In late October, Apple rolled out its third and largest incremental update to its iOS 7 software. That update, iOS 7.0.3, arrived with an extensive list of bug fixes and also included Apple’s iCloud Keychain feature, one that it had detailed at WWDC 2013 back in June but failed to deliver with the initial iOS 7 update push in September.
Apple was prompted to release the iOS 7.0.3 update thanks to complaints about two major iOS 7 bugs, one that plagued the company’s iMessage service and another that affected the controls that teachers use to monitor student usage on the iPad. And while iOS 7.0.3 brought a number of bug fixes, it also, according to many iPhone and iPad users, brought some bugs of its own along with it.
For weeks now, we’ve been hearing from iPhone and iPad owners who have been dealing with a number of iOS 7.0.3 issues. Many of those owners have been campaigning for Apple to release an iOS 7.0.4 or iOS 7.1 update to alleviate their issues. In the past week or so, we saw activity for iOS 7.0.4 and iOS 7.1 start to increase, a sign that something was close. And today, Apple delivered.
iOS 7.0.4 rolled out earlier today to iPhone and iPad owners running iOS 7. The update is available Over-the-Air and for those that don’t wish to upgrade that way, it’s also available in iTunes.
Thanks to the bugs found in iOS 7, many users are likely skeptical of iOS 7.0.4. So that you don’t have to, we’ve been using iOS 7.0.4 all day so that we could offer users feedback. We’ve already taken a look at iOS 7.0.4 on the iPhone 5 and now, it’s time to take a look at the update on the iPad 3, the third-generation iPad.
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Zero Installation Issues
Like many of you, I’ve had issues installing iOS software. Most recently, I had issues installing the iOS 7.0.2 update Over-the-Air and was forced to upgrade over iTunes. More of an inconvenience than anything but still, worth noting. With iOS 7.0.4, I didn’t experience any problems updating the software and the download and installation process was over within 15 minutes or so.
After the iPad 3 rebooted, it took me back to the lock screen and everything was, and is, normal. So for those that are many hesitant due to problems with previous iOS upgrades, iOS 7.0.4 didn’t cause any problems for me while installing. And from the looks of things, it appears to be pretty flawless for other iPad owners as well.
iOS 7.0.4 Performance
User Interface
Just yesterday, I offered some updated thoughts on the iOS 7.0.3 update on my iPad 3. In them, I noted that while just about everything was working fine, I was still experiencing lag issues inside iOS 7. Now, these aren’t lag issues where the device is locking up all the time, though I will say that that has happened a few times after installing iOS 7. No, these are more like small hiccups and general sluggishness. Opening a folder sometimes takes a few seconds when other times, they will open immediately.
So, I was hopeful that iOS 7.0.4 would solve these issues. So far, so good with iOS 7.0.4. I haven’t experienced any slow down and things feel a lot fresher than they did in iOS 7.0.3. Of course, the million dollar question is, will the UI performance hold? I said the same thing after installing iOS 7.0.3, only to see the lag issues return.
My hope is that the performance I am seeing right now sticks but I am not optimistic considering I’ve seen them dissipate and return already. I will know more in the days ahead.
Battery Life
While I’ve had some ups and downs with iOS 7, the one thing I have been able to rely on is consistent battery life. From iOS 6 to iOS 7 to iOS 7.0.2 to iOS 7.0.3, my iPad 3 has held down the same battery life. I honestly cannot remember the last time that I charged my iPad, that’s how good the battery life on this thing is. So every time an iOS update rolls out, I am skeptical because I don’t want things to deteriorate.
Thankfully, iOS 7.0.4 doesn’t appear to have an nasty battery drain problems on board. I haven’t noticed any with my iPhone 5 and I haven’t noticed any here with the iPad 3 either. As I’ve said before, these problems often don’t come out of the woodwork until a few days later so while things are great now, talk to me in a few days to see if anything has changed.
Bugs
Lots of people have been experiencing issues inside iOS 7.0.3 and below. So, it’s no wonder why I’ve been taking a ton of heat because I haven’t stumbled into any major iOS bugs with my iPhone or my iPad. Again, the only debilitating bug that I have found inside iOS 7, thus far, is the iMessage issue that plagued my iPhone. Other than that, nothing has jumped out.
So far, I haven’t encountered anything inside iOS 7.0.4. I’ve literally been using the software for several hours now and nothing significant has popped up. Again, even the lag has gone back under the surface, at least for now. Bugs have a habit of rearing their ugly head in the days after a release but for the moment, my iPad looks like it’s clean.
Connectivity
I’ve been hearing about Wi-Fi issues with the iPad ever since Apple released iOS 6. Users are still complaining about terrible connectivity and an issue where the Wi-Fi is grayed out. I haven’t seen any issues with my Wi-Fi since iOS 6.1.x rolled out and I am not seeing anything significant inside of iOS 7.0.4 either. Wi-Fi is strong, I am getting the fantastic speeds that I am used to and the connection is stable.
I can’t speak for cellular connectivity because I don’t have 4G LTE on my iPad. Those who do have a 4G LTE iPad 3 will want to check in with users on the Apple discussion forums to see if they are having any problems.
Applications
I mentioned two problematic applications yesterday in my review of iOS 7.0.3. Netflix and Chrome have been giving me issues for a couple of weeks now with Netflix locking up constantly and Chrome crashing more than it should. And while I haven’t seen any crashes today with Chrome, the issues with Netflix continue with iOS 7.0.4.
Obviously, it’s not Apple’s fault and this is going to be on Netflix to fix these issues. I know I am not the only one experiencing these hiccups with the service so hopefully, the company gets its act together rolls out a bug fixer.
Other applications like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of Apple’s stock applications seem to be working fine. Things could certainly change as time goes on but I expect that these applications will continue to agree with iOS 7.0.4.
Should You Install iOS 7.0.4?
I can only speak from my experience with iOS 7.0.3 and iOS 7.0.4. Besides the lag and the issues with Netflix and Chrome, my experience in iOS 7.0.3 was pretty darn good. iOS 7.0.4 doesn’t seem to have changed anything other than possibly having fixed my lag issues. I expect them to return but that’s just me being pessimistic. There is no guarantee that they will.
The point here is that iOS 7.0.4 doesn’t seem to break anything and that should mean that it will only help those that are having problems inside iOS 7.0.3 and below. There’s a chance that it could have some bugs on board but I haven’t found any just yet.
So, at this point, I can say that iOS 7.0.4 is a safe upgrade, even for those that are looking to jailbreak their iPad 3.
