iOS 7 Adoption Rate Hits 90%, Android Kit Kat Stuck Below 10%

Real-time adoption stat tracker from mobile analytics firm Mixpanel covering a vast majority of iOS and Android devices, shows that almost 90% of iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices have already upgraded to iOS 7 while on the other hand, only 8% of devices running Google’s mobile OS are using Kit Kat (4.4) or higher, TechCrunch is reporting.

The much higher adoption rate for Apple users is great news, especially for developers, since apps designed for iOS 7 are likely to be incompatible or different from those created for older versions of iOS. Furthermore, iOS 7.1 is already accounting for the majority of visits to Mixpanel’s partner apps and sites since it debuted March 10. Since that date, the mobile analytics firm has observed 31% of visits coming from iOS 7.1, with 29% coming via 7.0.6, which is the next closest.

“Apple’s advantage when it comes to fragmentation issues mean less money spent on making sure software works across a range of different OS versions, and it’s something Android still lags considerably with, which is apparent from the current Kit Kat uptake.

The bottom line: Apple users are quick to update and don’t show any signs of becoming more reluctant to do so, which in turn means the efficiency benefits of developing software for iOS over Android aren’t likely going to disappear anytime soon.”

A recent report based on data from numerous North American ISPs also showed how an iOS update such as iOS 7.1 can suddenly cause network traffic to spike.