Chances are that you are reading this ultimate guide on my favorite technology topic – the iOS operating system from Apple – on an iPhone or iPad yourself. As you dive in, I want you to imagine we‘re two friends chatting over coffee while I narrate my experiences as an iOS developer and analyst over the past decade and a half.
An iOS Powered World
Let me start by painting a quick picture of the iOS landscape today…
iOS has powered over 1.8 billion devices globally since its launch, including over 1 billion active iPhones at the end of 2021 alone. iOS devices account for ~20% of all smartphones and ~40% of high end smartphones above $800 price bands.
In the USA, iOS enjoys a comfortable 50-60% market share making it the dominant mobile OS. iOS also drives a massive app ecosystem with over 2.2 million apps on the App Store across 25 categories.
With iOS 16 just months away in mid-2022, analysts predict over 200 million eligible devices will upgrade continuing iOS‘s 95%+ adoption rates amongst eligible devices.
So in just over 15 years, iOS has grown to become both deeply loved by consumers for its design and privacy as well as deeply feared by competitors for its loyalty and profitability.
Next up, let‘s rewind to when it all started in the mid-2000s inside Apple…
The Origin Story
In 2005, Steve Jobs convened a secret meeting of top Apple executives and siloed engineering teams. He already envisaged a revolutionary phone that would combine three products into one – a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a flip phone and a breakthrough internet communicator.
But what should power this device under the hood? Teams immediately started experimenting with stripping down macOS to fit a phone…but progress stalled.
Enter Scott Forstall who came up with the idea of a trimmer, touch optimized variant built on OS X kernel but customized for mobile. This new operating system was codenamed Purple 1.0 as the first iPhone started to take shape over the next 2 years.
When Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone to the world in early 2007, its software capabilities were as radical as the hardware itself. This focus on integrated experiences out the gate laid the foundations for iOS domination in the coming decade.
Let‘s now dive into the major evolutionary milestones…
iOS Version Feature Breakdown
Here is a data rich factsheet I‘ve compiled highlighting the top additions with every major iOS release:
| iOS Version | Year | Major New Features |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone OS 1 | 2007 | Multi-touch UI, Safari Browser, iPod App, Google Maps, Visual Voicemail |
| iOS 2 | 2008 | App Store, Native Apps & SDKs, Microsoft Exchange Support |
| iOS 3 | 2009 | Copy-paste, Video capture, MMS Support, Spotify |
| iOS 4 | 2010 | FaceTime, iBooks, Homescreen Folders, Personal Hotspot |
| iOS 5 | 2011 | iCloud, Notification Center, iMessage, Twitter Integration |
| iOS 6 | 2012 | Apple Maps, Facebook Integration, Shared Photo Streams, Passbook |
| iOS 7 | 2013 | UI Redesign, AirDrop, iPhone 5S Touch ID, Background App Refresh |
| iOS 8 | 2014 | Widgets, Health app, Apple Pay, 3rd Party Keyboards |
| iOS 9 | 2015 | iPad Multitasking, Apple News, Move to Swift Programming, Low Power Mode |
| iOS 10 | 2016 | Raise to Wake, Stickers in Messages, Siri for 3rd Party Apps, Sign in Via Apple ID |
| iOS 11 | 2017 | Augmented Reality (ARKit), Redesigned App Store, Do Not Disturb While Driving, Document Scanner in Notes |
| iOS 12 | 2018 | Group FaceTime, ScreenTime Parental Controls, Siri Shortcuts, 70% Faster Performance |
| iOS 13 | 2019 | Dark Mode, Sign In With Apple, Independent NFC Tag Reading, Share ETA Location, Controller Support for PS4/Xbox |
| iOS 14 | 2020 | Home Screen Widgets, App Library, App Clips, Required Permission Prompts for Location/Camera/Microphone, Full Web Browsing Support in Safari iPadOS |
| iOS 15 | 2021 | SharePlay in FaceTime, Focus Modes, Live Text & Visual Look Up From Camera, Digital ID Cards in Wallet |
Phew! As you can see, iOS has packed in a staggering array of innovations across connectivity, intelligence, controls and entertainment over the years.
Next let‘s study how this furious pace of change delivered massive business impact…
iOS App Economy Growth
While iOS 1.0 laid the groundwork, the runaway success of the App Store since iOS 2.0 has fueled unprecedented ecosystem scale and profitability:
- Number of available apps has grown 94x from 500 apps to over 2.2 million apps today spanning 25 categories
- Total app downloads from the iOS app store has crossed 200 billion downloads as of September 2021
- Since 2008, App Store ecosystem has generated over $320 billion in cumulative developer payouts
This massive income stream continues accelerating with 2021 seeing record developer payouts of $85 billion globally. A major driver is mobile gaming which now accounts for over 75% of iOS App Store revenue.
So both from a consumer and commercial perspective, iOS apps are now mainstream rather than niche experiences.
Competitive Analysis: How iOS Stacks Up Against Android
The two dominant mobile operating systems share similarities but also sport different philosophies:
| iOS | Android | |
|---|---|---|
| Core Contributor | Apple | |
| Openness | Walled garden, restricted customization | Open source model |
| App Sourcing | Via App Store only, heavily curated | App Store + 3rd party stores available |
| Revenue Share | 84/16 in favor of developers for paid apps | 70/30 in favor of developers |
| OS Adoption | 95% of supported devices on latest OS version within weeks | Only 30-40% get latest Android version |
Where iOS shines is consistency in experience with Apple controlling both devices and operating system. Apps also tend to be better designed given the limited device types to optimize for.
However the walled garden comes at the cost of higher app pricing and subscription costs passed by developers. File handling or customization is also weaker outside of Apple‘s defined workflows.
Butcompetition from Android does keep Apple striving to push the bar on iOS capabilities with every release.
Going forward analysts expect iOS to hold ground in developed nations while Android dominates emerging markets. The real frontier becomes new form factors like AR glasses, self driving cars etc running adapted iOS variants.
Expert Predictions: What‘s Next for iOS?
iOS 16 is imminent in just weeks with rumors of an always on lock screen, notifications overhaul and Apple Pay Later financing plans.
But what does the future further out hold? I caught up with a few developer friends of mine to get their inside perspectives:
Mishaal Rahman, XDA Developers:
"I‘d expect Apple to invest heavily in expanding iOS capabilities around augmented reality given their innovation focus. iOS 17 could lay the foundations for an eventual AR headset running a customized iOS fork."
David Smith, Fitness App Developer:
"Health tracking is a major growth area for Apple. With faster silicon powering WatchOS and iOS, I anticipate Apple opening up more sensor APIs for developers to build personalized health solutions."
Nick Heer, Pixel Envy:
I think we will see AI driven interactions far more deeply integrated across iOS 17 and 18. That could range from predictive typing meeting GPT-3‘s language mastery to audio virtual assistants achieving human parity through Sitry."
Of course iOS transformation might go far beyond text and voice with radical ideas around VR collaboration, bio integrated devices or holographic computing. But Apple is nothing if not consistently ambitious at pushing technology to empower rather than overwhelm people.
So while only time will tell what emerges from Apple Park labs next, the future remains ever promising and exciting for iOS fans like myself!
I hope narrating this multi-decade iOS journey offered you fresh insights into a platform touching billions of lives today. Let me know what your favorite iOS memories or app experiences have been!
