It’s early. Aside from some download problems right after it was released, the iOS 9 upgrade experience appears to be moving along well. The sites who measure web metrics are reporting a roughly 12% adoption rate in the first 24 hours. That’s similar to iOS 8, but some suggest it would have been better had there been more new features. iOS 7 remains the benchmark.

Now the iOS 8 upgrade was more troublesome for those with space-challenged gear. You see, the installation required over 4.5GB of free space, which may not seem so much until you consider the fact that loads of iPhones and iPads have only 16GB of storage — some 8GB — so things can get dicey. One way to reduce the storage needs was to upgrade via iTunes on a Mac or a PC, but this message wasn’t well conveyed to users who attempted over-the-air updates.

Over time, the storage requirements were reduced somewhat, and iOS 8’s adoption rate was only a few percentage points behind iOS 7 by the time iOS 9 arrived. As I write this, some iOS 9 updaters confronted those download problems doing updates from their gear, but not so much when using iTunes. I wouldn’t presume to guess if the demand outstripped the capacity of wireless carriers, but I suppose that’s possible. Eventually the download problems apparently abated, but not before some members of the media ran articles with lurid headlines with large screen shots of the error prompts.

Typical behavior when it comes to Apple! At least iOS 9 requires less than a third of the installation space of iOS 8, so one problem is therefore mostly eliminated.

But to look at the numbers in perspective, remember that it takes many months for any Android upgrade to achieve a 12% adoption rate. That Apple can capture the vast majority of users in weeks or months makes it easier for app developers to build compatible software. They don’t have to cater to the lowest common denominator: people using much older operating systems.

On the very first day iOS 9 was available, I even saw an article or two offering reasons why you shouldn’t upgrade. The reasons were certainly logical for the most part, and do make sense. But the image conveyed was that of a flawed upgrade that you should overlook.

When you look between the lines, however, I can well understand why some of you would just rather wait and get on with your business. One is that early bugs might emerge that will cause problems for some. In previous years, OS upgrades would sometimes reduce battery life or cause network problems, and it would take one or more maintenance updates to set things right.

With iOS 9, Apple is claiming that power efficiencies deliver up to an hour’s additional battery life; more if you use Low Power Mode, which reduces background tasks and visual effects. Actually when I tried it on for size, I didn’t notice a whole lot of difference, so that’s something to consider if you expect to be in a situation where you need longer battery life.

One review of iOS 9 estimated an additional 40 minutes or so of battery life as measured by the article’s author without engaging the low-consumption setting. Now that’s promising, and it may well be that the first release won’t kill battery life on some gear.

The other concern is slower performance on the oldest supported products, such as the iPhone 4s. Now I’ve seen two different performance tests comparing iOS 9 and iOS 8.4.1 on that model. One reported a very slight reduction, with noticeably longer boot times. Other than the latter, we’re talking about fractions of a second that may not even be noticed. A second review that didn’t cite measurements indicated there was no perceived difference.

Regardless, with an iOS 9.1 currently in the hands of developers and public beta testers, maybe it does make sense to wait a little to make sure nothing bad crops up. It’s not that the new features are so compelling that you can’t live without them. The most visible change is the switch to Apple’s new San Francisco font, which offers cleaner display, and more readable type in smaller sizes. It’s a good thing. The smarter Proactive Siri is also appealing, and I gather it’s adaptive, so it’ll only get better as you go about your business.

The tentpole feature may be enhanced multitasking for recent iPads. With the iPad Air 2, you get Split View, similar to what Windows and some Samsung tablets offer. It’s the best argument yet to prove that an iPad can be used for real productivity, and not just for casual work that doesn’t depend on having two apps on display at the same time. It’s too bad Apple didn’t make the feature work on older iPads, but it may be because it requires too much computing power to do right, and Apple doesn’t want to deliver a subpar user experience.

While I have used iOS 9 since the public beta came out, and upgraded to the release version within minutes of its release, I would urge a little more caution for others. At the very least, make sure your stuff is backed up before you upgrade, and look for iOS 9-savvy versions of your favorite apps. Although you can upgrade over the air, the experience will go faster with iTunes on your Mac or PC.

Update! In the end, I could say go for it, but I don’t want to push it. There appears to be one niggling bug involving a frozen “Slide to Upgrade” screen that is causing problems for some upgraders. An Apple support note describes a fairly simple but time consuming fix. So maybe waiting a while longer is a good idea, since there will no doubt be a software fix before long.

So as advertised, Apple released iOS 9 around the world on Wednesday. The promised WatchOS 2 update was delayed due to a last-minute bug, which is a refreshing change. In the past, Apple has released updates that needed additional updates to fix problems, so I’m hopeful.

In any case, iOS 9 arrived with the usual download glitches, no doubt because Apple’s servers were slammed, at least during the early hours. But it was enough to inspire some glaring headlines from certain tech-related sites. Problems such of these are temporary, however, and are soon resolved. It shouldn’t be so hard to get that update now.

Indeed, it should be easier than iOS 8, because Apple slimmed \ the update file to about a third of its former size, meaning those with space-challenged iOS gear, such as an iPhone or iPad with 16GB storage, should be able to install the update without having to tether their gear to a Mac or a PC running iTunes. Apple also has a scheme to temporarily delete some apps until iOS 9 is installed, and restore them with your settings intent after installation.

I tested the installation on three products — and iPhone 6, and iPhone 5c, and an iPad Air 2. All three were running the iOS 9 GM seed bearing build number 13A340. But the release is 13A344, so I had to download two updates on the iPhone 6 and iPad to bring them current. Curious that it went through such a process, but it was essentially seamless, so there’s nothing to complain about. In contrast, our iPhone 5c managed the task with a single update process.

Apple also left iOS 9 compatible with the same hardware that supported iOS 8. But that doesn’t mean performance is identical. One report I read compared iOS 8.4.1 to iOS 9.0, using an iPhone 4s as the test platform. That’s the oldest iPhone supported and, as you might expect, performance was mostly similar although measurably slower for boot times. But even a fraction of a second can mean a lot when performance is a tad slow already.

Perhaps future updates of iOS 9 will improve matters. That happened with older hardware on previous iOS versions. But right now I expect Apple wanted to get the release out in good form for more recent hardware and, obviously, in advance of the shipment of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

For the most part, the beta experience was fairly smooth for me. With the release came a couple of dozen app updates, largely to support iOS 9’s new features, or just to function properly. There are two apps that appear to spontaneously quit seconds after launch. One is for the Washington Post, and the other Speed TestX, an Internet benchmarking tool. I’m optimistic that both will be fixed in short order, particularly the Washington Post since they want you to subscribe to their digital service after you’ve read a small number of articles.

Otherwise, the experience has been quite favorable. The new system font, San Francisco, provides a clearer and more readable display, particularly in smaller sizes. The same is true for OS X El Capitan. Performance doesn’t seem altogether different on the iPhones and the iPad, but I haven’t had a chance to check into the claims of up to one hour’s additional battery life. It does seem long enough, however, so I’m not complaining.

Now iOS 9 is supposed to be largely a bug fix update, but that’s not quite true. I’ve seen lists of roughly 90 new or enhanced features, more or less, which is nothing to complain about. That is more than the competition usually offers for a new release. Where it becomes most significant, though, is for those using recent iPads, where there is real multitasking. With an iPad Air 2, you can run two apps side by side, similar to the way it’s done with Windows. That makes Apple’s tablet far more suited to doing real productive work.

Now I realize the critics have pointed out that some iOS 9 features are already available on other gear, but being available and actually working property are quite different. At the same time, Windows 10 and recent versions of Google’s Android have “borrowed” some features from Apple. So it goes both ways, but that’s not something that is necessarily covered quite as much. It seems that Apple’s copying machines are more visible.

Ahead of iOS 9’s release, iOS 8 adoption hit 87% at Apple. This is a tad less than iOS 7, which went past 90%. In the scheme of things, it’s not that significant. Don’t forget the difficulties some had installing iOS 8, particularly when their gear wasn’t syncing with iTunes on a Mac or a PC. The file was slimmed over time, so it got better, but there are probably some who just decided not to bother. At least going to iOS 9 will not be fraught with such problems.

So far, there have been no show stoppers either, although an iOS 9.1 is already available to developers and public beta testers. So whatever is wrong will likely be addressed within a few weeks. But if any serious bugs reveal themselves, you can bet there will be plenty of publicity.

My upgrade advice is the same as previous releases. Best to back up your stuff before running the update. And if you’re in no rush, stay attuned to your favorite tech sites to see if there are any “point-zero” glitches that may impact you before you proceed. I only hope that the expanded public beta program will make for a more stable release, assuming Apple paid close attention to user feedback. Color me optimistic!

So if you’re listening to Microsoft, Windows 10 has been a huge success, so far, with over 75 million downloads the very first month. Unlike previous versions of Windows, except for a brief period before release when people buy an older version, Windows 10 is free to users of Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Except for enterprise customers on contract, they can download the upgrade, or reserve the download, depending on the judgement of Microsoft’s cloud servers.

The official release date was July 29, although not everyone got their upgrade then. Those who joined the Windows Insider program had first dibs. That was payment for putting up with betas, although the prereleases weren’t really so bad. It was encouraging to see Microsoft undo some of the excesses that made Windows 8 one of the most poorly-received versions in recent history. It was even worse than Windows Vista.

However, it may well be that Microsoft is going overboard anticipating who might upgrade. So I’ve read reports that some Windows users are suddenly finding their online bandwidth sharply reduced by background updates to prepare them to upgrade to Windows 10, whether or not they’ve expressed that choice. You may think that a few gigabytes more or less is not a significant issue, but when someone doesn’t have a big allotment, or has used most of it that month from binging on Netflix, it may result in overage charges or reduced performance. That is, if the ISP doesn’t cut the customer off completely until the following month. So does Microsoft take responsibility? Of course not!

Now those of you who have already upgraded to Windows 10 might notice there have been loads of updates. Not just for Windows Defender malware protection, but core updates for the OS. Remember, it’s just a little over six weeks since the original release, yet all this stuff is flowing down from the mother ship, mostly to fix early glitches.

It’s certainly normal for bugs to infect the first releases of a new operating system, and Apple is not immune. Indeed, some suggest it took the last two updates to OS X Yosemite to address persistent Wi-Fi glitches. But there have only been five updates so far. Windows 10? I’m not counting, since they come forth in tiny increments, or as large updaters.

Again, it’s all in six weeks and more are coming.

So what’s up with Windows 10 anyway? Well, I’ve read several articles from sites usually friendly to Microsoft, such as ZDNet, in which the author complains about serious stability problems. The Mail app has been a persistent source of trouble, with one report suggesting that the app was mysteriously “stuck” for several days in August and totally broken by September. A latter update really broke the app, zapping all user accounts.

For those of you who fret over the ongoing troubles with Apple Mail, and I’ve seen a bunch over the years, I don’t recall any that, all of a sudden, deleted my accounts. And I have seven counts configured, so this can get complicated. Yes, I suppose I should simply combine everything into my Gmail or iCloud accounts, which would eliminate five of them. But I’d rather have the granular control over these setups, and depending on some other company’s free service puts the fate of these accounts in someone else’s hands.

But there’s more.

One report complains about unstable behavior of so-called “Modern” apps, the ones sporting the interface formerly known as Metro. So it sometimes takes multiple taps to launch one. In other cases, a running app will mysteriously vanish, which appears to indicate some sort of crash without any prompt to indicate something went wrong.

Other complaints include freezes when awakening from sleep mode, and ragged scrolling. Now it’s possible these problems might be traced to the Surface 3, so maybe calling Windows 10 “the most unstable release since Millennium Edition (ME)” is overstating the problem.

Some suggest Microsoft was too eager to push Windows 10 out the door, and maybe the pressure of the failure of the previous version was the main reason. Microsoft usually releases OS upgrades in the fall. But if the promised updates fix many of the problems, and add some of the missing features, maybe things will be all right by the holiday season.

But even if Windows 10 is in pretty good shape by then — and I have used it under both Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion on my iMac without serious glitches — it doesn’t mean PC sales will suddenly soar. Most anyone with a fairly recent PC doesn’t have to worry about paying for an upgrade, since it’s free. So there’s no incentive to buy a new PC to get one, or avoid paying for a shrink wrapped box at the local consumer electronics store.

Apple has been criticized for thrusting products and services into the marketplace without sufficient testing. That’s probably true, although sometimes it takes a wider audience to reveal some inconsistent bugs. Maybe Apple’s public beta programs will result in more stable iOS 9 and El Capitan releases. We’ll see. My experiences have been extremely positive.

But Microsoft has had public beta programs for years. Millions had a chance to work with previews of Windows 10, so Microsoft should have learned a few things from user feedback. Or maybe it would have been far worse if there had been no input from the public.

I understand all the curiosity about Apple’s latest and greatest. People want to know how good they are, whether they are credible updates to existing gear, and how do they fit in the wider world of tech gadgets. They want to know whether to buy them. Certainly these are particularly valid questions when it comes to the Apple TV, which is entering a new phase that removes it from hobby status.

So you see the inevitable spec comparisons, more or less, with existing gear. The iPad Pro won’t ship until November, but I’ve read several articles comparing it to a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and even the Microsoft Surface 3. But it’s a whole lot more complicated than that. The spec comparisons are only superficial since you’re dealing with different processor families, and different operating systems and different app selections. Yet one article claimed the MacBook, the slowest Mac note-book, was faster, even though benchmarks have yet to be performed except, perhaps, in someone’s imagination.

With the iPad Pro, or any iPad, you need to make the full commitment to using a tablet running iOS. You have a huge choice of apps, even Microsoft Office and some selections from Adobe. But the apps you need for your work may not be available for iOS. My personal example is Audio Hijack, from Rogue Amoeba. It’s a key tool in capturing audio for my radio shows, and Apple’s sandboxing won’t allow plucking audio from another app on iOS. Apple won’t accept it in the Mac App Store either, but the publisher can still distribute it separately for OS X users.

This week, I read a piece suggesting that the iPad Pro was basically an executive toy for such tasks as consuming content on an airplane. If you didn’t have cloud access, it was nothing more than a doorstop. Yes, the blogger mentioned the demonstration of Microsoft Office for the iPad, but didn’t grasp that is a productivity app suite, not something for executives to consume, which takes being uninformed to a new low. That Adobe demonstrated how the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro work together to create content was another nail in the coffin.

But saying a product that won’t be released for another two months is essentially useless must have attracted some traffic, if only from people who marveled at how stupid some people can be.

Obviously, the iPad Pro isn’t for everyone. Adding a keyboard cover and a stylus clearly indicates it’s meant to create content of one sort or another. People who just want to watch movies, play some casual games and mange email, can do just as well with the smaller iPads. Just hold them closer, and they are certainly easier to carry about. But imagining a use case and condemning the product because of a straw man argument is just a foolish move.

One thing is certain: Since the iPad Pro won’t ship till November, and volume shipments probably won’t be ready for a few weeks thereafter, it’s not apt to make a significant dent in holiday sales. But it does put the iPad back on the radar, and maybe people who bought older models, or who need a more powerful unit to take advantage of iOS 9’s multitasking features, will take the plunge. The real impact of the iPad Pro most likely won’t be apparent until the March 2016 quarter.

With Apple TV, which doesn’t ship until October, there are the inevitable comparisons with other streamers, particularly those from Amazon and Roku. So existing products already offer some sort of universal search, some gaming support and extra apps. But having a feature doesn’t tell you how good it is. Remember that smartphones had app stores before Apple’s, but the selections were spotty, inconsistent, and expensive. Read the previous sentence again.

One blog dismissed the Apple TV’s gaming capabilities by citing the limitations of the remote, and complaining that Apple isn’t offering a full-bore game controller. But they will be offered by third parties, and most customers can save money by not having to pay for a capability they may not need. Will it be suited for more than casual gaming? If performance is good enough, and developers bring more intense titles to the platform, perhaps.

Even if Apple doesn’t deliver a full-blown subscription TV service right away, it won’t stop networks and individual stations from distributing their own apps and charging for a la carte packages. I suppose it would even be possible for a traditional cable/satellite provider to submit apps that provide all the features of existing set-top boxes, but employ a cloud-based system to replace the traditional DVR. There’s room for lots of options.

With the new iPhones, Apple claims, based on preorder trends, that total sales will top last year’s ten million for the first weekend of availability. Those who complain that it’s not sufficiently different to succeed ignore the new features, and the fact that the vast majority of buyers probably do not own last year’s models. While it’s getting easier, and less expensive, to do annual upgrades nowadays, it will take a while to determine how many people sign up for such deals.

And I won’t even begin to consider performance comparisons between the new iPhones and other gear until something is actually shipping and undergoing tests. Even then, pure benchmarks do not necessarily measure real world performance with your apps. The numbers are otherwise academic.