Apps Crash Twice As Fast on The iPhone 5s Then On the iPhone 5C
Whenever a new operating system is released, the mobile devices using it will have problems with apps that will crash; it is inevitable for any new OS, no matter how stable it is. However, a new report suggests that when it comes to Apple’s newly released high end smartphone, the iPhone 5S, there are twice as many crashes than with the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5C. Software flaw tracker Crittercism claims that the reasons for the high amount of crashes on the iPhone 5S is none other than the smartphone’s 64 bit A7 System on Chip, the 64 bit version of iOS 7 and the 32 bit apps that currently exist in the App Store.
It seems that 32 bit apps running on the 64 bit iPhone 5S, have a crash rate of 2%, while 32 bit apps running on the iPhone 5 or on the iPhone 5C (both being powered by 32 bit processors) have a crash rate of under 1%. Andrew Levy, Crittercism CEO, said that the reason apps crash more often on the iPhone 5S than other iPhone models is because app developers were not able to test their apps for iOS 7 compatibility during the beta phase of Apple’s latest version of iOS.
When the beta version of iOS 7 was released this year, in June, Apple only made it available in 32 bit, which is completely understandable as no 64 bit smartphone was available at the time. As such, app developers only got the chance to test their apps on the 32 bit version of iOS 7. However, the iPhone 5S was released with a 64 bit System on Chip and an M7 co-processor and developers did not have the chance to see how their apps would perform on 64 bit hardware. The iPhone 5C does not have such a high apps crash rate? because its hardware is similar to that of the 32 bit iPhone 5.
Andrew Levy also said that Apple has done “a pretty good job of making a major transition” from iOS 6 to iOS 7 as the design transition is unnoticeable. He also talked about the desktop PC’s transition from a 32 bit architecture to a 64 bit architecture, saying developers have had to write new drivers in order to smoothly go from 32 bit to 64 bit. ?The good news is that Apple is certainly aware of issues […] Apple is doing a really good job of addressing these issues as they come up? said Andrew Levy.
Another report, from iDownloadBlog claims that if Apple won’t manage it correctly, the shift from a 32 bit architecture to a 64 bit architecture may actually lead to more memory usage and that will affect the performance of most apps as well as the performance of the device.? In the meantime, a lot of iPhone 5S users are reporting an error similar to the infamous Blue Screen of Death error from Microsoft’s Windows Operating System. The BSOD errors make the iPhone 5S’ display go completely blue and they appear just before the smartphone reboots. It seems the reason for the Blue Screen of Death errors is the iWork line of apps, that come free with new iOS devices.
