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iOS 8 adoption rate starts off slow, but the reasons are clear

ios 8

In contrast to past numerical releases of iOS, iOS 8 is getting off to a bit of a slow start. As data from both Mixpanel, Chitika and Tapjoy illustrate, iOS 8 is clawing for its share of the iOS pie but isn't quite pulling it off as well as its predecessors.

There are likely multiple factors that play into this:

  • iOS 8 isn't a massive visual upgrade like iOS 7 was.

  • With record-breaking pre-orders for the iPhone 6/6 Plus, fewer people care about downloading an update when they'll be replacing the phone entirely in a matter of days.

  • The iOS 8 update required more space to install than its predecessors, which could have stopped some users in their tracks.

  • Installs that began may have been timing out (it took me two tries on both my iPhone and iPad).

Seriously though, as far as iOS updates go, iOS 8 may pack a whole bunch of new features, but it simply wasn't as hotly anticipated as many of its predecessors for a variety of reasons. I don't think a more gradual adoption rate is a commentary on its quality, but rather a sign that iOS 7 reached a ridiculous level of hype last year, and this time around there's so much to say (and read) about the new iPhones and the Apple Watch that the new iOS update simply isn't at the front of the public's collective tech consciousness.