Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What is the reason Apple pushes the upgrade to iOS 7 so much?
- Thread starter Turnpike
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
OHHH!!! You just KNOW I'm going to use THIS on every forum I'm on from now on....
----------
But I'd argue that the LEGIONS of happy ios6 users would be better for the company (customer satisfaction, entrenching their system in our habits (making it harder to leave to another phone maker), and avoiding the backlash everytime a new ios comes out. I'd even pay a subscription to stick with an old ios, if it were an option. So is this "new adaptation rate" number really that valuable? More valuable than all the positives there's be with keeping the older ios an option? I'm sure a considerable number have even left the iPhone to at least try other phones where they wouldn't have even wandered, if they were able to keep with the ios they were most comfortable and at-home with.
Could there be another reason why there's the rush to upgrade every single person, every single chance they get to push for it?
NOT why is/isn't it right/good/beneficial to push an upgrade, just what would the motivation be?
Thanks for the replies so far!
Apple wants a high adoption rate to show that they do, indeed, push out better and better software. Contrast this to Microsoft with Windows, where every other OS is a step backwards. Also, as others have said, it's easier to support/patch one OS.
I get that certain software won't work and it messes up jailbreaks, but neither of these are Apples problems. Developers and the jailbreak community have access to every single beta so they have zero excuse for not updating their apps/software.
Hard to force and upgrade if you don't even have the option to upgrade.
ala - ton of android phones.
----------
Hard to force and upgrade if you don't even have the option to upgrade.
ala - tons of android phones.
Lol. Yes, they screw up sometimes but in general newer versions of Windows were always better. Same thing applies to iOS, and Microsoft doesn't force anyone to update. They also continue to support older versions properly
--------------
Apple wants people to install the newest version because:
- As stated before, it is harder for them to support multiple versions of the OS, even though they only give minor support.
- More importantly, they want people to use the newly added features. In order to do that, the app developers have to develop apps that take advantage of those features. They cannot do that if there are a lot of people using an older version of the OS because then their app wouldn't work on those devices. Especially if the new version is extremely different than the previous one, as in the case of 7.0.
Supporting multiple versions is a more of an issue for app developers.
Last edited:
Really? Was Windows 2000 better than Windows 98? Was Vista better than XP? Is 8 going to be better than 7? It's like every other iteration is a bust.
And how exactly is MSFT not doing the same thing as Apple? Can I go buy a brand new PC with Win98 on it? Didn't they just end support for XP this month?
How is that different from what Apple does with iOS?
2000 was the successor of NT, not 98, and yes it was better than NT. XP was better than 98. Vista had tons of problems yes, but it was a step towards a much better OS (Windows 7) and most of people skipped that version because no one forced them to use it. Windows 8 sucks, but I, along with millions of other people happily ignore it without any problems and continue to use 7. On the other hand, I can't install iOS 6.0 even if I wanted to.
You can't buy a PC with Windows 98 on it, but you can install it if you want. No one is stopping you. You're comparing MS to Apple because they stopped supporting an OS that was released 13 years ago? Are you joking or what? Would you like them to support Windows 3.1 as well?
Try installing iOS 5.0 to your brand new iPad and see how is that different from what MS does with Windows.
Anyway, comparing a desktop OS with is an apples/oranges kind of thing. There are 100 ways to develop a desktop app to make it backward-compatible, but only one way to develop an iOS app. Therefore mobile apps are much more vulnerable to version changes and harder to be made backward-compatible. That's why Apple is pushing people to update, and that's why developing apps for Android is harder than developing for iOS. As a mobile app developer, I'm very happy that Apple forces people to update.
Last edited:
But that wasn't the question was it? We're wither of them more successful than 98?
Again, not the question. Vista was NOT better than the OS it replaced (XP). Yeah, a lot of people skipped it and skipped 8 as well, but no one is "forcing" you to upgrade iOS either.
No one is stopping you from jail breaking and installing older versions of iOS.
So you tell me then, what's the cut off? What's an acceptable amount of time to support an operating system? Your claim was that MSFT supports old operating systems. I showed you that they discontinue support like everyone else.
You're also ignoring the fact that iOS upgrades are free. Maybe if they charged for them then they would support them for 13 years too.
Vista is better than XP, especially with all updates installed. No one gave it a fair chance.
Maybe today it is, but it certainly wasn't when it was released and that's what matters. And since they've moved on to 7 and 8 it *really* doesn't matter. They've essentially conceded that it was a bust.
They were made for different purposes so those two shouldn't be compared with each other. But if we were to compare it, 2000 was superior to both.
Apple is forcing to upgrade. As I said, go and buy an iPad and try installing iOS 5.0 to it then. Even if you were using an older device, you might have to upgrade if they fix an important bug. Because they don't let you update from 6.0 to 6.1 if there is a 7.0 available.
That's your solution? Does Apple officially support jailbreaking? This is like saying that PS4 or XBox360 supports Linux.
That depends on a lot of things. Basically, if people stopped developing apps for it for some reason, or hardware companies stopped releasing drivers for it. Or when vast majority of the people stopped using it. The logic would differ between client and server versions. In any case, 13 years are more than enough time for an OS to stop being officially supported. Did I say that they support their products forever? Is such a thing even possible?
No, they wouldn't and they shouldn't. There is too close correspondence between the iOS version and the released apps, and also between the hardware and the OS. To give an example, a desktop app I wrote 10 years ago still works in my Windows 7 perfectly, but most apps developed for iOS 6.0 started having problems in 7.0.
Last edited:
I remember 2000 running like crap on the desktops in the computer labs when I was in school compared to similar machines running 98, but maybe we had different experiences and will have to agree to disagree.
That still leaves Vista and 8 being steps back award from they predecessors.
How is Apple forcing me to upgrade? Are they holding a gun to my head and making me buy a new iPad?
If you don't want the new iOS then keep your old one. Apple has no obligation to you to fix a bug in an older version.
And jail breaking is pretty common, probably a lot more common than running Linux on an Xbox or even installing an old version of windows on a newly purchased PC. I don't know about you, but I'm not in the habit of buying software that I don't intend to use.
I believe applications and drivers were still available for XP when the decision to pull the plug was made last year. And XP was a great OS... why is 13 years "enough time"? Because you say so? Theoretically, they could have continued to release service packs until the end of time.
Maybe they wanted to sell new versions of Windows, just like Apple wants to sell new iPhones with new versions of iOS?
So they charge for new versions of iOS and give app developers a larger cut of App Store revenue to keep them happily updating apps. I don't see the problem here...if Apple wanted to do this they could.
Do you really believe that if Apple charged for iOS they would offer zero support for older versions? They'd quickly go out of business. How many people would buy an iDevice knowing they would be stranded on the current iOS unless they shelled out more cash?
Jailbreaking allows you to install any version of iOS that you want? And you can jailbreak any version of iOS that you might have?
Also, Apple creating a huge security hole and then having at least one firstly intrinsic iOS service stop working unless you upgrade is somehow not along the lines of forcing an upgrade? Especially when they do have a fix for the version of iOS that you have but just don't want to provide it for your device.
Yeah...
Oh, and 2000 was better than 98 (ME on the other hand was horrible).
I don't know about all versions but you can definitely go back to 6. Google it if you don't believe me.
Maybe I've been living under a rock but I'm not sure which security issue you are talking about here.
OK fine, you're right. 2000 was better than 98 and ME was worse.
My point still stands. I'm not sure what your point is here.
They push newer versions on everyone because they don't want to support older software and services. Its extra effort Apple appears not to want to bother with. As far as I'm concerned, their negligence to their older software is downright criminal and has certainly put me off buying more of their products.
Microsoft and even Google are much better at supporting older software for them who choose not to upgrade.
Microsoft and even Google are much better at supporting older software for them who choose not to upgrade.
Well, it sounds like here's not much to discuss here if you think people can jailbreak and downgrade (short of perhaps some of those with iPhone 4) and you aren't aware of a huge security hole that is at the heart of what's getting to a lot of iOS 6 users as far as feeling forced to upgrade to iOS 7. Not sure what points could even exist, let alone stand, with whole chunks of reality being missing or ignored.
Sorry you wasted your time. I really have no clue why you replied to me because what you said has nothing to do with the point I was trying to make to the other guy. It might have been helpful for you to read a few posts back.
Microsoft doesn't usually support older software when a new version is out but you're not forced to upgrade either.
Google/android has to support older software because users can't upgrade.
Microsoft ALWAYS support older software. They supported Windows 95 and 98 until 2006. Windows XP was only just ditched this year. Users of Windows 7 have until 2020 before they'll be ditched.
Last edited:
*Yawn*. Just install the free SSL Patch if you're jailbroken and that's all. Absolutely no need for upgrading just to get the SSL bug patched.
Is the patch exactly the same as what 7.0.6 or 6.1.6 would have (I have read that it's close but doesn't cover everything)? Also, does that get FaceTime working for those on iOS 6?
@BeeGood: Are you trolling, or are asking these seriously? I'm starting to think the former after reading your last message. I'm gonna comment on some parts of it anyway.
Using pirated software is even more common, but that doesn't make it an acceptable answer to anything.
Of course some companies were still supporting it at that time, but what does matter is that whether majority of people keep supporting it. Anyway, that was just one of the many reasons for MS to stop supporting it. And these reasons of course include that they want to sell newer versions of their OS, which is perfectly okay as long as they don't do it too quickly. The have to pull the plug at some point. Comparing this to a company that pulls the plug on the previous version the moment the new one gets released is funny.
I'm just gonna quote this so that you can read it again and maybe realize that how ridiculous this question sounds. When something becomes legacy, you stop supporting it. If you are looking for a mathematical formula that gives you the exact amount of days a product should be supported, you won't find it. What you can, and should find is common sense which will tell you that ceasing to support XP after 13 years is perfectly normal.
His point was that you saying 2000 was worse than 98, and newer versions of Windows were always worse than the older ones is incorrect. What part of that did you fail to understand?
Using pirated software is even more common, but that doesn't make it an acceptable answer to anything.
Of course some companies were still supporting it at that time, but what does matter is that whether majority of people keep supporting it. Anyway, that was just one of the many reasons for MS to stop supporting it. And these reasons of course include that they want to sell newer versions of their OS, which is perfectly okay as long as they don't do it too quickly. The have to pull the plug at some point. Comparing this to a company that pulls the plug on the previous version the moment the new one gets released is funny.
I'm just gonna quote this so that you can read it again and maybe realize that how ridiculous this question sounds. When something becomes legacy, you stop supporting it. If you are looking for a mathematical formula that gives you the exact amount of days a product should be supported, you won't find it. What you can, and should find is common sense which will tell you that ceasing to support XP after 13 years is perfectly normal.
His point was that you saying 2000 was worse than 98, and newer versions of Windows were always worse than the older ones is incorrect. What part of that did you fail to understand?
Last edited:
You're struggling with reading comprehension here. I'm going to try this one more time then I'm moving on.
Point 1: I never said jail breaking your phone was an acceptable answer to anything. I said that *IF* you want to use an older version of iOS, you have two options. Don't upgrade or get an older device and jailbreak. Most importantly, *don't upgrade*. If you can't understand that I can't help you.
Point 2: you keep saying, "well it's common sense that 13 years is an acceptable amount of time". My question (which again, you're failing to understand) is *why*? What causes an OS to become legacy?
Is it that the software is no longer useful? No of course not. Plenty of people were using XP up until last month. Perhaps it's because MSFT wants to make money by selling newer versions?
Same thing Apple does, except their software releases are more frequent. But like I said, the upgrades are free.
Point 3: Again, Reading comprehension. I never said EVERY version of windows was worse than the one it replaced.
I pointed out 3 versions that were worse. You and he disagreed with one, and pointed out another that was worse. That's still 3.
3<>total versions of windows. It's almost half.
Therefore, as I said, my point still stands. Almost every other version of windows was a step back.
Hopefully this helps you understand a little better.