14 DAY TRIAL // Attending the Code/Mobile conference this week, Apple's VP of iPhone marketing, Greg Joswiak, had a chat with former WSJ columnists Walt Mossberg and Ina Fried to talk about – what else, if not – Apple’s latest endeavors, as well as offer some insights into the company’s mindset.
One of the topics touched on by Joswiak, admittedly for a very brief portion of the interview, was the botched release of iOS 8.0.1. As many of you should already know, iOS 8.0.1 was responsible for bricking tens of thousands of iPhones.
The software wasn’t buggy, the servers were
Joswiak didn’t go into the technicalities involving the botched distribution of iOS 8.0.1, but he did share this with re/code’s staff (from the site’s Twitter stream): “‘It wasn't the software itself it was the way it was distributed.’ Joswiak on iOS 8.0.1 ‘We're very sorry’.”
Apparently, the servers that iOS 8.0.1 came from did something to bork the update, or the updating process, and resulted in around 40,000 new-generation iPhones getting bricked. The number was confirmed by Joswiak, who made it seem like a fluke.
iOS 8 may have started off on the wrong foot with the iPhone user base, but everything is fine now thanks to two consecutive updates from Cupertino. The latest such update, iOS 8.1, included not only fixes for the most widely-reported issues, but also new features.
The new firmware, currently installed on millions of iPhones of all types and generations, resolves issues with Wi-Fi performance, Bluetooth hands-free connections, screen rotation, cellular data options, video playback in Safari, OS X Caching Server for iOS updates, and more.
The update further adds AirDrop support for Passbook passes, adds an option to enable Dictation in Settings for Keyboards (separate from Siri), enables HealthKit apps to access data in the background, opens up Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (U.S. only for the time being), as well as new features in Photos and Messages.
iOS 8 now on 52% of all iDevices
A regularly-updated chart on Apple’s developer portal indicates that iOS 8 is now installed on more than half of all iDevices in the wild. According to Apple’s count on October 27, 52% percent of all users wielding iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch players are currently on the new OS. The Cupertino company doesn’t say how many people are on iOS 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.2, or iOS 8.1.
iOS 8 has seen a slower adoption rate than iOS 7 last year, mainly because it wasn’t as big of a novelty as last year’s update, and partially (perhaps) because of problems involving downloading and installing the software.
"It wasn't the software itself it was the way it was distributed" Joswiak on iOS 8.0.1 "We're very sorry" #codemobile pic.twitter.com/5jrkBXdEyW
— Re/code (@Recode) October 28, 2014