Gatekeeper doesn't keep you from installing third party apps. It's a security feature with several options. A) Only install apps from App Store. B) Only install apps from companies with a valid certificate stating their app won't burn down your house and murder your children. C) Install whatever you want.
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iOS 8 Adoption Hits 87% Ahead of iOS 9 Release
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I don't see the point of upgrading for the sake of upgrading.
My iPhone 4 did everything I needed but is finally becoming a bit slow over the past six months so will probably upgrade this Christmas. And even then I'll likely jump to a 5S.
My Mac laptop is on 10.8.5 because it just works and I have no need to upgrade it. Plus the software I use doesn't work beyond Mavericks so I won't be shifting for a very long time.
My iPhone 4 did everything I needed but is finally becoming a bit slow over the past six months so will probably upgrade this Christmas. And even then I'll likely jump to a 5S.
My Mac laptop is on 10.8.5 because it just works and I have no need to upgrade it. Plus the software I use doesn't work beyond Mavericks so I won't be shifting for a very long time.
Or... Not. I'm using a 3GS and 4S as Ipods and you can guess that they're pretty old... And dont lag. Though the 3GS seems to be having a memory chip problem for the last year (was working on 6.1.6 without a hitch for 2 years before that) which makes it reboot once in a while. But, hey, it's 6.5 years old, that's a 100 in dog years.
I think they update it every year for the same reasons Apple does. Add new features, upgrade functionality, design changes, etc. With Google not handling hardware and software they wisely divested the core app functionality from being tied to a complete OS overhaul. You can already get the Marshmallow Launcher for devices as old as Gingerbread. One of the most important updates from Marshmallow will be iOS-like app permissions for the Play Store. Regardless of the OS version, everyone will get it, along with updates to GMail, GMaps, etc. People survive and thrive for years on Android and iOS without updating to the latest OS. Adoption rates are pretty meaningless as a consumer facing metric. Pretty sure most either don't care or know the relevance. It only gains importance in tech blogs and forums like these.
I still have never seen a new version of iOS causing lag on an old device. But the new versions use more storage. Those who complain, are you guys filling your storage to the brim with an iOS update then seeing lag?
BTW, OS X was a different story going from 10.6 to 10.7 and 10.8 to 10.9. Those two updates were horrible.
BTW, OS X was a different story going from 10.6 to 10.7 and 10.8 to 10.9. Those two updates were horrible.
While I do care for the latest software on my Android phone the vast majority do not care. And people in the Android camp that are total geeks will buy a Nexus or a new phone. When marshmallow comes out it will screw the numbers even more.
But I do appreciate how Apple keeps devices up to date. It's the primary reason for getting a iPad Air 2.
If by "in the last years of extended support" you mean its first year, then yes. And it'll be supported until 2020. For "Apple [to] go out of its way", I don't think so. Windows 7 is still the most widely used OS, and assuming annual OS X releases, that's not going to change until at least 10.12, if not 10.13, 10.14, or even 10.15... no I don't think we should excuse Apple for that.
I guess I'm a little confused between the "New Version that only selected devices can get" and the "Core Updates that anyone can get"
Google launched Android 5.0 Lollipop a year ago... but it's installed on only 16% of Android devices.
Then I keep hearing that versions don't matter because anyone can update Google Play Services and get all the new features.
So... why isn't that considered the new version?
If you can install the Marshmallow launcher on a Gingerbread phone... what else can you install?
At what point do the features of Marshmallow simply become Marshmallow?
There's obviously something differentiating these different versions... Google shows developers exactly who's running what:
For iOS, a lot of smaller developers only have one or two test devices, and test mostly or only on the latest OS, because that's how Apple reviews submitted apps, starting right near when a new OS is released. If you don't jump all over the latest major iOS release, then soon your app updates (which fix bugs on the new OS) might get buggier on old OS versions, or not even run on devices with older OS versions. Same thing for new cool apps. Only huge developer corporations have enough staff to commit resource to coding for maybe a couple percent more sales.
Also, without fast adoption, developers would have to spend more on app testing. App compatibility testing (over several hundred different combinations among large numbers of Android device customers) is one of the big things that scares smaller iOS developers away from Android.
It's easy to have high adoption rates when you can't downgrade the OS to any previous version. You basically being forced to update everytime you have to swap phones after a repair or if you have to reinstall the OS for any reason. Android phones don't force you to use latest version if you don't want to.
This is why I'm giving up Android. No waiting for att to send me OS updates. Their solution is to get the newest phone.
This is the reason why I think these adoption rate articles are pointless and stupid. Of course these % are going to be high... no sh*t sherlock!
I am one of those small developers. Currently my new app (which is still waiting for approval from Apple) is compiled for 8.3+ I officially only test and support on 8.4.1 and 9.
However, I won't support 8.4.1 for more than a few months more. When iOS 10 comes out, I will drop iOS 9 support entirely. The only reason I am supporting 8.4.1 at all right now is because I sent it off to Apple for approval during this upgrade.
Hands down my biggest grip with Android. Not just from a user point of view, but developer. Just simply supporting 1 or 2 major OS versions on top of the various sized iPhone screens is pain enough. Mix in the dozens and dozens of Android versions, interfaces, devices, specs. No thanks.
Developing for Android is a nightmare.
Heh. I suppose these numbers are also reprehensible to iOS 6 holdouts, too.Beat that Android ....
/ducks
I have a bunch of iPod touches stuck on 4.3 that are being used as iTunes match sources for various stereo systems. May they work forever!
My Nexus 5 makes me go through every intermediate update to get to the latest one, instead of jumping directly to the latest one. One day I had to do 4 or 5 updates to catch up to the latest. Not really impressed.
Can't you just sync over iCloud? I haven't sync with iTunes in about two years and have no regrets. I've been able to do a full restore at least three times.
If you can indulge my ignorance a bit longer: when you say "stock", is that an option for any device or only for certain devices? Google is mostly out of the hardware business these days, right? Can I take my Samsung S6 Edge (or whatever) and install a stock build? Do the features of a specific device, like the Edge display features, migrate into the stock build over time or is it available to developers as a library?
I'm just realizing how little I understand about the Android world. I've always assumed it was Linux for your phone, but now I'm realizing it's not that straightforward...
I'd do the same, but I'm upgrading from my 5S. My phone is buttery smooth on 8.4.1, but lags a lot in the GM of iOS 9. The El Capitan GM is super smooth and a big improvement over Yosemite, at least.