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IOS 8 lawsuit highlights challenge of managing escalating expectations on mobile

An increasingly thorny issue facing mobile platforms and marketers is how to manage the escalating expectations of consumers who see their smartphones as capable of meeting a growing array of needs. 

This challenge is evident in a new class action lawsuit brought against Apple by customers who are taking issue with the significant size of the iOS 8 upgrade. The plaintiffs? own devices have 16 GB or less of storage, with the lawsuit complaining that the new software takes up between 18 percent and 23 percent of the storage capacity on these devices. 

?Apple pushes out upgrades to ensure compatibility and avoid fragmentation, something they have been very good at, with 70 percent plus of their user base upgrading within a month of release, far better than the competition, and one of the reasons developers still develop for iOS first,? said Nick Spencer, London-based senior practice director of mobile devices and wearables at ABI Research.  

?So Apple needs to maintain a high upgrade rate and a homogenous user base in terms of OS, especially with the ever burgeoning number of Android users, all be it still fragmented,? he said. 

?OEMs need to be careful not to create a poor user experience with older low spec devices, that perform poorly with the new OS, but then again they need to balance that with providing further need to upgrade hardware, so it is a balancing act.?

Mobile love affair
While the complaint underscores the need for transparent marketing it also points to how the mobile industry is struggling to keep up with consumers? love affair with their devices. 

Consumers increasingly have their phones with them wherever they go and are using them to chronicle their lives via photos and videos, communicate with friends, watch videos and assist with their shopping, to name just a few. As consumers get more and more comfortable with their devices, their expectations are only going to increase. 

Mobile platform providers are trying keep up with consumers? growing expectations and have made significant gains in just a few years, with devices that are faster, more powerful and boast many nifty new features. 

Advancing user experiences
IOS 8 and Android?s new Lollipop both promise significant gains from previous versions, with Apple calling its update "the biggest iOS release ever." 

However, those advances come at a price ? heavier software. 

Now, some iOS customers are airing their grievances in court, claiming that there is a substantial discrepancy between advertised and available capacity that goes beyond reasonable expectations because iOS 8 is so large. 

Apple is addressing the growing need for storage capacity on its phones by encouraging consumers to use its iCloud storage solution. 

However, the lawsuit claims this is akin to a bait-and-switch tactic as it purports that Apple is providing less storage than advertised and then offering to sell customers storage with a monthly fee attached. 

Conspiracy theory
Marketers are having an even harder time keeping up with their customers. 

Only a small majority of marketers - 59 percent - know their customers? usage and attitudes toward mobile phones, according to a recent Forrester Research report. The failure to close the gap between how customers are using mobile and how marketers are using it will have real ramifications for marketers within two to three years, the report claims (see story). 

Marketers are working hard trying to meet consumers? expectations but there is not always a clear path for how best to accomplish this.  For example, a number of marketers have embraced responsive Web design as a way to address the need to push content out to multiple screens. However, this strategy can degrade performance on mobile, with sites taking longer to load. 

Another challenge they face is with the older devices that are in some consumers? hands. There may not be enough room to update to the latest software, meaning these customers cannot take advantage of the latest versions of marketers? apps. 

?It is typically a problem for older devices that OEMs are looking to upgrade, but lack the memory and possibly processing power necessary to support the new OS,? Mr. Spencer said. ?Upgrades are almost always larger in memory footprint. 

?If you were a conspiracy theorist you might argue it is part of a strategy to get consumers to upgrade their hardware,? he said. 
 
?The Apple court case is more about clear marketing and transparency so end users are able to make an informed decision over the upgrade. So clear marketing is crucial.?
 
Final Take?
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Marketer, New York