General Apple's promises and reality

[oldmacs]

Huh? You do know in essence your both your use cases are the same.

Not sure what you're saying. What I am saying is that Apple achieved iOS 9 on the older devices through a new way of creating an iOS devices where by they started with a core version of iOS (With the new APIs and Security updates) and enabled new features one by one to achieve the best performance mix (in theory).

What I'm saying is that is how they can very possibly do the same with iOS 10, in creating that core version of iOS 10 possibly just with any new security updates that iOS 10 brings and little else, to ensure that newer devices aren't held back by the old ones and that the older devices aren't bogged down further by features they can't handle.

 

[C DM]

We are talking about iOS performance, not app content loading speed or multitasking.
I even said this, obviously having little ram will not help these days with modern apps. Even my simple iOS game at its peak uses like 200mb of ram.

It's purely about iOS performance. It's not people complaining that this new modern game loads 5 seconds slower on their 5 than on their friends 6.
It's comments about iOS itself such as slow animation speeds, long delays, animation priority, stutter etc. Even the godly iPad Air 2 stutters and throws hissy fits once in a while. It did it on 8 and it does it on 9.

It's the Gaussian blur I tell you, I tried it once on my iOS game and I just saw the framerate F off so quickly I thought I was dreaming. Even a 2015 Mac with Yosemite could not handle that blur in mission control which is why they got rid of it in El Capitan.

If we take an iPad Air or an iPhone 6 right now and put in 8gb of ram in it iOS itself will not miracly run much faster. It just won't.

Many people in general and even here will and do put app loading times, switching between apps, and other things of that nature under the performance category. If you see many complaints they mention quite a few of those things. Sure, things like animation stutter might be somewhat less relevant to that--although as I recall GPU shares system memory for video memory, which means even that would be affected--and while many complain about those as well, performance goes well beyond that for most.

 

[steve knight]

No matter what Apple does, people will never be happy and its really starting to get obnoxious. Apple delays the release to fix bugs = People angry Apple isn't updating enough. Apple releases update that has some bugs = People angry that stuff doesn't work properly. No one will ever be happy.

when you promise the world but don't deliver people are going to complain. apple brings this on with the perfection the bet thing ever attitude.

 

[Beavix]

It's the Gaussian blur I tell you, I tried it once on my iOS game and I just saw the framerate F off so quickly I thought I was dreaming.

Heh, I've just noticed the blur is automatically disabled in iOS 9 on my iPhone 4S. As a result the app switcher UI does not stutter AT ALL. Scrolls like butter. Unlike my iPhone 6 Plus.

 

[crashoverride77]

Many people in general and even here will and do put app loading times, switching between apps, and other things of that nature under the performance category. If you see many complaints they mention quite a few of those things. Sure, things like animation stutter might be less relevant to that, and while many complain about those as well, performance goes well beyond that for most.

Well it depends what kind of app loading. It's just a matter of fact that a modern app such as Facebook will load longer on older devices. No conspiracy, no greedy Apple, just the truth about technology and this thing called progress.

Obviously if iMessage suddenly needs 2 times to load than before than yeah that does suck. But even that sort of makes sense with how software works. Just because you cannot see a visual change doesn't not mean nothing has changed.

Most complaints I have seen is about app delay, animation speed, stutter, slow reponse, animation priority etc. There is not a lot of threads, at least not anymore, of how things don't stay in memory. It's all about raw iOS performance, smoothness and responsiveness is the magic word that people use a lot.

I just find the conspiracy theories hilarious. I'm sure at one point you will have to make trade offs where you add new features, core functionality to an OS which than will in turn affect older devices.
If Apple made a version of iOS each year that runs exactly the same on all devices as the previous version, without ZERO tradeoffs, they would never progress. Half the stuff they added just in the last 2-3 years you probably would not have. But hey at least iOS would run smooth on those s***y iPhone 4s.

Get a life and a 5s.

 

[Paradoxally]

Get a life and a 5s.

Why a 5S? An iPhone 5 runs iOS 9 just as well, unless you want Touch ID...

The 4S though...yeah, I agree. Using that as your daily driver on 9 is painful. iOS 6 was the sweet spot.

 

[Beavix]

If Apple made a version of iOS each year that runs exactly the same on all devices as the previous version, without ZERO tradeoffs, they would never progress. Half the stuff they added just in the last 2-3 years you probably would not have. But hey at least iOS would run smooth on those s***y iPhone 4s.

They just added a stupid Gaussian blur effect in iOS 9 which makes the UI stutter on my iPhone 6+. Is that progress?

 

[JT2002TJ]

I just find the conspiracy theories hilarious. I'm sure at one point you will have to make trade offs where you add new features, core functionality to an OS which than will in turn affect older devices.
If Apple made a version of iOS each year that runs exactly the same on all devices as the previous version, without ZERO tradeoffs, they would never progress. Half the stuff they added just in the last 2-3 years you probably would not have. But hey at least iOS would run smooth on those s***y iPhone 4s.

Get a life and a 5s.

This would make sense, if everyone was talking about really old devices. There is a noticeable lag on my fresh install of 9.0 on my Iphone 6+, which is just a few days over 1 year old.

 

[crashoverride77]

Heh, I've just noticed the blur is automatically disabled in iOS 9 on my iPhone 4S. As a result the app switcher UI does not stutter AT ALL. Scrolls like butter. Unlike my iPhone 6 Plus.

Yeah 4s cannot handle that blur.
Just seems to be a performance killer or it just cannot be optimised enough to sustain prolonged periods of time without causing a drop in the framerate. There is defiantly areas where you can reproduce performance issues, cough cough weather app, but normally when I see the stutter it always comes out of nowhere.

Ironically the smoothest thing by far in iOS in years, and I mean by far, is also strangely enough the most intensive task, which is the split screen stuff on iPads. On my Air 2 that thing runs as close to perfect as you can get, 60 frames and just as smooth as it can be. Which just makes it even weirder when it than stutters 30 seconds later trying to open a folder with 4 apps in it. I don't get it.

 

[crashoverride77]

This would make sense, if everyone was talking about really old devices. There is a noticeable lag on my fresh install of 9.0 on my Iphone 6+, which is just a few days over 1 year old.

Runs pretty well on my 6. But yeah out of the modern devices the 6plus gets the most stick it seems.

 

[crashoverride77]

Why a 5S? An iPhone 5 runs iOS 9 just as well, unless you want Touch ID...

The 4S though...yeah, I agree. Using that as your daily driver on 9 is painful. iOS 6 was the sweet spot.

Fair enough. I just fell sorry for people without Touch ID I guess. Still my favourite feature ever in the last how many years. Even 3D Touch cannot hold a candle to the greatness that is Touch ID. Lol

 

[crashoverride77]

They just added a stupid Gaussian blur effect in iOS 9 which makes the UI stutter on my iPhone 6+. Is that progress?

Well if you would actually care to do some research than you wouldn't ask that question. They have done so many core changes to iOS, listing them would take me forever. Plus I'm sure your 6plus stuttered and ran a lot worse when you were using 8.0-8.3. Remember those times?
Also the blur effect has been there since iOS 7, not 9, so I don't get what you are saying.

 

[Max(IT)]

iPad 2 is ancient history, true, but the Mini 2 is the same hardware as the Mini 3, which is a current product and runs the same SoC as the Air, which is also hardly "old," FWIW.

My mistake. I was speaking about iPad 2 and original Mini...

Then you can't say its faster. Show me side by side comparison with a clean install of both iOS 8.4.1 and 9 and show me it performing faster. I'm dying to see it. There are too many variables in your "no noticeable differences in normal use". Its possible you had a dodgy iOS 8 install to base that off. The only true comparison is when you run both side by side. Sure you could be happy with the performance but that doesn't make it faster by any measure. Just means you perceive it as faster until it is properly tested.

Not going to make any comparisons to show something I'm seeing on everyday use.
Don't know if iOS 9 is faster. Surely it isn't any slower, and it runs absolutely flawlessly on my iDevices.

And yes we are comparing wiht the final version of iOS 8 as it would be assumed that Apple would have performance on par with it or better given this is an update that put 'foundation' as apple calls it as one of 4 major tent poll features. Not just a casual mention.

Unfair comparison since it's a first release.

They are talking about the 4S, 5 and 5S. It doesn't matter how old the device is, and given the older devices barely have any new features, speed should be up to iOS 8.4.1 at least. The Guardians is a newspaper.

5S runs iOS 9 great.
iPhone 4S and partially iPhone 5 are old hardware. You can't look for performance on those devices.
But I saw an iPhone 5 running iOS 9 and it was fine. Absolutely usable.

The iPad Mini 2 was sold as Apple's top of the Line mini (iPad Mini 3) up until a few weeks ago. It is not 'old'. It is only one generation behind Apple's flagship iPhone. And besides, given it is A7 it should benefit from the new metal enhancements.

As I said, my mistake. I was speaking about iPad 2 and original Mini.

 

[JT2002TJ]

5S runs iOS 9 great.
iPhone 4S and partially iPhone 5 are old hardware. You can't look for performance on those devices.
But I saw an iPhone 5 running iOS 9 and it was fine. Absolutely usable.

No one is saying they aren't "usable", simply that they do not run as fast as 8.4.1. Even my 6+ isn't running as fast on 9.0 as 8.4.1. I am sure it will be address with later versions, but it clearly opens apps slower, animations are slower. If I open the app store, it literally sits for 3 seconds before the screen renders. (FYI, I have FIOS and am running an AC router with 80+ mb up and down speeds, so it isn't my network speeds).

 

[I7guy]

No one is saying they aren't "usable", simply that they do not run as fast as 8.4.1. Even my 6+ isn't running as fast on 9.0 as 8.4.1. I am sure it will be address with later versions, but it clearly opens apps slower, animations are slower. If I open the app store, it literally sits for 3 seconds before the screen renders. (FYI, I have FIOS and am running an AC router with 80+ mb up and down speeds, so it isn't my network speeds).

And there are those who are saying that iOS 9 is better than iOS 8.4.1, runs smoother, less lag etc. A significant amount of energy is expended in trying to make a generic statement in both extremes and in reality the truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

[cynics]

I think something to keep in mind is how well was your previous version of iOS running?

For example...for ME on MY 4S iOS 6 was very laggy and overall performance was poor. That was contrary to most peoples experience. So when iOS 7 came out it felt like greased lightning, meanwhile many 4S owners complained of slow downs.

I may have mentioned that iOS 7 was fast on here a couple times but I never got too committed to the idea because I always felt there was something wrong with my install of iOS 6 so I didnt have an accurate base for measurement.

What I'm saying if you version of iOS 8.4.1 was running poorly then iOS 9 could feel like an improvement. Also keep in mind, if you say iOS 8.4.1 was smooth (60fps) then iOS 9 can't be any faster anyway. I could understand the argument of iOS 9 is AS GOOD...but better? To me that would indicate there was a problem to begin with.

 

[Max(IT)]

No one is saying they aren't "usable", simply that they do not run as fast as 8.4.1. Even my 6+ isn't running as fast on 9.0 as 8.4.1. I am sure it will be address with later versions, but it clearly opens apps slower, animations are slower. If I open the app store, it literally sits for 3 seconds before the screen renders. (FYI, I have FIOS and am running an AC router with 80+ mb up and down speeds, so it isn't my network speeds).

The App Store issue isn't related to iOS 9. There are problems in these days...
I can't see any slowdown in iOS 9 on my iPhone or on my iPad. The only difference I noticed is a less than 1 second black screen delay opening Whatsapp, but being limited to this app, I think it's an issue related to whatsapp not yet updated to iOS 9.
Everything else run smoothly

 

[Max(IT)]

I think something to keep in mind is how well was your previous version of iOS running?

For example...for ME on MY 4S iOS 6 was very laggy and overall performance was poor. That was contrary to most peoples experience. So when iOS 7 came out it felt like greased lightning, meanwhile many 4S owners complained of slow downs.

I may have mentioned that iOS 7 was fast on here a couple times but I never got too committed to the idea because I always felt there was something wrong with my install of iOS 6 so I didnt have an accurate base for measurement.

What I'm saying if you version of iOS 8.4.1 was running poorly then iOS 9 could feel like an improvement. Also keep in mind, if you say iOS 8.4.1 was smooth (60fps) then iOS 9 can't be any faster anyway. I could understand the argument of iOS 9 is AS GOOD...but better? To me that would indicate there was a problem to begin with.

In my experience iOS 9 is as good as was iOS 8

 

[C DM]

I think something to keep in mind is how well was your previous version of iOS running?

For example...for ME on MY 4S iOS 6 was very laggy and overall performance was poor. That was contrary to most peoples experience. So when iOS 7 came out it felt like greased lightning, meanwhile many 4S owners complained of slow downs.

I may have mentioned that iOS 7 was fast on here a couple times but I never got too committed to the idea because I always felt there was something wrong with my install of iOS 6 so I didnt have an accurate base for measurement.

What I'm saying if you version of iOS 8.4.1 was running poorly then iOS 9 could feel like an improvement. Also keep in mind, if you say iOS 8.4.1 was smooth (60fps) then iOS 9 can't be any faster anyway. I could understand the argument of iOS 9 is AS GOOD...but better? To me that would indicate there was a problem to begin with.

So if you say that some people could have had 8.4.1 that wasn't running right somehow that could have been contributing to some performance type of issues, it seems the same could apply to some people with 9 who could be experiencing issues for similar reasons (and not because there's some widespread issue with 9), right? Sure, that specifically might not address the part about 9 being better necessarily, but it seems to relate to the part about 9 being worse for everyone as quite a few people have been continuously trying to say or imply.

 

[newellj]

In my experience iOS 9 is as good as was iOS 8

My experience has been the same, with the exception of one of the iOS 9 betas that was a battery disaster. But Apple did promise significant improvements, and that hasn't materialized - most tests and most users seem to see results that are "as good as" rather than noticeably improved. I'm actually not complaining, and I don't want to underestimate the value of the new functionality in iOS 9, but if people feel disappointed it's understandable. Personally, in my own work, I prefer to promise reasonable outcomes and then over-deliver. :shrug:

 

[cynics]

So if you say that some people could have had 8.4.1 that wasn't running right somehow that could have been contributing to some performance type of issues, it seems the same could apply to some people with 9 who could be experiencing issues for similar reasons (and not because there's some widespread issue with 9), right? Sure, that specifically might not address the part about 9 being better necessarily, but it seems to relate to the part about 9 being worse for everyone as quite a few people have been continuously trying to say or imply.

Exactly.

The problem is many of us can't get passed the issue. Unlike my laziness with iOS 6 on my 4S to restore as new, this doesn't fix the reduced frame rate on iOS 9. Albeit I gained back a lot of storage space so it wasn't all for naught.

With only doing informal testing I can see iOS animation dropping below well below 30 fps. Keep in mind the brain will start to perceive a series of pictures as movement around 14 fps. So when you see stuttering (pictures) you are seeing quite drop in performance.

To make this even more evident I can see a vast improvement by turning reduce motion on, transparency off, etc. If performance wasn't down then changing those settings would offer no improvement since you can't fix something that isn't broken. This wasn't necessary on iOS 8.4.1 for most devices, besides those are accessibility options not performance enhancement options.

We are all still in agreement that changing those accessibility settings improves performance correct?

 

[I7guy]

Not sure what you're saying. What I am saying is that Apple achieved iOS 9 on the older devices through a new way of creating an iOS devices where by they started with a core version of iOS (With the new APIs and Security updates) and enabled new features one by one to achieve the best performance mix (in theory).

What I'm saying is that is how they can very possibly do the same with iOS 10, in creating that core version of iOS 10 possibly just with any new security updates that iOS 10 brings and little else, to ensure that newer devices aren't held back by the old ones and that the older devices aren't bogged down further by features they can't handle.

I don't think the process works as you say, unless you have inside knowledge of Apple operations. More likely to start the process they got the hardware and software people together and made a roadmap of what would be supported on what platform.

 

[I7guy]

Many people in general and even here will and do put app loading times, switching between apps, and other things of that nature under the performance category. If you see many complaints they mention quite a few of those things. Sure, things like animation stutter might be somewhat less relevant to that--although as I recall GPU shares system memory for video memory, which means even that would be affected--and while many complain about those as well, performance goes well beyond that for most.

Performance is a personal definition, which is why there is disagreement about nearly everything. For the sample, I could care less about app loading time, I do care about how fast an app is after it loads.

 

[TRDmanAE86]

People have forgotten the iOS 6
You say iOS 9 is smooth but look on videos with iOS 6 and look what is smoothly.
Nothing is perfect but Apple must significantly reduce bugs and lags.

Exactly! I have a iPhone 4S still running on 6.1.2 and, compared to a equivalent iOS 9.0.1 model (same backup file and both are 16 gb models) the lag in 9.x is noticeable! (Lag is slightly more than it was on 8.4.1) [on 9.0.1, lag is around 3 seconds delay from clicking a icon]

Besides that, iOS 9 has been ok. Heck, 9.0 has been more stable than 7.x-7.1x (I dread those days with my old iPad 2 constantly freezing when trying to do work on it!)

 

[t0mat0]

We want a stable and smoothly iOS without Bugs and Lags.
If someone from Apple read this please do something about iOS.
Thanks and sorry about my English.

Do you remember how crashy iOS 8.0 was on launch? The number of crashes to home screen as Springboard died etc? It's at 8.0.1 - we've got several months to iron things out. If people don't like unstable and no smooth OS - then *don't upgrade immediately!!*