iOS 8 came out this week and many are wondering if they should upgrade or stay with what they know, iOS 7. The new OS update is available for every iPhone from the 4s onward, and for every tablet from the iPad 2 onward. 

There is some bad news off the bat if you are an iPhone 4s user. Reports are circulating saying that those with iPhone 4s's that have upgraded to iOS 8 have experienced extreme performance issues and stuttery behavior. The phone's older processor combined with the new OS's design for larger screens seems to make the experience on the 4s poor at best. So, sorry iPhone 4s users. You're better off staying with iOS 7. 

iOS 7 vs. iOS 8 Features

The Keyboard is a big point of emphasis this time around for Apple, not that they didn't have a great keyboard to begin with. This time Apple is introducing its QuickType keyboard which includes predictive texting, an Apple first. Apple has also allowed third-party developers to create alternative keyboards to their native one. This is a big step for Apple who typically is known for being very controlling when it comes to their products. Look for SwiftKey, Swype and others to be appearing in the App Store soon. 

Safari has been upgraded as well, and that's a good thing because many were defecting to Google's Chrome browser. The look is cleaner this time around; open tabs are now more visible with its overview feature; recently closed tabs can be retrieved easily; desktop sites can now be requested and private tabs can now run alongside regular tabs, unlike before.

Spotlight now searches across platforms to deliver information from just about anywhere, but it's contextual. So if you type in movie titles, you'll get (among other things) movie times, etc. 

Notifications are now interactive from the pull-down menu. Instead of clicking on a text notification and then being taken into the messaging app, you can now reply directly from the pull down menu to any texts you receive. Developers will also be able to program for this feature, which should have some pretty cool functionality when they do. 

Continuity should prove to be one of iOS 8's best features for users of the Mac environment. Continuity will allow you to pick up where leave off between Apple devices. For instance, you can being typing a text or an email on your phone and then move to your iMac and finish the message there. You can also now answer phone calls from you Mac instead of having to get up to find your phone when it rings. 

For more detailed info on the benefits of iOS 8 vs. iOS 7, check out this guide by IT Pro.