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Why oh why.... (patch size)

Killerbob

Killerbob

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 25, 2008
1,942
715
I just updated my iPhone 5s, iPad Mini, and my iPad 4, to IOS 7.0.4. It was a small update downloading between 17MB (iPads) and 36MB (iPhones). However if I had gone through iTunes, it would have downloaded 1.39GB!!!

Why is this important to me? Because I live in Greenland, where Internet plans with unlimited download are a thing in the future. I have a 100GB cap every month, and pay a respectable USD540 for this.

So why is Apple such i.....? They not only have changed it so it is nearly impossible to find any "stand-alone" downloadable Apple application/OS updates - everything is through the d... App Store, now they also screw up the IOS updates!!!

With the current cost of keeping my systems updated, it could make me want to change to the dark side:mad:
 
I believe its because the update downloads the delta, but via iTunes it does the complete iOS download.
 
Killerbob said:
I just updated my iPhone 5s, iPad Mini, and my iPad 4, to IOS 7.0.4. It was a small update downloading between 17MB (iPads) and 36MB (iPhones). However if I had gone through iTunes, it would have downloaded 1.39GB!!!

Why is this important to me? Because I live in Greenland, where Internet plans with unlimited download are a thing in the future. I have a 100GB cap every month, and pay a respectable USD540 for this.

So why is Apple such i.....? They not only have changed it so it is nearly impossible to find any "stand-alone" downloadable Apple application/OS updates - everything is through the d... App Store, now they also screw up the IOS updates!!!

With the current cost of keeping my systems updated, it could make me want to change to the dark side:mad:
Click to expand...

It's always been this way. With OTA updates, it only updates the files that have changed.

Updating through iTunes downloads the full version of iOS.
 
Killerbob said:
I just updated my iPhone 5s, iPad Mini, and my iPad 4, to IOS 7.0.4. It was a small update downloading between 17MB (iPads) and 36MB (iPhones). However if I had gone through iTunes, it would have downloaded 1.39GB!!!

Why is this important to me? Because I live in Greenland, where Internet plans with unlimited download are a thing in the future. I have a 100GB cap every month, and pay a respectable USD540 for this.

So why is Apple such i.....? They not only have changed it so it is nearly impossible to find any "stand-alone" downloadable Apple application/OS updates - everything is through the d... App Store, now they also screw up the IOS updates!!!

With the current cost of keeping my systems updated, it could make me want to change to the dark side:mad:
Click to expand...

Holy mother of goooood! 540 for 100 gb? Go away from that country GO AWAY!
 
In fairness minimum wage here is USD24/hr. for skilled labor, and USD16/hr. for unskilled labor. Taxes are relatively OK, 41% flat income tax, and we do not have any VAT. Free healthcare (including medicine), free education, and an OK social welfare system, is all part of the package.

Internet is expensive, as is shopping (everything has to be shipped from Europe).

Anyways, OK so you have to download the entire IOS package every time, but why can I not download the updates as single files then?
 
I'm sorry...I we really reading a thread about someone complaining about download size on iTunes...because they live in Greenland??

Everyone, please flood Apple with complaints to address this outrage....this probably affects nearly 100 people...:rolleyes:

How much data did you waste logging onto this site and complaining about this??
 
Killerbob said:
In fairness minimum wage here is USD24/hr. for skilled labor, and USD16/hr. for unskilled labor. Taxes are relatively OK, 41% flat income tax, and we do not have any VAT. Free healthcare (including medicine), free education, and an OK social welfare system, is all part of the package.

Internet is expensive, as is shopping (everything has to be shipped from Europe).

Anyways, OK so you have to download the entire IOS package every time, but why can I not download the updates as single files then?
Click to expand...

So do an on device WIFI update. Settings -> General -> Software Update. PROBLEM SOLVED!
 
MozMan68 said:
I'm sorry...I we really reading a thread about someone complaining about download size on iTunes...because they live in Greenland??

Everyone, please flood Apple with complaints to address this outrage....this probably affects nearly 100 people...:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

If people can rant about IOS7 not being compatible with iPad1, surely I can rant about no longer being able to download updates as individual files...;)
 
Killerbob said:
I just updated my iPhone 5s, iPad Mini, and my iPad 4, to IOS 7.0.4. It was a small update downloading between 17MB (iPads) and 36MB (iPhones). However if I had gone through iTunes, it would have downloaded 1.39GB!!!
Click to expand...

When you download to the device, though, the phone or iPad can tell the servers what version it has: "I have 7.0.3, I just need the .4 update, thanks!"

But when iTunes is downloading it, how would it know what you're about to plug into your computer? Yeah, it might be a phone with 7.0.3 on it. Or it might be one with 6.1. Or 5.0. Who knows? It has to be ready for anything.

You might say that it should check what you have plugged in at the moment. Well, that's nice, but a lot of people have multiple devices. The idea here is that it can then upgrade all of them to the latest version without having to re-download slightly different updates again and again, because it has the master file that can handle anything you throw at it.

So, ironically, what you're complaining about is Apple's attempt to save your bandwidth. It obviously isn't always perfect, but it's the generic "best for the most amount of people" option.
 
Small White Car said:
When you download to the device, though, the phone or iPad can tell the servers what version it has: "I have 7.0.3, I just need the .4 update, thanks!"

But when iTunes is downloading it, how would it know what you're about to plug into your computer? Yeah, it might be a phone with 7.0.3 on it. Or it might be one with 6.1. Or 5.0. Who knows? It has to be ready for anything.

You might say that it should check what you have plugged in at the moment. Well, that's nice, but a lot of people have multiple devices. The idea here is that it can then upgrade all of them to the latest version without having to re-download slightly different updates again and again, because it has the master file that can handle anything you throw at it.

So, ironically, what you're complaining about is Apple's attempt to save your bandwidth. It obviously isn't always perfect, but it's the generic "best for the most amount of people" option.
Click to expand...

There are arguments to be made about why they do it this way, but this is a really poor one. How many people have multiples of the same exact device? I would say more people that have multiple devices have different devices, in which case it's a 1+ gig download for each anyway.

If you are doing an update though I don't think there is a very good argument for not just downloading the delta on iTunes. Obviously you can't do that for a restore but we aren't talking about a restore.
 
Exactly!

There is absolutely no reason to have it do how it does it now. Except perhaps laziness... Apple provides the incremental updates anyway (from the devices themselves), and the argument that you then have it then as part of your iTunes is invalid, as no one in their right mind have 25-100 identical devices...

If Apple can figure out what the needed incremental update is via the device, they should offer the same via iTunes.

As for the other thing; application updates (Aperture, iLife, OSX), why can Apple not provide these as downloads on their support site?
 
Apple uses iTunes as a fail safe... If someone tries to update using the delta on their iOS device, and it fails... they call apple support... and apple says, just update using iTunes, it will fix your problem.

It makes it easier if all updates from iTunes are fresh and complete.

Also, I think another limitation is that you can't do a delta from iTunes because the iOS 7 need to be unpackaged already... that is why when you download the delta you still need 1.1 gb of free space...
 
Killerbob said:
Exactly!

There is absolutely no reason to have it do how it does it now. Except perhaps laziness... Apple provides the incremental updates anyway (from the devices themselves), and the argument that you then have it then as part of your iTunes is invalid, as no one in their right mind have 25-100 identical devices...

If Apple can figure out what the needed incremental update is via the device, they should offer the same via iTunes.

As for the other thing; application updates (Aperture, iLife, OSX), why can Apple not provide these as downloads on their support site?
Click to expand...

1. as mentioned above, Apple uses iTunes as a fail safe. If something goes wrong with the delta update, then doing a full install of the OS would most likely fix it.

2. apple wants everything centralized in the app store when it comes to updates. this 1) simplifies things for the user and 2) promotes the user to be in the app store and spend more money.

why aren't you updating your phone through software update in your General Settings? Then you would only use 17 mb as opposed to 1.3+ gigs through itunes.
 
Menel said:
So do an on device WIFI update. Settings -> General -> Software Update. PROBLEM SOLVED!
Click to expand...

petrucci666 said:
I don't know why that's so hard for OP to comprehend. But yes, WiFi and install the delta update.
Click to expand...

Maybe he doesn't have WiFi? The point is he's asking for incremental updates via iTunes. That's not unreasonable and the suggestion to join a WiFi network isn't on topic.
 
PNutts said:
Maybe he doesn't have WiFi? The point is he's asking for incremental updates via iTunes. That's not unreasonable and the suggestion to join a WiFi network isn't on topic.
Click to expand...

He can create a wifi network from his PC or Mac.

If he's using an iPhone he has access to internet and can download a 17mb file. It's kind of absurd that this is such a big issue when such an easy solution is available.
 
I of course updated via WiFi, that wasn't in question here... I just fail to understand why Apple is making us download the entire IOS package when doing it via iTunes:confused:

And, I fail to understand why Apple is not making these updates available to download as individual files...

I do not think it is too much to ask for! Obviously they are readily identifiable, as every iPhone/iPad in the world can figure it out...
 
joejoejoe said:
He can create a wifi network from his PC or Mac.

If he's using an iPhone he has access to internet and can download a 17mb file. It's kind of absurd that this is such a big issue when such an easy solution is available.
Click to expand...

Again, not the point. He's making a feature request. That's all.
 
Killerbob said:
I fail to understand why Apple is not making these updates available to download as individual files...
Click to expand...

Such a thing would be far too complicated for your average iPhone user. Mostly they wouldn't know what a 'file' is anyway. It keeps life simple.

And, as been said above, updating via iTunes will get the phone into a known precise state with minimal user intervention if things have gone wrong in the past.
 
Killerbob said:
I of course updated via WiFi, that wasn't in question here... I just fail to understand why Apple is making us download the entire IOS package when doing it via iTunes:confused:

And, I fail to understand why Apple is not making these updates available to download as individual files...

I do not think it is too much to ask for! Obviously they are readily identifiable, as every iPhone/iPad in the world can figure it out...
Click to expand...

There would be an insane amount of individual files to create if Apple went that route. For every new iOS update, they would have to create and maintain files that can update every previous iOS version to that version. Multiply that times several devices, and it's a nightmare.

What would make more sense would be to allow iTunes to do delta updates for iOS.
 
Killerbob said:
If people can rant about IOS7 not being compatible with iPad1, surely I can rant about no longer being able to download updates as individual files...;)
Click to expand...

But you were never able to download the individual files with iTunes. Its always been the full OS install.

I understand why that would be a nice feature, its just never been done that way.
 
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