Why don’t we find it annoying when Apple’s iOS upgrade rate is so high?

September 17th is an important day for iPhone users, as Apple pushes the official version of iOS 8 to users on this day .

As of September 21, 2014, Apple officially announced that the iOS 8 system installation rate has reached 46%. In contrast, Google's latest Android system KitKat system has only reached a penetration rate of 13.6% in June this year, eight months after its release.

Although both are mobile operating systems, the upgrade rate of iOS is much higher than any other mobile operating system. Why are Apple users more willing to upgrade? There are many reasons for this, which we will briefly sort out below.

1. Simple upgrade process

Apple's operating system upgrade is very simple. After receiving the system update notification, choose to update. As long as there is enough space left in the system, click Update. All data and programs will be retained after the upgrade.

In contrast, Android updates are not that convenient. Many manufacturers' updates do not fully support OTA push, and you need to download the firmware yourself to install it. Some Android phones also force users to clear data when upgrading to a major version, which makes many users unwilling to upgrade.

2. Stop supporting old versions

Apple usually stops supporting older versions after releasing a new system. On September 29, Apple announced that it would stop supporting iOS 7, less than two weeks after the release of the new version iOS 8.

In contrast, Microsoft and Google support older systems for a much longer time. Even without feature updates, Microsoft and Google will provide security updates for older systems for a long time. Microsoft's support for XP, which has been in service for more than ten years, was only stopped at the beginning of this year.

3. Force application vendors to be compatible with the latest system instead of the old system

If you are a developer on the APP Store, if you want to submit a new app or update your software after Apple updates the system, you must adapt to the new system, not just support the old system. Software that is not compatible with the new system will be rejected, but software that does not know the old system but only supports the new system can pass the review.

Many users have to update to the latest version of the system in order to use the latest version of application software.

Such an overbearing policy is almost impossible for other Apple products. Since the various versions of the system on the market are highly differentiated, it is impossible to require manufacturers to only be compatible with the latest system.

4. Improved User Experience

This is actually a matter of opinion. Generally speaking, the new system will make many improvements in user experience. However, since the new system often requires higher system resources, it often causes the new system to run laggy on the old machine.

The reason why Apple can achieve the above points is due to its strong control over its entire software and hardware ecosystem.

Apple's mobile phone software and hardware are all manufactured by Apple, and there are not many models. When Apple launches a new system, it will adapt the new system to all models that it deems necessary to adapt. In this way, on the day the system is released, these devices will receive upgrade notifications and can be upgraded at any time.

Other mobile phone system manufacturers, such as Microsoft and Google, do not directly produce hardware devices themselves. There are thousands of manufacturers using their systems, and the adaptation of the new system still requires the cooperation of manufacturers. At this time, the attitudes of various manufacturers will be different. Many manufacturers will only adapt new models for flagship models and give up support for low-end devices. Moreover, due to the different development capabilities of each company, the adaptation time is also different. This has caused the differentiation of the system.

In addition to controlling devices and systems, Apple also has an almost monopolistic iOS software distribution channel - the APP Store. If an APP is rejected by the APP Store, then the APP is basically sentenced to death. Therefore, as long as Apple requires, all software manufacturers have to follow Apple's rules.

As mentioned above, as long as Apple releases a new system, the developer community will also upgrade, and all new software and updates must be 100% compatible with the new system, otherwise they will not be released. This also forces developers to adapt to the new system. After all, in this era where everyone updates, there is basically not much room for software that does not update.

It can be said that among all operating system manufacturers, Apple is the company with the strongest "control" ability. Through the monopoly advantage formed by the integration of software and hardware, Apple has the absolute right to speak in the entire iOS ecosystem and also controls the entire upgrade rhythm.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.