Version distribution of Apple's iOS remains stable ahead of iOS 7 launch

Source: Chitika Insights

According to new statistics from ad network Chitika, Apple's latest iOS 6 is now running on 92 percent of iPhones and 82 percent of iPads in North America, with the previous generation iOS 5 coming in a distant second with 5 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

To gather the information, Chitika Insights analyzed "tens of millions" of iOS-based ad impressions within the North American Chitika Ad Network from August 15 through August 21.

The numbers are slightly down from an identical study performed in June, though the drop can be chalked up at least in part to devices running beta versions of the forthcoming iOS 7. For the iPhone, iOS 7 comprised about 1 percent of traffic, while the OS accounted for less than 1 percent of traffic generated by iPads.

As noted in the company's prior report, the disparity in iOS 6 adoption between iPhone and iPad users could be due to the operating system's feature set, which introduced a host of mobile-minded functions like FaceTime over cellular and enhanced GPS capabilities. Chitika points to analyst estimates that a bulk of tablets are exclusively used on Wi-Fi networks, making the cellular-enabled advancements in iOS 6 a non-issue for many iPad owners.

With Apple shipping its anticipated next-gen iPhones with iOS 7 pre-installed, as well as releasing the OS to iPhone 4, 4S and 5 owners at the same time, version distribution is expected to change significantly in the coming weeks. Much the same occurred with last year's launch of iOS 6.

Apple is widely expected to announce a next-generation "iPhone 5S" and lower cost "iPhone 5C" at a special event tomorrow. If convention holds, the company will also reveal a launch dates for the handsets and iOS 7. AppleInsider will be covering the event live from 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.