Blog: Where Apple Lags - Four Ways to Improve the iPhone’s Software Update Experience

By Morten Grauballe, EVP of Products

There is little argument that Apple has revolutionized the wireless industry. The iPhone and App Store have turned the industry on its head. Yet despite Apple’s achievements, there are still important areas where its technology lags. Here are four improvements Apple should make:

1)  Software updating: Red Bend believes there should be one wireless process for all types of device updates. Apple requires iPhone users to connect to a Mac or PC to download firmware updates. However, when an iPhone is receiving an update, the consumer is unable to make or receive calls, surf the Web or text. Red Bend enables mobile software updates to be done over the air (OTA) anywhere at any time—without wires or downtime.

On a mobile phone, firmware updating and app downloading shouldn’t be seen as separate actions from the consumer’s perspective; they should happen in the same way and even at the same time if needed. Consumers only care that their software is updated, and they want it done conveniently and immediately. With Red Bend’s vRapid Mobile®, updating takes place within a single process, so every type of software update is performed over the air in one fast step.  Instead of performing firmware updates as a separate action, Red Bend can update firmware with an app download. Apple, in contrast, requires additional steps, which start with requiring consumers to connect their phone to their Mac/PC and check iTunes to see if there is a firmware update available. There’s nothing automatic, fast or convenient about that process.

2) Bandwidth optimization: Apple’s updates are too large to send over wireless networks economically. Until it fixes this issue, Apple will never be able to make the updating process truly mobile. A good mobile software management (MSM) client should conserve resources, including the operator’s bandwidth and the consumer’s time (and money, if they pay for data).  Red Bend updates images over the air with a highly compressed delta file that contains only the data that needs to be changed, thus avoiding bandwidth strain. On firmware updates, Red Bend can save up to 97 percent of bandwidth. On a combined update with an application download, application updating and software updating, Red Bend’s delta technology can save 55 to 60 percent of bandwidth.

3) MSM should enable both push and pull updates: Consumers should be able to pull the updates they want, when they want them. And service providers need the ability to push updates to the device on-demand. For example, if there is a security update to the Web browser, the service provider should be able to push the update immediately, not wait for users to eventually sync with their PCs. Updates that positively benefit the consumer should be done in the foreground. Once a consumer agrees to install a suggested update, it should be performed unobtrusively in the background. Red Bend’s software provides background updating, as well as both push and pull software management.

4) Query the mobile device for inventory: Querying the device, as Red Bend’s vRapid Mobile does, enables the service provider to know what apps and software components are installed on the mobile phone. Red Bend provides analytics tools that enable the service provider to see behavioral patterns and build market intelligence about consumer’s preferences. The key is to understand not only what consumers have downloaded, but more importantly what apps are actually installed. Installed applications are more valuable because they show how consumers are personalizing their devices over time. This information enables service providers to deliver more targeted and timely apps and updates to meet the evolving needs of consumers, making the user experience with the service provider better and more likely to last.