Software
All of Apple's tablets and smartphones run
on the same operating system, which is known as iOS. Updates are available free
to all device owners on the day of release, although some older devices may be
prevented from updating for performance reasons (i.e. the original iPad cannot
update past iOS version 5.1.1). The current version of iOS is 6.1.3, although
iOS 7 is currently available as a developer preview and due for release later
this year. It's is expected that it will coincide with the release of the fifth
generation iPad.
Apple's free updates mean that over 90% of
all active iOS devices run the latest version. A figure far greater than any
other smartphone and tablet ecosystem and evidence of the simplicity that
attracts users. Unlike Android, there's no confusion about which version you're
getting and what its capabilities are.
The
current version of iOS is 6.1.3, although iOS 7 is currently available as a
developer preview and due for release later this year.
At the launch of the iPad, one of its
strengths was that running on iOS meant that it was compatible with iPhone
applications, meaning that buyers had access to a vast library of software in
addition to a growing number of tablet-specific applications. Users who own an
iPhone as well as an iPad will be glad to find that they can download past
purchases onto either device. Tablet-specific software cannot be installed onto
the iPhone, but iPhone apps will install on the iPad and some are even
'universal', meaning they offer an iPhone- specific interface for the iPhone
and an iPad-specific interface for the iPad.
For devices running iOS 6, the third
generation iPad onwards incorporates Apple's voice-activated online assistant,
Siri, which uses a semi-intelligent knowledge engine to translate natural language
into information requests, interprets those requests and then displays the
results after fetching them from the Internet. Early versions of Siri had
difficulty understanding regional accents and were unable to find local
information on businesses outside the US, but since its wider release, voice
recognition has improved and local information is available outside the US.
iOS comes with a number of built-in apps,
including a music player based on Apple's iPod software, a rudimentary
note-taking application which can be synced between devices, a calendar, email
manager, Safari web browser, photo browser, voice recorder and more besides.
Applications also provide access to iTunes for media and the App Store for
further software downloads.
One area where the iPad has suffered a
recent setback is in its mapping capabilities, with the release of iOS 6, the
default mapping application was switched from using Google Maps to the new,
proprietary Apple Maps series. Unfortunately, the latter proved inadequate by
comparison, with vast swathes of information either missing, erroneous or
incomplete. Some months later, the latter service has still failed to reach the
standards of the former. The change wasn't unilaterally for the worse - it did
add turn-by-turn navigation - but it also forfeited access to Google's Street
View system.
One
area where the iPad has suffered a recent setback is in its mapping
capabilities, with the release of iOS 6, the default mapping application was
switched from using Google Maps to the new, proprietary Apple Maps series.
Despite this, it's worth pointing out that
a Google Maps application is available for iOS and the missing functionality
can be largely restored using it. The same is also true of the YouTube app, the
official version of which was removed from the iPad's default selection, but
which can be re-downloaded from the App Store.
App Store & iTunes
The Apple App Store allows owners of iOS
devices, including the iPad, to download software applications that extend the
functionality of their device. Although the software which comes with the IPad
cannot be removed, apps downloaded from the App Store can be deleted and
re-installed at will.
Unlike most software platforms, which allow
'open' development, iOS software cannot be developed or distributed without a
license from Apple. As supplied, there is no way to load software onto an iPad
other than from the App Store (either directly to the device or indirectly
through the iTunes desktop software) although 'jailbreaking' the device allows
software to be installed on it even though this action is unsupported by Apple.
For each sale made through the App Store,
Apple receives 30% of the money, with the rest passed onto the publisher. This
applies to both individual sales and subscriptions. As of June 2013, the App
Store has exceeded 50 billion downloads since its 2008 launch, almost 20
billion of which occurred in 2012 alone. At present, the App Store is estimated
to contain somewhere between 900,000 and a million applications and it was
announced in June 2013 that 375,000 of these are iPad native.
Apps can be either paid-for or free, though
internal advertising is permitted to support the latter. One major difference
between the App Store and its competitors is that there is no returns policy at
all on digital sales and all purchases are final. Luckily, the low price of
apps means that the financial risk is small and Apple has found that customers
are quick to take a chance on a new application and slow to anger if it doesn't
work out.
Although the App Store doesn't include any
non- application content, there is, of course, iTunes for videos and audio.
Other media can be embedded in applications and sold that way (i.e. Comixology
allows comic book downloads which would otherwise be unavailable) although the
iBooks store and Newsstand allows for periodicals and books to be purchased
directly through their respective applications as part of iTunes.
Although
the iBooks store and Newsstand allows for periodicals and books to be purchased
directly through their respective applications as part of iTunes.
The success of the App Store model had a
large impact on both consumer expectations and publisher ambitions and quickly
became the template for tablet PCs. Indeed, the App Store model is as integral
to the success of Apple's devices as the hardware they're built from - possibly
even more so.
Ultimately, it seems that the App Store
model will be a victim of its own exclusivity. With Android's software
strengthening from release to release, the Google Play store is reaching more
and more devices and adding more and more content. It isn't beyond
comprehension that the App Store will be pushed into second place for the first
time ever before 2013 is out.
Ultimately,
it seems that the App Store model will be a victim of its own exclusivity.
Even so, Apple's trump card is a good one:
its users spend more money on apps, meaning that even with all other things
being equal, it's more profitable for developers to stick with Apple than
Android. That's why the iPhone tends to get apps quicker than Android (if the
latter gets them at all) and it's all part of what attracts people - developers
and users to the iPad.
