iOS 7 is in the lead. The mobile operating system that runs Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone and iPad devices was initially launched in September. By the middle of October, the new operating system was on 64% of the devices and roughly two months later, the number grew to 78%.
iOS 7 is adapted fast
Earlier this month, CNET’s Dara Kerr explained, “Of all of Apple’s software releases, iOS 7 has proved to garner the fastest adoption. According to September data from analytics firm Chitika, iOS 7 nabbed more than 50 percent of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) users in its first week. Beyond the user-facing features, each major software release has included new APIs for developers, who have to balance compatibility with older devices against including the latest software features.”
The number would be even higher if iOS 7 was supported on all Apple mobile devices but this version isn’t available for phones earlier than iPad 1, iPhone 4, and fifth generation iPod Touch. There is still 18 percent iOS 6 users and 4% other iOS users. All the stats were tallied by the App Store at the end of a seven-day period.
Android has a hard time keeping up
One thing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) offers that their top competitor Android doesn’t insist on frequent mobile operating system refreshes. 1.1 percent Android devices run the current 4.4 system, which happened to be released one month ago. However, 55.6 percent run 4.1 or later. The main problem for Android in regards to updating their operating system more frequently is that Android has to work with device manufacturers. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one brand which enables it to have full control of the update process. This makes updating the operating system much more difficult.
For Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans with older devices, there is a custom firmware that adds some of the features found on iOS 7 to older phones. This program was optimized specifically for iPhone 2G and 3G as well as 1st and 2nd generation iPod Touch devices.
