Apple’s long-anticipated iOS 8 upgrade will be released today, and will likely start being available for download at 10am Pacific (1pm Eastern) for all eligible iDevices, which are the iPhone 4S, 5, 5S, and 5C, the iPad 2, 3, 4, Air and Mini models, and the 5th generation iPod touch. If you have one of these devices, and have properly prepared it for the upgrade, then you are only left with the notion of whether or not you should upgrade right away. For the most part, the answer to this will be a resounding yes, but there are a few considerations you might take before jumping right in.
1. Old Device? Consider waiting
iOS 8 is intended for use on the iDevice models I listed above; however, in the past, even though updates would work on older devices, some have had problems with performance after upgrading. While the devices will run the OS, you may not see things go quite as snappy as expected, and perhaps be slower than your device running iOS 7 right now. Therefore, if you have an iPad 2, or an iPhone 4S, consider waiting to hear other accounts of how the new OS performs, before diving right in.
Once iOS 8 is out, you will undoubtedly be inundated with app updates. Be sure to upgrade, but also be aware that if you are looking for specific iOS 8 features, these may not be rolled into your apps for a few weeks, so even though you may see updates for them, these initial ones might simply be stability updates as opposed to those with new features. Check with your apps’ developers to see if they are fully iOS 8-ready before upgrading.
3. It may simply take a while to download
In the past Apple has been hit with high traffic during iOS upgrade releases, so even though you might be eager to upgrade, if you cannot connect to Apple’s software update service, or if the download is taking a long time, then consider canceling it and waiting for traffic and server issues to resolve before attempting the upgrade again. Apple is expected to make the downloads available at around 10am PST today, and traffic is expected to be high during the few hours after this time. Traffic will then fall off toward the evening and night time, so if it does not download right away or you cannot connect, try again after 8pm or so.
4. Early quirks and bugs
Even though Apple has been testing iOS 8 extensively with its developer community, as with any update there may be some initial quirks that early adopters will have to contend with. These can be incompatibility with apps (even updated ones), or iPhone and iPad features not working correctly, or issues like batteries draining unexpectedly. For the most part, these should at least be tolerable by those who upgrade, but if you rely on your iPhone for work and other important activities, then you might consider waiting for these issues (if any) to at least be identified so you know what you are up agains. Generally, these details will be identified within a few weeks of the upgrade being out (with most being noted within a few days).
Along these lines, if your iPhone or iPad is a corporate device, then even though iOS 8 may be available for download, be sure to consult with your corporation’s IT department before upgrading, especially if your corporation uses any specific apps, services, or implements any specific settings for iOS. With iOS 8 being so new, it is possible some of these services might have problems, so follow your IT department’s recommendations for when to upgrade as opposed to doing it right when iOS 8 is available.
5. Enjoy jailbreaking? Upgrading will break it
Many folks love to jailbreak their iPhones so they can install whatever apps they want and make other customizations to their iDevices. While fun, know that for now there is no known jailbreak for iOS 8, and while one might be out within days, it could also take much longer to develop. Therefore, if you have jailbroken your iOS device, wait until a similar hack has been released for iOS 8 before upgrading, so you can apply it right away. Otherwise, you might end up going for a while with the limitations of the stock iOS release.
If any of these issues apply to you, then simply wait a few days before you check for and apply the iOS 8 upgrade, and check news sources as well as with the developers of apps you use, to see if any outstanding problems persist. Otherwise, if you have already properly prepared your iDevice for the upgrade when iOS 8 starts hitting the airwaves in a few hours, tap the install button and after a few minutes you will be up and running.
Sorry but these reasons are not new and not convincing enough. They will probably apply to any upgrades.
The reasons may not be new, but the readers might be. As for how convincing the reasons are, sorry to break it to you, but you’re not the designated arbiter of what’s convincing for everyone, your pretentious assumptions to the contrary notwithstanding.
In fact, every one of Topher’s reasons is based on past experience with iOS upgrades, as reported by a great many disappointed users. So his words of caution are eminently justified. Your contrary advice is decidedly not.
I should have made that part clearer. The install process requires 5+GB, but when done you will have that space back. Unfortunately, this means you will have to temporarily delete items to free up this space.
Did you mean to reply in the other article?
Ugh…yes…I got mixed up with the commenting system here.
I never said it’s not convincing for everyone. I was merely stating my opinion. Perhaps you should get off your high horse and stop making quick judgements. Who is the one that’s making pretentious assumptions ?
My iPad 3 has never been updated to iOS 7. If I were to decide to do 8, would I have to do 7 first? It is sitting there ready to go since Apple pushed it to the device ages ago. On the other hand, I need to see compelling reasons to update. Are there any? Since my iPod Touch 4 is not eligible for this upgrade, it seems to me that it would be less confusing to stay with the same iOS for both devices. Besides, I am still using Mt. Lion on the iMac.