iOS 8 problems not so magical: Slow, Laggy, Bloaty, Crashy, Buggy, Drainy and Doc

iOS 8 problems have reared their ugly heads, bang on cue. Early-adopting iMagicMirror owners are finding their devices suffering some seriously poisoned Apple.

Here we go again. Every major update causes suspicious slowdowns in older iPhone and iPad types. It’s as if Apple wants you to upgrade to the latest shiny. As if.

In IT Blogwatch, bloggers set aside their cynicism.

Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.

Gregg Keizer takes a beautiful new Queen:

The initial uptake for Apple’s iOS 8 has been less than half of…iOS 7. … In the 24 hours since its mid-day Wednesday launch, iOS 8 powered just 7.3% of all iOS devices that accessed Chitika’s ad network. … “iOS 8 adoption has been remarkably slower than either iOS 7 or iOS 6,” said Andrew Waber [who] compared the 7.3% of iOS 8 against last year’s iOS 7, which collected an 18.2% share [and] iOS 6’s share was 14.8%.  MORE

Some say slow uptake is down to the 5GB free-space requirement. Jonny Evans has great tips:

Some iOS 8 upgraders have complained it is necessary to delete content from their devices…to install the new OS. That’s true if you upgrade in isolation, but far less of a problem…if you upgrade using iTunes [when you] need just under 1GB of space. … How to use iTunes to upgrade:  MORE

And Andrew Cunningham sits on more gripes:

The 4S has stayed pretty speedy over the years, but how does iOS 8 treat it? … It’s missing out on several features that depend on newer hardware. [It’s] 3.5-inch iPhone screen size…is now the smallest of four…that Apple supports. iOS 8’s new stuff is all about fitting more information on those larger screens. … We were expecting speed to stay roughly the same in the jump from iOS 7 to iOS 8, more or less as it did when we moved from iOS 5 to iOS 6 on the 3GS. [But] application launch times…reset those expectations. … iOS 8 can add as much as 50 percent more time to the same task…animations on the Apple A5 SoC are markedly more choppy and inconsistent. … Casey Johnston confirmed that she was seeing the same kind of behavior on her iPad 2. … It’s odd, because although the applications themselves have added features, the GPU shouldn’t really be working harder to render stuff.  MORE

But Adam Mills avoids it, like the plague:

While the update delivers a ton of new features…it also delivered a number of iOS 8 problems as well. … [But] iOS 8 is not as ambitious as last year’s iOS 7 update. … Apple’s discussion forums are littered with complaints about iOS 8 and the supposed problems that the update has delivered to iPhone and iPad users. … iPad users are evidently dealing with a myriad of issues [not] limited to owners of the iPad 2…bad Wi-Fi…incredibly slow…Safari is extremely slow…issues with sound…multitasking gestures, FaceTime issues, and more. … iPhone users are dealing with iOS 8 problems as well…not just those with the iPhone 4s…poor performance…Mail app keeps crashing…random reboots… Wi-Fi issues, a number of problems with the new Family Sharing feature…abnormal battery drain…complaints about Bluetooth…messaging problems…and a whole lot more.  MORE

So Zach Miners digs into a HealthKit show-stopper:

A bug in Apple’s HealthKit…is delaying the launch of outside developers’ fitness and health apps. … “We’re working quickly to have the bug fixed,”…a spokeswoman said. [It’s] an unfortunate development for Apple as the company tries to make a new push into health and fitness.  MORE

Meanwhile, Nate Antetomaso seems slightly sarcastic:

My favorite new feature in iOS 8 is shorter battery life.  MORE

Update #1: Alex Heath issues this heath warning: [You’re fired -Ed.]

Don’t upgrade to iCloud Drive unless you’re already running OS X Yosemite. … iCloud Drive is limited to iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, so you won’t be able to access any documents stored in iCloud Drive unless you [have] the private or developer beta of OS X Yosemite. Unless you have Yosemite running on your Mac, iCloud Drive will do you more harm than good.  MORE

Update #2: Family Sharing isn’t working for David McKee, Karen K. Coulter and friend:

My fiancee and I set up sharing on both of our iphone 5’s. … We are linked together with her being the organizer. Our photos are shared and so are our calendars. However, we cannot share our apps. We don’t show up in each other’s purchased section of itunes, the app store, or ibooks. All that is shown is what we bought ourselves. … So frustrating since I want to use an app of hers and don’t want to waste money when I don’t have to. Apple’s instructions aren’t very helpful either as what they say should happen is not happening. … Don’t delete her from Family Sharing. I found out that the hard way. A given user can belong to at most two families in a year. … Calendars and photos are shared, but in the App Store the family organizer sees “my purchases” but not the other. … And on the other member’s phone, not even “my purchases” option is seen. Just the same list as if family sharing wasn’t enabled.  MORE

You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings, who curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites… so you don’t have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. Opinions expressed may not represent those of Computerworld. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE.