Networking company Sandvine today took a look (via The Loop) at Apple's iTunes Store and Mac App Store traffic yesterday as compared to the previous two Wednesdays, noting that traffic spiked to nine times it usual levels with the release of iOS 6, OS X 10.8.2, and a host of other updates from Apple.

See that huge spike at 1:00PM EDT yesterday? That is when iOS 6 was officially released to the public. This massive increase in traffic was then sustained throughout most of the day, and actually escalated as people got home from work in the evening. This resulted in traffic from Apple’s servers yesterday being over 9 times their average traffic levels.

ios 6 apple web traffic
Sandvine's measurements capture data from fixed access cable and DSL networks, thus including direct downloads through iTunes and the Mac App Store as well as users who updated their iOS devices using the over-the-air update functionality on their Wi-Fi networks. iOS 6 is the first major iOS upgrade to be supported by the over-the-air update feature that debuted with iOS 5.

Top Rated Comments

Fel08 Avatar
158 months ago
Damn! What is Apple thinkin? Is this maps fiasco some kind of sick joke?

Please, Google, help us, ASAP!
And I think we deserve an explanation from Apple!

Apple's excuse will probably be

"You are holding it wrong"
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
room237 Avatar
158 months ago
Despite the huge spike in traffic, I must say downloading the update to iOS and apps was a LOT smoother than prior iOS releases.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RobDee Avatar
158 months ago
What causes that little spike at 5am?

That could be the fact that a lot of new app updates were coming through.

The rest of it was me trying to get my TomTom app (Europe v1.11) working by deleting and reinstalling several times in different ways, as it keeps crashing on launch. Update on Sept 28th, apparently. In the meantime I have Apple Maps, but where I'm going tomorrow, apparently am meeting friends in the middle of a field.

Can anyone suggest a free nav app? For the UK?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Technarchy Avatar
158 months ago
I had my iPad 3 and iPhone 4S updated within 15 minutes of iOS6 going life.

It was easy, and fast. No drama...All the app updates were fast too.

No waiting 6 months to a year or never for fruitcake butter flavor pie.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mad Mac Maniac Avatar
158 months ago
What causes that little spike at 5am?

I've been using a data tracking app for the last couple months. One thing I've been surprised by is how all through the night my iPhone is constantly using not only WiFi but also cellular data. And there are highs and lows. Here was last night (central time). I've removed the apps (mail, pulse news, and skype all ping all night long) to leave you with iOS related things.

2am
OS Services- 19kb (WiFi)
DataAccess- 17kb (cellular)
Apple push service- 1kb- (cellular)
OS services- 0.8kb (cellular)

3am
OS Services- 51kb (wifi)
DataAccess- 18kb (wifi)
DataAccess- 16kb (cellular)
OS Services- 2kb (cellular)
apple push service- 0.8kb (cellular)

4am
OS Services- 77kb (wifi)
Data Access 24kb (cellular)
OS Services- 2kb (cellular)
apple push service- 1kb (cellular)

5am
OS Services- 54kb (wifi)
dataAccess- 18kb (wifi)
DataAccess- 19kb (cellular)
OS Services- 2kb (cellular)
apple push service- 0.8kb (cellular)

6am
OS Services- 59kb (wifi)
Synched defaults- 6kb (wifi)
DataAccess- 25kb (cellular)
OS Services- 8kb (cellular)
Apple push service- 0.8kb (cellular)

Sure enough there seems to be a spike in "OS Services" at 4am (5am eastern). I'm guessing thats a time apple picked to push out more stuff. Probably because they figure most everyone will be sleeping (2am-5am across the US)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacVault Avatar
158 months ago
Damn! What is Apple thinkin? Is this maps fiasco some kind of sick joke?

Please, Google, help us, ASAP!
And I think we deserve an explanation from Apple!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
ios 18 2 chatgpt plus

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers 'Plus' Upgrade Option

Monday November 4, 2024 10:54 am PST by
With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that's available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that's available with Siri. In the Settings app, there's now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a "Daily Limit" reading that shows up as...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...