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oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
iOS 8 is a hog with no real new features over ios 7...

stick with 7.

Thats not completely true, it has a heap of new features. I spent 3 days on iOS 8 on my iPad 2 when it was released, then I got sick of the speed so I went back to iOS 7.1.2. However a few weeks later I missed the iOS 8 features enough to upgrade my iPad again.
 

gsmornot

macrumors 68040
Sep 29, 2014
3,592
3,700
I have not read through all of the messages but thought I would add that since iOS 8 has been installed on my wife's iPad 2, she shakes it and knocks on the screen with her knuckles. She wonders "what is this stupid thing doing" and looks at me because I am the one who did the update. I just tell her an update is coming that will fix the problems. 8 works but its not a good as 7 since its old.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia

How is this a ...... ?

Quick reply, SMS relay, the new messages settings, the quick delete/mark unread swipes in mail + being able to open another email while composing one, Safari tab view and request desktop site are just a few of the features I love. Plus not beinh left on iOS 7 which is full of unpatched security holes.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
I have not read through all of the messages but thought I would add that since iOS 8 has been installed on my wife's iPad 2, she shakes it and knocks on the screen with her knuckles. She wonders "what is this stupid thing doing" and looks at me because I am the one who did the update. I just tell her an update is coming that will fix the problems. 8 works but its not a good as 7 since its old.

Have you tried turning off the resource hogging features? A settings reset also helps a lot :)
 

RiderX

macrumors regular
Nov 9, 2012
172
69
8.1.2

Maybe it's just wishful thinking or my fantasy, but somehow I have the impression Safari on 8.1.2 is faster than 8.1.1

Some iPad2 owner here wants to confirm?
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
Maybe it's just wishful thinking or my fantasy, but somehow I have the impression Safari on 8.1.2 is faster than 8.1.1

Some iPad2 owner here wants to confirm?

My iPad 2 feels about the same? I haven't been on it much today though:p
 
Last edited:

CB1234

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2012
784
491
Dubai, UAE
I find the Safari speed the same.... Can't tell if it has speeded up or not...

I am not saying mine is slow at the moment, I think the speed is same as it was on iOS 7. With 8.1.2, I do not see much difference in safari speed as it was on 8.1.1...
 

rjjacobson

macrumors demi-god
Sep 12, 2014
8,234
25,557
My wife's iPad 2 (my old 64 GB model) was fine on iOS7.x but my grandsons were using it as they often do and they did the iOS8 install after I said things were better with the incrementals -- my wife was not happy it slowed down a bit, but over all all the features folks mention do work, including the ability to talk thru her new iPhone 6 with it.

The only two major issues i have seen are:

Certain video sites do not show or work. Including uTube when it is thru the FB app and the special window it loads. If you go to the uTube app or run it thru the Safari app the video works. A few other video sites do same.

the other funny issue is after rebooting the machine finnishes and goes dark and it takes fiddling for a minute to get it to respond and let me open the screen, almost like it is dead. I sometimes have to hit the power button and hold like you do to shut it down and then finally it shows up. This seems to be only in iOS 8.x.x never saw that in 6 or 7.
 

Morac

macrumors 68020
Dec 30, 2009
2,172
611
the other funny issue is after rebooting the machine finnishes and goes dark and it takes fiddling for a minute to get it to respond and let me open the screen, almost like it is dead. I sometimes have to hit the power button and hold like you do to shut it down and then finally it shows up. This seems to be only in iOS 8.x.x never saw that in 6 or 7.

This is actually a bug in iOS 8 (acknowledged by Apple), where it should be displaying the Apple logo, but doesn't.

During the bootup process the screen the Apple logo will go away and the screen will stay dark until it finishes loading app data and then the lock screen displays. The amount of time it stays dark depends on how many apps are installed and how fast the device is. On my iPad 2, the "dark stage" lasts about 90 seconds. On my iPhone 5s, it's about 20 seconds. On my iPad Air 2, it's a few seconds.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
This is actually a bug in iOS 8 (acknowledged by Apple), where it should be displaying the Apple logo, but doesn't.

During the bootup process the screen the Apple logo will go away and the screen will stay dark until it finishes loading app data and then the lock screen displays. The amount of time it stays dark depends on how many apps are installed and how fast the device is. On my iPad 2, the "dark stage" lasts about 90 seconds. On my iPhone 5s, it's about 20 seconds. On my iPad Air 2, it's a few seconds.

I'm surprised that it happens on the iPhone 5S! My iPad 2 does it but I've never seen it on my iPhone 5. I just assumed it was some weird A5 bug.
 

Morac

macrumors 68020
Dec 30, 2009
2,172
611
I'm surprised that it happens on the iPhone 5S! My iPad 2 does it but I've never seen it on my iPhone 5. I just assumed it was some weird A5 bug.


I'm pretty sure it depends on the number of installed apps. I have 365 installed on my 5S and like I said I get the black screen for about 15 to 20 seconds. I had done a restore and set up as new and there was no black screen delay when I did that. As soon as I restored from backup it started happening again. FYI, the more apps that are installed, the longer the boot up takes.

I had a similar problem way back in I think it was iOS 5 in my old iPhone 3GS.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
I'm pretty sure it depends on the number of installed apps. I have 365 installed on my 5S and like I said I get the black screen for about 15 to 20 seconds. I had done a restore and set up as new and there was no black screen delay when I did that. As soon as I restored from backup it started happening again. FYI, the more apps that are installed, the longer the boot up takes.

I had a similar problem way back in I think it was iOS 5 in my old iPhone 3GS.

Well that would make sense ish :p My iPad 2 did it when it was clean installed as well though :/

My iPhone 5 only has about 7 apps so thats probably why it doesn't go to a black screen.
 

Zendokan

macrumors 6502
Feb 17, 2011
311
140
Belgium
Can someone explain this:

iPod Touch 5th Gen and iPad 2 have the same internals
CPU ARM Dual-core Cortex-A9 Apple A5 1 GHz
Memory 512 MB DDR2 RAM
Graphics PowerVR SGX543MP2

I've installed iOS 8.1.2 on my iPod Touch 5th Gen (came original with iOS 7.1) and it runs smooth. The only thing is that starting the device up after a power down takes a few moments more, but that is all and I don't do a lot of power down (maybe once every month or two months).
So why would an iPad 2, which has identical internals, lag?

I can understand that an iPhone 4S would/could lag because while it has the same internals, the A5 CPU is downclocked to 800 Mhz.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
Can someone explain this:

iPod Touch 5th Gen and iPad 2 have the same internals
CPU ARM Dual-core Cortex-A9 Apple A5 1 GHz
Memory 512 MB DDR2 RAM
Graphics PowerVR SGX543MP2

I've installed iOS 8.1.2 on my iPod Touch 5th Gen (came original with iOS 7.1) and it runs smooth. The only thing is that starting the device up after a power down takes a few moments more, but that is all and I don't do a lot of power down (maybe once every month or two months).
So why would an iPad 2, which has identical internals, lag?

I can understand that an iPhone 4S would/could lag because while it has the same internals, the A5 CPU is downclocked to 800 Mhz.

The 4S and the Touch 5 are both 800MHZ, just so you know :)

I'd say that Apple has spent more time optimising iOS 8 for the iPod Touch 5 because its still on sale, where as the iPad 2 has been on the market for 9 months. Also iPad apps are more consuming than iPhone/iPod Apps, and since iOS 7 was released, the iPads seem to run iOS worse than their iPod and iPhone counterparts.

In regards to your iPad 2, there are a few things that can be done to improve performance such as a settings reset, a clean install, turning off consuming features etc.
 

Zendokan

macrumors 6502
Feb 17, 2011
311
140
Belgium
The 4S and the Touch 5 are both 800MHZ, just so you know :)

I'd say that Apple has spent more time optimising iOS 8 for the iPod Touch 5 because its still on sale, where as the iPad 2 has been on the market for 9 months. Also iPad apps are more consuming than iPhone/iPod Apps, and since iOS 7 was released, the iPads seem to run iOS worse than their iPod and iPhone counterparts.

In regards to your iPad 2, there are a few things that can be done to improve performance such as a settings reset, a clean install, turning off consuming features etc.

Thanks for the info.

I haven't upgraded my iPad 2 yet (it still runs iOS 6).
I upgraded my iPod Touch 5th gen as a testcase, to check if I also should upgrade my iPad 2.
That's why I found it weird that iOS 8 runs smooth on the iPod while I'm reading everywhere that it lags on the iPad as they both have the same internals.

Are you sure that the iPod A-5 is down clocked? I can't find anything about that online.
 

Danley

macrumors member
Nov 4, 2014
55
1
OC
Aside from optimization I would have said the ipad needs more graphics processing power, larger screen?
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
Aside from optimization I would have said the ipad needs more graphics processing power, larger screen?

The iPad 2 has less pixels to drive though (Non Retina) vs the 4S and iPod Touch 5 (Retina).

----------

Thanks for the info.

I haven't upgraded my iPad 2 yet (it still runs iOS 6).
I upgraded my iPod Touch 5th gen as a testcase, to check if I also should upgrade my iPad 2.
That's why I found it weird that iOS 8 runs smooth on the iPod while I'm reading everywhere that it lags on the iPad as they both have the same internals.

Are you sure that the iPod A-5 is down clocked? I can't find anything about that online.

I think 'lag' is a matter of personal opinion. The iPad 2 jitters a bit, but you can turn off animations and it doesn't jitter. iOS 8 is slower than iOS 7, but it really depends on how much lag you can tolerate. Some people say that the iPod Touch 5 is just tolerable with iOS 8, others seem to say its fine.

I'm fairly sure that the iPod Touch 5 has the same specs as the 4S - Geekbench says it has a 800MHZ processor.

My best advice is to try and find someone who you know who has an iOS 8 upgraded iPad 2, and judge how well it works for you. Personally I find it works very well! Sure its not as fast as iOS 7, but its got new features that I find highly useful and I'm pleased to be getting updates still.

http://browser.primatelabs.com/ios-benchmarks

Geek-bench scores the 4S and iPod Touch 5 very close together. The iPad 2 and other A5 devices get a higher benchmark.
 

Dino F

Suspended
Sep 16, 2010
4,515
3,403
Croydon, South London, UK
Can someone explain this:

iPod Touch 5th Gen and iPad 2 have the same internals
CPU ARM Dual-core Cortex-A9 Apple A5 1 GHz
Memory 512 MB DDR2 RAM
Graphics PowerVR SGX543MP2

I've installed iOS 8.1.2 on my iPod Touch 5th Gen (came original with iOS 7.1) and it runs smooth. The only thing is that starting the device up after a power down takes a few moments more, but that is all and I don't do a lot of power down (maybe once every month or two months).
So why would an iPad 2, which has identical internals, lag?

.

I have to echo this - it really BUGS me that some games which I install on my iPad 2, in order to play with my 2 sons on their iPods (latest ones with 8.1.2), crash EVERY time, and yet on my kids iPods, they work smoothly!! :mad:

If I am honest, when I upgraded from 8.1.1 to 8.1.2 on my iPad 2, I noticed the improvements right away - 8.1.2 was a big performance improvement.

HOWEVER - it has slowly been getting slower on 8.1.2. Initially, there was no keyboard lag in Safari (this WAS indeed present in 8.1.1 but not when I went to 8.1.2), but this has slowly crept back in 8.1.2.

Same with opening and closing folders in 8.1.1 - the 'zooming in and out' animations were absolutely horrendous in 8.1.1. Constant stuttering of the animation. This was corrected in 8.1.2 but again, it has slowly crept back for me.

I now have the following switched ON, in the Settings app:

Reduce Transparency (all the transparent pages are a solid colour)
Reduce Motion (instead of a 'zoom in' and 'zoom out' animation, it is now reduces to just a 'fade in' and 'fade out' one instead.

These don't cut out all the bugs (the keyboard lag is STILL present in Safari) but they do actually help quite a bit.
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
I have to echo this - it really BUGS me that some games which I install on my iPad 2, in order to play with my 2 sons on their iPods (latest ones with 8.1.2), crash EVERY time, and yet on my kids iPods, they work smoothly!! :mad:

If I am honest, when I upgraded from 8.1.1 to 8.1.2 on my iPad 2, I noticed the improvements right away - 8.1.2 was a big performance improvement.

HOWEVER - it has slowly been getting slower on 8.1.2. Initially, there was no keyboard lag in Safari (this WAS indeed present in 8.1.1 but not when I went to 8.1.2), but this has slowly crept back in 8.1.2.

Same with opening and closing folders in 8.1.1 - the 'zooming in and out' animations were absolutely horrendous in 8.1.1. Constant stuttering of the animation. This was corrected in 8.1.2 but again, it has slowly crept back for me.

I now have the following switched ON, in the Settings app:

Reduce Transparency (all the transparent pages are a solid colour)
Reduce Motion (instead of a 'zoom in' and 'zoom out' animation, it is now reduces to just a 'fade in' and 'fade out' one instead.

These don't cut out all the bugs (the keyboard lag is STILL present in Safari) but they do actually help quite a bit.

Do a settings reset, it seems to do wonders for the iPad 2, as I agree, the ioad 2 seems to slow down gradually after a clean install. There is some weird software issues. Have you also gone into safari settings and disabled search suggestions, preload top hit and Spotlight search? That seemed to improve Safari for me.
 

Dino F

Suspended
Sep 16, 2010
4,515
3,403
Croydon, South London, UK
Do a settings reset, it seems to do wonders for the iPad 2, as I agree, the ioad 2 seems to slow down gradually after a clean install. There is some weird software issues. Have you also gone into safari settings and disabled search suggestions, preload top hit and Spotlight search? That seemed to improve Safari for me.

When you say 'Settings Reset' do you mean a soft reset (hold the power and home buttons down until the Apple logo shows) or do you mean a 'Erase all content and Settings' reset within the Settings app?
 

oldmacs

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
4,924
7,122
Australia
When you say 'Settings Reset' do you mean a soft reset (hold the power and home buttons down until the Apple logo shows) or do you mean a 'Erase all content and Settings' reset within the Settings app?

I mean just the plain 'reset all settings'.

In my experience it just resets settings and it must do something as it seems to speed up my iPad.
 
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