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Apple VP Greg Joswiak Apologizes for iOS 8.0.1 Bug, Points to Software Distribution as Cause

MacRumors said:
Apple's VP of iPhone marketing, Greg Joswiak, sat down for an interview with Re/code's Ina Fried and Walt Mossberg this afternoon, discussing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus supply, the flawed iOS 8.0.1 update, Apple Pay, and the Apple Watch.

According to Joswiak, the major iOS 8.0.1 bug that caused many iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users to lose access to both cellular service and Touch ID was caused by the software distribution rather than a flaw in the software. "It wasn't the software itself, it was the way it was distributed, said Joswiak. "We're very sorry."
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Testing the deployment is every bit as important as testing the code.

I get the rush to put out an x.0.1 release for cellular fixes, but adding in a bunch of unrelated fixes (cough, couch, Healthkit, cough) without letting at least app developers test it was extremely shortsighted. Worse still was finding out that the test teams don't have access to the actual hardware until it hits stores. And OTA updates are never tested before going live.

This wasn't just the decision of one person, there is a lot wrong with their testing culture for this to have happened the way it did.
 
John.B said:
Testing the deployment is every bit as important as testing the code.

I get the rush to put out an x.0.1 release for cellular fixes, but adding in a bunch of unrelated fixes (cough, couch, Healthkit, cough) without letting at least app developers test it was extremely shortsighted. Worse still was finding out that the test teams don't have access to the actual hardware until it hits stores. And OTA updates are never tested before going live.

This wasn't just the decision of one person, there is a lot wrong with their testing culture for this to have happened the way it did.
Click to expand...

Apple: "Test Different."
 
mbh said:
Did you think of these all by yourself?
Click to expand...

You're quoting it wrong.

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John.B said:
Testing the deployment is every bit as important as testing the code.

I get the rush to put out an x.0.1 release for cellular fixes, but adding in a bunch of unrelated fixes (cough, couch, Healthkit, cough) without letting at least app developers test it was extremely shortsighted. Worse still was finding out that the test teams don't have access to the actual hardware until it hits stores. And OTA updates are never tested before going live.

This wasn't just the decision of one person, there is a lot wrong with their testing culture for this to have happened the way it did.
Click to expand...

"Apple develops an improved programming language. Google copied Java. Everything you need to know, right there."

Yup, Apple trying to create incompatibility to create lock-in wherever possible, including with developers, while Google uses existing standards that are well supported (eg many ARM chips support hardware execution of Java VM instructions).
 
michaelsviews said:
You don't really think these over paid managers or what ever there titles are would admit that they down right F'd up and Big Tim is watching there every move while he's eating his granola bar asking Why
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With revenue of $37.4 billion and quarterly net profit of $7.7 billion, or $1.28 per diluted share; I hardly think the managers are over paid. With 50% adoption of OS8, this really is more of a blip than a down right F up
 
I really hate recode. They're way too snarky and full of themselves. Unfortunately, since they're the only "legit" tech press out there, they seem to get the lion's share of the well-sourced info and interviews.
 
Peace said:
"it was the way it was distributed" ??

Boy now I'm more confused.

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

It could be that say your iPhone 5s didn't receive a broken update for an iPhone 5s, but a perfectly fine update for an iPod Touch. And that perfectly fine update for an iPod Touch can't make phone calls, can't use TouchId, ...

Doesn't make a difference to the customer, but the people to blame wouldn't be those who wrote the software itself, but those who wrote the code that picks the bits to put into an update specifically for _your_ device.

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X-X said:
I stand corrected. Of course it was Kevin Lynch...now the head of the iWatch Team.

Even worse.

Adobe's Kevin Lynch paints Steve Jobs as Big Brother - It's like 1984. In reverse
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If it's the same Kevin Lynch (I bet there is more than one person with that name), then he did the right job when he was at Adobe, painting Apple's decision not to support his company's product as negative. You'd hire people who did the right thing for the company they worked at, even if it was a competitor and hurt you.
 
0xyMoron said:
Sometimes the excuses Apple come up with convict them even more. How do you distribute Software to millions of people without further testing it first?
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You are making two mistakes: They are not making excuses, this was an apology. Including a statement _what_ went wrong. This doesn't "convict them even more". You assumed one fault, but the fault was another, so now in _your_ mind there are two faults. In anyone else's mind, there isn't.
 
Putting the blame on someone else isn't the best move surely... There have been a few mistakes from Apple lately and I think it's about time they held their hands up and admitted them.
 
OneBagTravel said:
I don't recall any news reports of phones being bricked. Just their cellular service and touchID not working. the devices were still functional. There's a big difference between a bug and bricking.
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I was away from a WLAN so I lost cellular services. My phone was effectively a paperweight for 2/3 days.
 
"The goal is not to sell the most iPhone but to provide the best user experience."
Who are we kidding now?
First come the iOS 7 fiasco that made the 4S slow as -filtered-.
Then the break facetime on iOS 6.
Next, the 8.0.1 that bricked the cellular connection.
Now they break 7.0.6's app store update app capability...
The list goes on...
 
rumorsdan said:
Why does the female sound like a guy in that video?
Click to expand...

Wondered that too.

Ian Fried --> Ina Fried.

Btw where was Kara?

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B4U said:
"The goal is not to sell the most iPhone but to provide the best user experience."
Who are we kidding now?
First come the iOS 7 fiasco that made the 4S slow as -filtered-.
Then the break facetime on iOS 6.
Next, the 8.0.1 that bricked the cellular connection.
Now they break 7.0.6's app store update app capability...
The list goes on...
Click to expand...

Minor bumps in the road on the March of Progress.
(Half written in jest from a 4s with ios 8.1's standard wonky safari and keyboard function problems.)

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JGIGS said:
Bring back Forstall! ASAP!
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Ummm, please don't. Just please fix the use ability issues.

(And add handoff functionality back into my mid-2011 MBA !)
 
Jeremy1026 said:
No, because then the people that didn't know that they need to downgrade or know how to downgrade wouldn't be able to have a fully functional device until 8.1 released. Because even if the download problem was fixed, you wouldn't be able to upgrade as you'd already show that you have the latest version.
Click to expand...

Understand your point about downgrading and only way to refresh is a new update, but how does the conduit used to download cause the problem (but the code is fine?)

The upgrade is a package with a checksum and installed on the phone. Are they saying some of the packages were bad depending on the source?

To your point why not make it 8.0.2 vs. a "dot" revision of 8.1?

I guess it all doesn't matter, just the positioning is just that.
 
Why is there always so many people want to pretend they understand everything, while their words only clear illustrate that they have no idea what the regarding technical terms mean?

Come on, if you are not sure you understood the terms, keep your mouth shut for now, do some research, absorb more knowledges, then could you try to draw conclusions!!!
 
Robert.Walter said:
Wondered that too.

Ian Fried --> Ina Fried.

Btw where was Kara?

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Minor bumps in the road on the March of Progress.
(Half written in jest from a 4s with ios 8.1's standard wonky safari and keyboard function problems.)

----------



Ummm, please don't. Just please fix the use ability issues.

(And add handoff functionality back into my mid-2011 MBA !)
Click to expand...

If breaking a function so bad that it is no longer functional is considered as "minor bumps in the road"...There is no end for incompetence.
 
Williesleg said:
Anybody else notice how buggy Apple's software's been lately?

They once had a huge lead over everyone else, that's gone now.

Remember the first iPhone? Everybody still had buttons on their phones, no real apps, no real integration. Fast forward a bunch of years and that gap is gone.

Go ahead, read (or re-read) Steve Jobs' biography. I, like everyone else, would love to see Apple succeed, but they're no longer the hungry company they once were.

They're no longer making great products, instead, they're trying to maximize their profits and maximize their SKU's.

Biggest problem is people like Greg Joswiak, instead of shutting up and fixing HIS problem (and mark my words, it IS HIS problem, I don't care what the actual problem may have or may not have been), he's making lots of excuses.

Get to work Greg. Cut your salary and work double-time. The world has zoomed past you.
Click to expand...
Just like with most other software/hardware pretty much all versions of iOS and other Apple products have had their issues. Looking back there are tons of complaints about practically every new iOS, OS X, etc. version when it comes to bugs/stability/performance/etc.

As for what was said, seems like no excuses were made, simply information was provided and an apology for the mistake was made.

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rGiskard said:
All he needed to do was say he would do what's needed to make sure it never happens again. Instead he dodged responsibility by blaming it on distribution. "Oh it was those other guys sorry about that" isn't taking responsibility, it's weasel words. Furthermore, if he isn't responsible then WhyTF is he apologizing?

Anyhow, I don't believe 8.0.1 was that big of an effup. The problem as I see it is the premature release of iOS 8. It's the buggiest heap of dung I've ever encountered from Apple. I love most of the changes and the new features are great, but it simply was not ready for release. The strategy is entirely different than it was under Jobs, who only released software when it was ready.*

*For the haters, I'm not saying Jobs only green-lighted perfect software. I'm saying he waited until it was out of beta testing. iOS 8 was released to meet a deadline instead of releasing it when it met a predefined standard.
Click to expand...
Explaining where the issue was didn't dodge responsibility, especially when fault was admired through an apology.

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tattooedyuppie said:
What happened to a simple, "We ****ed up and we apologize. We won't let it happen again." ?
Click to expand...
That's pretty much what was said, with the additional piece of information of where the issue was (which in no way served to diminish the issue, excuse it, shift the blame, or anything like that).

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michaelsviews said:
You don't really think these over paid managers or what ever there titles are would admit that they down right F'd up and Big Tim is watching there every move while he's eating his granola bar asking Why
Click to expand...
Except that's basically what he did there by apologizing.

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Tom-Create-Pro said:
Putting the blame on someone else isn't the best move surely... There have been a few mistakes from Apple lately and I think it's about time they held their hands up and admitted them.
Click to expand...
Except that blame wasn't placed on anyone else and everything was admitted in an apology that was made.
 
gimikinc said:
Understand your point about downgrading and only way to refresh is a new update, but how does the conduit used to download cause the problem (but the code is fine?)

The upgrade is a package with a checksum and installed on the phone. Are they saying some of the packages were bad depending on the source?

To your point why not make it 8.0.2 vs. a "dot" revision of 8.1?

I guess it all doesn't matter, just the positioning is just that.
Click to expand...
Distribution isn't limited to a conduit used to download but to packaging what's needed to be downloaded as well. Perhaps the packages that were created just for delta updates (which are used for OTA), specifically for new hardware (iPhone 6 and 6+) had some issue in them due to some incorrect configuration that was used or something like that.

And 8.0.2 was released to addressed the issue, with 8.1 coming later as a separate and essentially unrelated release.
 
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