When Apple released the new iOS7 software in September, there was a surge in Internet traffic as Apple owners took to the net to upgrade their devices.
Blue Coat Systems, has revealed exclusive data to CBR that at the peak, 32% of global web traffic was directed at Apple’s servers. That’s a third of all internet users at one time interacting with one company,
In the five days following the update, Apple had a 265% increase on its servers compared to five days before the update.
As a result, not only did it take longer to download iOS7, but non-Apple users also suffered the effects of the surge of internet usage as broadband suffered under the bandwidth crunch.
Services such as Netflix, which require a large bandwidth were running slowly and some people found their browsing slow to a near halt.
The service was so bad, it left many in download limbo as they waited for their handsets to update and reportedly prompted Apple to issue an internal high-priority alert, notifying employees of the server issues that were preventing iPhone activation.
Some were even forced to restore factory settings on their iPhones when the process failed.
As well as Apple being alerted to the need to increase the capabilities of their servers, broadband providers should also bear in mind that such a spike in internet traffic can have far-reaching effects across their network.
With the World Cup just 9 months away, this serves as a warning shot as slow streaming will lose customers. Those poor non-football fans may struggle with applications such as Netflix are forced to join a football-crazed world.
