Apple Publishes iOS Fragmentation Chart, Most Devices On iOS 6

Apple says it’s charted the fragmentation of its iOS operating system and found its devices are generally more up to date than those of its U.S. rival Google. 

In contrast to Android, according to the pie chart and Apple, of all the users who visited the iTunes App Store, 93% of them were using Apple devices powered by Apple’s iOS 6 (the latest version of the company’s mobile operating system). iOS 5 is running on just 6% of all devices that used the App Store over the same period. Only 1% used anything older than iOS 5.

Android’s “fragmentation” used to be a great deal worse that it is today, with the majority of users on older versions of the platform. However Android’s developer dashboard now shows that just under 59 percent of Android users are on OS 4.0 or higher (Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean).

While Google has a larger share of the smartphone market, with so many devices running 3-year-old versions of Android, Apple’s numbers suggest its market share — at least for operating systems — is more up to date.

For developers, the message is clear: Build your apps for iOS, and with one API you can hit the majority of the operating system’s addressable market. Develop for Android, and there are at least three different APIs you’ll need to deal with to reach the majority of its users.

Apple’s next OS, iOS 7, is now out in a developer release. A general release consumer version of the new “flat” OS won’t be out until fall — to coincide with the introduction of the new iPhone “5S” hardware.