iOS 8.1 released: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) Users Welcome Apple Pay, iCloud Library

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By Chris Hillman on October 20, 2014 Technology & Software

It was only last week when Apple’s software operations head, Craig Federighi, announced the iOS 8.1. The new update, according to Federighi, will iron out issues with the iOS 8, and also add in some extra features to Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) devices. Among the new features is the iCloud photo library, which will make its debut to all Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) devices. Apple Pay, the new mobile payment system designed by Apple, will also come with the update, providing in-app purchase facility for iPad Air 2 and Mini 3, and NFC payment facility on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with the TouchID feature.

The much anticipated iOS 8 came out last month, and offered a ton of new features to the users in terms of functionality and usability. The release brought great improvement over the iOS 7 released last year, which improved Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) devices only in terms of design, color schemes, and typography.

After iOS 7, iOS 8 is the second major release under the leadership of Fereighi as a software operations head. Although the former had failed to impress users and analysts alike, the latter solved many issues including notification system errors, and has closely integrated the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS devices with OSX on desktop. The iOS 8 is also the first in the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS series to fully integrate itself with the iCloud service.

However, just like all previous releases of the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS, users started to report issues and bugs in the new Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS 8 within days of its release. Some of the most common issues were with Wi-Fi connectivity, battery drainage, and slow web browsing in Safari.

An update, iOS 8.0.1, was released within 10 days to resolve these issues. But, users reported worse problems right after the update, including a buggy TouchID, and problems connecting to cellular networks. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), within an hour of its release, pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update, and offered a guide to users to downgrade to iOS 8. iOS 8.0.2 was then launched the next day, solving all such issues and becoming the first stable version of the iOS 8.

According to Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) AppStore statistics, only 47% Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) users have upgraded to the iOS 8, as of Oct 5. This, in comparison to 69.7% adoption rate of iOS 7 last year, has been disappointing for Federighi. But Federighi is optimistic. According to Federighi, a 47% adoption rate for an OS in just two weeks is great, as this rate is much better than those of competitors. “After 313 days, KitKat is only on 25 percent of Android devices,” says Federighi.

With the iOS 8.1, Federighi is hopeful to increase this rate of adoption of the new OS to new heights. The great utility offered by Apple Pay in thousands of stores in the U.S., combined with the return of the much beloved Camera Roll feature, iOS 8.1 is expected to have a much greater appeal with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) users.