Words Worth Knowing: iOS
Words Worth Knowing was a vertical I wrote weekly explaining key pieces of gaming jargon to parents, guardians and teachers, as part of the larger overall GameHub outreach effort. The column ran for nearly two years and resulted in around 60 WWK articles. GameHubHQ.com closed in late 2017. This piece originally appeared on Nov 23, 2015.
Some users have expressed confusion over the terms iOS and iDevice, so let's take some time to figure out what these words mean.
What It Is: iOS = The operating system for all Apple Mobile Devices (iDevices)
What It Means: iOS is simply the operating system for all Apple Mobile Devices, just like Windows is the operating system for most desktop computers. iDevices are all Apple Mobile Devices, including iPods, iPhones and iPads, that use the iOS operating system. They are distinguished from Macs and MacBooks, which run on the MacOS X operating system.
Why You Care: Knowing whether you have an iOS or Android device helps you know which games you can buy for your device. An iOS game will not work on an Android device, or vice versa. For example, you cannot purchase a game from the Google Play store and expect it to run on your iPad, much as you cannot play Xbox games on a Playstation. Knowing which "family" of devices your specific device belongs to ensures you don't waste money accidentally purchasing from the wrong online store.
