it quite hilarious how all the people who dislike iOS 7 have never met someone who likes iOS 7 outside MacRumors

Same goes for the iPhone 5c

 

[TheRainKing]

When the average person receives a message telling them that an update is available for their phone, the majority of them are going to click update without giving it a second thought. It doesn't prove that people like or dislike iOS 7.

 

[Tech198]

This is rubbish.....

While 74% of people may have installed iOS7, after upgrading, they don't have a choice anymore.

It's not like if your unhappy with it (while i'm sure half of them are, I'm one of them that pick ofter all sorts of bugs), you can't go back even if you wanted too, since Apple makes sure of this

Therefore, these stats are fake

I hope Apple are happy with themselves.

I would have actually said "50% of users are running iOS7" because the other half have downgraded to iOS6.

That would have been more realistic.

 

[Eraserhead]

Everyone but one person I know is happy with or actively likes iOS 7...

And the person who didn't like it had the prerelease version so could downgrade but didn't.

 

[attila]

I belong to the happy 22%

(actually, my iPad was forced to iOS7. Hate it)

 

[mijail]

Messages for one, she cannot read white text on coloured backgrounds. The bold text option doesn't make it any easier. She has a severe form of dyslexia (has to wear green tinted glasses when reading from paper).

Weren't message bubbles colored also in iOS 6?
And, didn't the inverted colors mode help? Or even the read-aloud?

 

[Nevaborn]

well, the funny thing is, its a FORCED adoption, I have yet to meet someone that love or even likes ios 7. There is 9 iphones 4s/ 5 in my family circle and we would love to get ios6 back, can't. I work at the hospital and between the workers not a single one like ios7, unless they've been introduced to iphone as new user.
I only meet people here that like/ love ios7, personally looking for a way to get back ios6

I like iOS 7 ... And am on iPhone 4 ... Sorry to smash your bubble.

 

[proline]

Evidence that they are a tiny minority?

At least the previous poster pointed to the fact that the forth most common search is "iOS 7 sucks". You on the other hand have done nothing other than conjecture.

Wrong. As numerous people here have pointed out, the Google autofill results are customized to the user. My top iOS 7 autofills are "jailbreak" "release date Canada" "review" and "wallpaper". The previous poster proved nothing except that Google has him pegged as a complainer (correctly) and now does him the 'service' of feeding him content to reinforce his flawed worldview.

 

[Jynto]

I'm just going to be the voice of reason here. This data is based on App Store traffic. People on older iOS versions tend to visit the App Store less often.

 

[everything-i]

The remainder are likely dyslexic.

Think I'm being funny? A friend of mine just updated to iOS 7 after having some doubts on wether it'd be too hard to deal with, what with her dyslexia being really bad.

She just called me, from a landline, in tears because she can barely use her phone and wanted to know if she could go back to iOS 6. I've just added her to my Dev Portal and gave her instructions for how to update to 7.1 to see if the extra settings present in the Beta will help but from what she has told me it's not looking hopeful.

I like iOS 7 but they've really dropped the disability ball, she's not the only one either, I googled the issue and a lot of people are having trouble.

Tell your friend to go to the accessibility options in settings and select bold type and increased contrast. This helped my dyslexic friend a lot.

 

[MacVista]

If it is not 99%, it is because Apple broke things for a lot of people.
No need to take away things in an excuse modernize.

 

[oliversl]

Give them the option to downgrade and the history will be different. This is the 1st time I hear people complaining about an iOS upgrade regarding the look and feel.
"Its slow, the colors!"

 

[mtennes]

The reason

This number is high because there is NO OPTION to go back, iOS 7 is one of the buggiest versions I have every experienced. The music and video apps from Apple are just terrible. They crash or fail to function on a daily basis.