Just because you didn't experience something doesn't mean that others didn't. Just because you didn't find going through the hassle of having to do something you shouldn't need to do (restoring back and all that) doesn't mean that others didn't. Yes, harm has a range of definitions, it's not just one thing or another. You might not see it that way, but it doesn't mean it's that way to others. There was a large issue with the update that was publicly released, that on its own is harmful in various ways to various different parties (it's even harmful to Apple as far as their reputation and image, and yes, that's still called harm and that's not necessarily negligible).
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No they shouldn't be blamed, and no it's not their fault. They could be better prepared in general and could learn this or that, but it's still not their fault that something that was made available to them broke basic and important functionality of their devices.
Just because something horrible didn't happen doesn't really make something fine. Sure, I agree about the part about not going overboard and all that, but at the same time I don't agree that it should be downplayed. There's a fairly sizable middle-ground where it all can fit just nicely.
(1) I never said anything was "fine". I've characterized this whole incident as surprisingly bad from Apple and an inconvenience.
(2) I'm not aware of any software that has been invented that didn't contain some bugs....now we can argue as to severity of said bugs, but the point is new updates will always have some bug that needs patching. One can ASSUME the patch won't break critical functionality, but that's different than being 100% sure. I don't know of any IT professional out there who would say you can ever be 100% sure a software update is completely bug free.
So yes, it is your fault for updating business critical hardware without first thinking about and accepting the consequences should something go wrong. At the very least, those individuals get no sympathy from me.
I don't think middle ground exists when it comes to Apple (it SHOULD, but really doesn't). Either the sky is falling or there's no problem.
I'm telling you, it was definitely a problem. I was quite perturbed and even had to completely start over on my 6+ because I went into the Apple Store early enough (literally 15 minutes after it went live as I updated right away) that they weren't aware of the situation and fix. He had me completely reset my device.
I spent my entire evening last night restoring my 6+ and re-installing all my apps (I have the 128GB version and loaded it with everything I could think I'd want....so it was a time consuming process).
I still wouldn't characterize the impact of this mistake as more than a semi-major inconvenience. Certainly no harm was done to me and my life was only minimally affected in that I was forced to reset my device.
I'm sorry - I just think people who act as though they've had a limb lopped off or like a family member has just died in response to losing cell connectivity for a few hours is just a little much.
The Webster's Dictionary definition of "Harm":
-physical or mental damage or injury : something that causes someone or something to be hurt, broken, made less valuable or successful, etc.
That last part - the successful part - could potentially be true. But then, see my first point about being smart enough not to update business critical hardware until you're at a place where its not critical for a certain period of time.
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Immediately? I think the question is, for the average user, what is "immediately"?
User looks at phone, sees red "1" next to Settings, opens it and updates. Do they know how long that "1" has been there? Has anything happened to them previously that would lead them to believe there was any danger to going up to 8.0.1? (By definition, a minor revision).
I can see how some people who don't live on these forums every day might have updated (just like they always do) without being aware that the update was less than one hour old, and certainly without suspecting it would break their telephony. On vacation? Away on business? Don't own a PC/Mac? Well those people are pretty much screwed as far as quickly getting back up and running. So I do think some users will view this incident very harshly, and in *some* cases, with justification.
I never see the red "1"....I characterize myself as updating immediately (usually within 30 minutes of release).
That "1" doesn't always pop up.....and for a minor update, the average consumer would have no knowledge it was even out, let alone care enough to update until after work or when they had time to do so.
Those of us who follow this stuff obviously know rather quickly. But I'd venture to guess we also own a computer and know how to restore back to 8.0.
I think the number of people who fall under the criteria you listed is likely a VERY small number of people. It would be interesting to see what percentage of the user base updates with an hour of the update being pushed.....obviously for major releases (iOS 5, 6, 7, 8 etc) this would be high because the release date is known before hand and publicized.
But point updates like 8.0.1 just happen.....even those of us who are plugged in won't know exactly. My guess is, the number of people who ACTUALLY updated is small to begin with. And the percentage of those people who don't have access to a computer or Apple store is even smaller....probably minuscule.
