Why both Google and Apple want you to install a new system

There are so few people who care about Android 11 this year.

Indeed, compared with iOS 14, Android 11 as a new system is not discussed on social media such as Weibo. Among them are the reasons that iOS 14 has changed a lot in appearance and provided novel features such as ProRaw. There are also reasons that the Android system upgrade is relatively more fragmented and the upgrade rate is not as high as iOS.

Not long ago, Apple announced the updated data of the iOS 14 system. Three months after the release, the share of the new system reached 72%. In the iPhone released in the past four years, the share of iOS 14 reached 81%, while the Android side After various mobile phone manufacturers adapt to Android 11, they will gradually release updates.

Google has also been trying to solve this problem. Recently, it has also announced that it will cooperate with Qualcomm to start the cooperation with the Snapdragon 888 chip and jointly undertake part of the upgrade and adaptation work, so that mobile phones equipped with Qualcomm chips can support 4 years of Android system updates and security updates. And improve the update speed.

So, why both Google and Apple want you to use the new mobile phone system?

It is the product competitiveness, but also the cash cow

In the past, when we talked about Android and iOS systems, most of the topics were which is better, and the main argument is based on their respective features. Of course, iPhone and Android phones will definitely be involved in this process. After all, software and hardware are often not discussed separately. .

It can be seen from this that the system is actually part of the product power of mobile phones. Both Google and Apple hope to increase product power through the new features added by the new system and encourage users to continue to buy their own products or stay in their own ecosystem. in.

Although the two companies have some similarities in some functions in recent years, the desktop widgets introduced in iOS 14 are too similar to the previous functions of Android, but the differences between the two are still not small. The open iOS system is still better than Android is more closed, which is one of the reasons why users choose Android or iOS.

Even if the market share of Android and iOS is gradually solidifying, the significance of continuing to retain users is still not small, and this value will be realized in the system ecology.

Nowadays, whether Apple or Android mobile phone manufacturers, selling mobile phones is not only buying hardware, but also selling services. The Google ecological global bucket composed of Google accounts, Gmail, Google search, etc., a large part of users are attracted through Android users.

By adding features to allow users to stay in the Google ecosystem, it not only increases the number of users of Google products, but also enables the advertising business in Google search, YouTube and other products to be better realized.

On the other hand, many new services are also "pre-installed" on mobile phones through system upgrades. The new service Fitness+ that Apple added to iOS 14.3 this month is the most typical case.

As a subscription-based service, Fitness+ obviously needs enough users to pay to make a profit, and Apple’s iOS 14.3 system is pre-installed in this way to achieve an extremely rapid promotion. Cities and regions such as the United States and the United Kingdom are the first batch of online regions. , After iPhone users upgrade the new system, the Fitness+ software will be automatically loaded on the phone.

Taking into account the update rate of iOS 14, the scope of this promotion is also extremely broad. Previously, some users complained that domestic Android manufacturers pre-installed third-party applications on their phones to obtain revenue. They did not know that the largest pre-installed service providers are Google and Apple. The master of the mobile operating system.

Of course, domestic mobile phone manufacturers, like Apple and Google, also hope that users can upgrade their new systems as soon as possible. This is different from the one-time sale of Android phones in the past. Now domestic Android mobile phone manufacturers are also earning income through services.

Huawei, OPPO, vivo and other mobile phone manufacturers are using game channel servers to obtain item sales commission income. The browser push of the mobile phone also contains some advertisements. This part of the income also requires users to continue to stay in the ecosystem and continue to buy the next one. Cell phone.

The new functions carried by the new system are also one of the product differences created by domestic mobile phone manufacturers. This year, domestic mobile phone manufacturers have made innovations in the design of their own mobile phone systems in order to attract consumers.

The "privacy mask" function provided by Xiaomi on the MIUI system and the multi-screen collaboration function launched by Huawei are all while improving hardware capabilities while enhancing software capabilities, leaving the Android system to create uniqueness of their own ecology.

These will become the reasons why users choose mobile phones and even continue to choose a certain brand. They will bring a steady stream of income to Google, Apple, and even mobile phone manufacturers customizing the Android system.

Safe or safe

New features and design changes are often the most noticeable content for users, and they are often the most discussed content. In contrast, security updates appear to be a little obscure. First, security updates appear too many times in the update profile, and second, there is really no difference in daily use.

But don’t underestimate security updates. To some extent, security is the core reason Google and Apple want users to update their systems. After all, the data contained in mobile phones nowadays is more and more extensive, not only users' private information such as photos and emails, but also digital wallets such as Alipay and WeChat.

Once a hacker discovers a system vulnerability and controls the user’s mobile phone, the loss of privacy and financial data and even money can be great. For Google and Apple, this can be said to be a fatal blow, and the user’s trust in it will be reduced. significantly reduce.

In mid-May 2020, Apple blocked a system vulnerability caused by the AirDrop function. Hackers can quietly invade the iPhone through the Bluetooth function when AirDrop is turned on. The whole process only takes about 2 minutes, and the user cannot perceive it. , Which is equivalent to personal privacy and financial wallet data are displayed in front of hackers.

Fortunately, Apple still uses system updates to block this loophole in a timely manner. This behavior of blocking loopholes through system updates will not end, because the next loophole will always appear. Apple's bug reward program for this purpose, the highest bonus even reached 1 million US dollars.

Such incidents are not uncommon on the Internet. The vulnerabilities patched by Google in 2018 were recently re-reported by Twitter and sent notifications to users, because some users did not update the new system, and there was a risk of leaking private data.

As the controllers of the system, Google and Apple did not close the loopholes in time, directly damaging the privacy and money of users. At the same time, it will cause a series of chain reactions as the incident develops.

Microsoft is a lesson learned. At the beginning of the 21st century, IE browser was originally bundled with Windows and its market share exceeded 95%. However, because IE6 has many vulnerabilities, it is easy to be attacked by hackers, and many users have been attacked by users. In the case of attacks, in the end, even government units in countries and regions such as Germany, France, and the United States suggested that the public use other browsers.

This directly led to the rise of the more secure Firefox and Opera browsers. The market share of IE browser was once reduced by 85%. Coupled with the backwardness of functions, Microsoft eventually lost the browser war and was taken over by the latecomer Chrome. status.

For technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple, system security is the bottom line and one of the most important reasons for users to choose them. System upgrades are almost the most comprehensive and effective way. Of course, technology companies hope The user has updated the new system.

What kind of system update method do we need?

Although Google, Apple, and even many mobile phone manufacturers are pushing for new systems, users still have different attitudes toward upgrades. Everyone may have different opinions on whether to update or not.

On the one hand, people are worried that upgrading the new system will reduce the battery life of the mobile phone, or that the new system has higher requirements for mobile phone performance, and the upgrade will cause the phone to freeze in the original smooth operation. Of course, there are some people who are willing to keep upgrading the system. After all, there are not a few people who like to try new features. This is also one of the biggest motivations for users to upgrade the system.

At this stage, we still recommend that everyone try to update as much as possible. On the one hand, the system update contains ordinary security updates, which are very important for the daily use of mobile phones. The risks that vulnerabilities may bring are also mentioned above. Of course, you can also take a closer look at whether the system update introduction contains bug fixes.

Moreover, the system is too old, it will also affect the use of the software. Now you can open the App Store and you can find that the iOS system version supported by the app like "Light Camera" is already iOS 10 or higher, and more popular games, like " "The Original God" is only iOS 9.0 and above, and the latest version of WeChat requires iOS 11.0 and above.

This cooperation between Google and Qualcomm is trying to increase the system update cycle and security update cycle of Android phones to 4 years. It is also to better maintain the security of Android phones. You must know that this is not the era when phones are replaced every year. Now, there are many people who have used a mobile phone for 2-3 years.

At the press conference, OPPO, Huawei and other mobile phone manufacturers emphasized that the mobile phone has a long life cycle and will not freeze. It is also based on the user's usage and needs to strengthen the uniqueness of their products to attract users.

In contrast, the system update and maintenance cycle of the iOS system next door is longer. The iPhone 6s series released in 2015 can now also install the latest iOS 14 system, with an update cycle of up to 5 years.

When manufacturers improve the system maintenance cycle, they can actually adjust the update method. They are often complained about Windows 10 updates, and they have begun to try to adjust the update method.

At the end of November, Microsoft published a blog saying that it was testing a feature called "Windows Feature Experience Pack", delivering some new features to users in the form of independent updates, allowing users to try new features without updating the system.

Apple actually has a similar case on the Mac side, and system software such as Safari can also be automatically updated in the form of software.

Perhaps, in the future, we can see that security updates and software updates are pushed independently, which can not only keep old devices safe and maintain for a long time, but also allow some users who love early adopters to use new features.

Longer system update maintenance cycles and flexible update strategies are the directions that technology companies need to pay attention to. After all, as a user, no one wants to continue using their mobile phone because of system reasons.

The title picture comes from: apps.jp.net

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