Report: Apple’s iOS 9 will focus on performance over new features

Apple’s iOS 9 will focus on performance over new features

Apple is reportedly planning a “directed focus” on stabilizing and optimizing the next generation of its mobile operating system, iOS 9, as opposed to introducing a bunch of new features.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple will mostly focus on fixing bugs and boosting performance with iOS 9, codenamed “Stowe” after a Vermont ski resort. Of course there will be new features, too, but the priority appears to be making the already-existing software the best it can be.

Some customers and Apple aficionados complain that Apple has sacrificed overall phone performance in recent years in favor of cool new features — such as the Touch ID fingerprint scanner or Apple Pay, the report noted.

Apple is also working on reducing the download sizes of its software updates.

Apple is also working on reducing the download sizes of its software updates. One of the biggest early complaints about iOS 8 was its massive download size — initially near 5GB, which exceeded many users’ available storage space. Though it was possible to install the update via USB, thus alleviating the need for storage space, many users reported frantically deleting phone contents to make room for the new software.

The download was so big that a handful of customers evensued the Cupertino company over it. Some iPhone users also complained about poor battery life.

9to5Mac compared iOS 9 to OS X Snow Leopard, which Apple introduced for Macs in 2009. With Snow Leopard, Apple was more concerned about quick performance and system stability than new features.

There’s no official timeline for the release of iOS 9 yet, though Apple typically announces the new version of iOS each June and releases it in the fall.

BONUS: iOS 8 review