63% of users have now upgraded to iOS 8

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iOS 8 adoption continues to pick up. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

It was a rocky start for iOS 8, but adoption figures continue to creep upwards. As per the latest figures released by Apple, 63% of active iOS users are now running the latest version of the company’s mobile OS, while 33% are using iOS 7, and 4% are running earlier versions of the operating system.

Apple measured usage via visits to the App Store on Monday this week.

The increase is likely related to the continued high sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — which are predicted to sell a massive 71.5 million units over the holidays. Most recently, Apple released iOS 8.1.2 to the public, helping to solve the mystery of disappearing ringtones on iOS devices.

iOS 8 adoption continues to increase as the holidays get nearer.
iOS 8 adoption is increasing as the holidays get nearer. Photo: Apple

While iOS 8 figures are certainly up from their stagnant early adoption rate, it’s worth noting that the latest mobile OS is still beyond where iOS 7 was this time last year. When Apple measured iOS 7 adoption the week ending December 13, 2013, roughly 76% of users had upgraded to the then-new operating system, with just 20% clinging to the last generation OS.

With that being said, iOS 8 adoption is now moving faster than its predecessor did at this time.

iOS 8 also slows older iOS devices to a crawl, which has most likely put a significant number of users off upgrading.

However you slice it, though, it’s certainly miles ahead ahead of the fractured Android ecosystem, where one recent report suggested that fewer than 0.1% of Google Play users have upgraded to Android’s latest mobile OS, Lollipop.

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