Demand for iOS 5 and iCloud exceeds all expectations, strains systems

Users who had been eagerly waiting for the release of Apple’s new and improved iOS 5 and iCloud service jumped over one another to update their devices yesterday. Such a heightened demand put Apple servers to the test. Many users couldn’t install the update and faced an error message requesting them to try again later.                   

People seeking the update ranged from those who own the iPad Touch to those who own the iPhone, the iPad and the Apple TV. Apple enthusiasts had also been waiting to try out the company’s new cloud service and transfer their data from MobileMe to iCloud which will work across all Apple devices a user has.                                           

The demand for Apple’s new offerings gave ISPs a tough time too. Thenextweb reported that because Apple users were trying to download updates of 600MB at a time, ISPs were facing problems in keeping internet traffic flowing. Cultofmac and Thenextweb reported that both AAISP and LONAP faced issues with the overwhelming demand. In fact, the traffic at LONAP jumped from 18Gb/s, which is the normal peak, to 28Gb/s on Wednesday. 

Andy Davidson, Director, LONAP said about the internet traffic yesterday, “The traffic was around twice what we would see on a typical Wednesday evening. There was as much traffic as we would see for a major sporting event. Such volumes have never been seen before for a software upgrade.” 

Apple has created waves with its new products even before users have got their hands on them.  With the iCloud and iOS 5 releases and iPhone 4S retail, the company is going to face a very busy festive season. The question is, will it be enough to keep Apple at the top?