(Also see: How to Download and Install iOS 8 on Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch)
The Cupertino-based giant, when first unveiling iOS 8 at WWDC, touted it as the biggest release since the launch of the App Store, detailing some major overhauls to the OS.
However, initial trends seen in the adoption rate of iOS 8 shows that the new Apple mobile and tablet operating system, despite the hype, indicate iOS 8 has not engendered as much excitement in users when compared to iOS 7.
Techcrunch reports, citing popular mobile OS usage monitoring platforms such as Chitika, Tapjoy, Mixpanel and Appsee, that iOS 7 showed a much faster adoption rate in the first 24 hours last year than the iOS 8 in its first 24 hours this week.
(Also see: 10 New iOS 8 Features Showcased at WWDC)
Search-targeted advertising company Chitika reported that iOS 8 has hit an adoption rate of just 7.3 percent in nearly 24 hours of its public release, compared to 18.2 percent for iOS 7, and 14.8 percent for iOS 6. The company explains, "Chitika Insights examined a sample of millions of U.S. and Canadian iOS-based online ad impressions from within the Chitika Ad network generated between September 17 and September 18 2014."
Further, Chitika noted, "The more muted reception of iOS 8 in these early stages is likely due to several confounding factors," such as the limited number of eligible devices, of which the iPhone 4S is said to be affected adversely by the upgrade - further affecting adoption. Other reasons mentioned by Chitika include the between 5GB to 7GB of free storage required when updating over-the-air, slowing things down while people figure out ways to free up the space. Lastly, the site says the proximity of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch to that of iOS 8 also ensures those users looking to trade-in their iPhone for the newest generation would hold-off on upgrading to the new OS when they can shortly get it out-of-the-box instead.
Mixpanel and Appsee claim 17.79 percent and 21.04 percent respectively iOS 8 adoption rates. However, Techcrunch notes, "These numbers represent the total percentage of users on iOS 8 that are running the apps which use their mobile analytics products."
(Also see: iOS 8 on iPhone 4S: Slow Performance, Cramped Screen)
The report also quotes Mixpanel's CEO Suhail Doshi to say, "It was at around 38 percent after the first 24 hours for iOS 7."
Tapjoy, on the other hand, said, "While it took approximately seven hours for iOS 7 to reach 10% adoption, which was twice as fast as it took iOS 6 to reach that level of penetration, iOS 8 stands at under 6% eighteen hours after its initial availability, while iOS 7 was at 12% after the same time period," adding, "iOS 8 is being adopted at a significantly slower rate than iOS 7."
(Also see: iOS 8 Direct Download Links for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
Additionally, a report suggests (via WSJ) that Apple has used its own CDN to deliver part of the iOS 8 upgrade for the first time, according to a research firm. Deepfield notes, "Until today, Apple used Akamai and other CDNs to deliver a large portion of their network traffic to consumers. Akamai is a content delivery network or CDN, so when your iOS device asked the network to download a new version, Akamai is the company that has the tens of thousands of servers around the world that would send you that update. Not so this time."
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.