Do geeks complain first then whole world catches up?

[sanke1]

The tech enthu crowd on internet first spotted what a disaster Windows 8 was even before launch. Few months later, most websites picked up on that and now we have "Windows 8: Good vision, flawed execution and flawed product". That caused bit of damage to Microsoft's reputation.

Now, We have seen so many complaints of iOS 8 instability and UI sluggishness at places on Macrumors forums. My iPad Air itself reboots few times a day with BSOD on iOS 8.0.2. So much that I hate to use it. So it is very much possible that Apple's reputation might permanently get tarnished if they don't fix the damn iOS 8. Apple has just 2-3 months to get things right otherwise I can accurately predict that Apple will become like Microsoft within 2 years as general perception of common people changes.

Software is life. A good software can uplift a product where hardware designs can get more or less similar to other products.

So what does Macrumors think?

 

[Zwhaler]

The tech enthu crowd on internet first spotted what a disaster Windows 8 was even before launch. Few months later, most websites picked up on that and now we have "Windows 8: Good vision, flawed execution and flawed product". That caused bit of damage to Microsoft's reputation.

Now, We have seen so many complaints of iOS 8 instability and UI sluggishness at places on Macrumors forums. My iPad Air itself reboots few times a day with BSOD on iOS 8.0.2. So much that I hate to use it. So it is very much possible that Apple's reputation might permanently get tarnished if they don't fix the damn iOS 8. Apple has just 2-3 months to get things right otherwise I can accurately predict that Apple will become like Microsoft within 2 years as general perception of common people changes.

Software is life. A good software can uplift a product where hardware designs can get more or less similar to other products.

So what does Macrumors think?

While I don't agree with your prediction your thread title makes a good point. Complains about Vista/Lion did yield better quality follow ups. If your iPad has a BSOD problem, you need to get it fixed by Apple as it is not a widespread issue. I hope and expect by 8.2 Apple has the performance back up to par and the kinks worked out on iOS.

As for Apple's reputation becoming tarnished... average people can't even figure out that there is a problem with the exception of the cellular bricking on 8.0.1 as far as I know. Media hype about bendgate got people talking, but after they forget about it it will take another antennagate or the like to actually tarnish Apple's reputation in the iPhone department.

 

[AxoNeuron]

A lot of people just love to complain. I honestly believe a lot of people on here are actively searching for things in iOS 8 to complain about because they have absolutely nothing better to do with their lives.

 

[Totally]

A lot of people just love to complain. I honestly believe a lot of people on here are actively searching for things in iOS 8 to complain about because they have absolutely nothing better to do with their lives.

This - People love to complain anonymously.

 

[sanke1]

This - People love to complain anonymously.

That is absolutely untrue. Many people with legit complaints reveal their names especially on twitter and facebook.

 

[I7guy]

That is absolutely untrue. Many people with legit complaints reveal their names especially on twitter and facebook.

Any company that sells a product will have consumers with legit issues. I am having a few minor issues with IOS 8.0.2 certainly no more than any other IOS release. These issues are stupid like landscape mode getting frozen. I know this bug will be fixed and apples image was not tarnished.

 

[iolinux333]

This - People love to complain anonymously.

BS. There were essentially zero complaints here about 7.1.2. I MARVELED at the lack of complaints here a month ago. iOS8 is a mess, period.

7.1.2 was a beautiful thing and people should be able to revert and not treated like children.

 

[urkel]

The tech enthu crowd on internet first spotted what a disaster Windows 8 was even before launch. Few months later, most websites picked up on that and now we have "Windows 8: Good vision, flawed execution and flawed product". That caused bit of damage to Microsoft's reputation.

You are missing a key point in your assessment about Websites, Bloggers and Major Publications.

The "media" is too lazy to think for themselves.

If you subscribe to multiple tech blogs then you'll see the exact same stories and topics all pop up within hours of each other. That is because copying someone elses story is easier than writing your own original and intelligent articles.

The problem with this style of "journalism" is that in their Copy/Paste routine then the skewed opinion of the original poster gets dragged along as fact. This is exactly why we get "rumored products" that don't ever show up or bendgates. Some unknown "analyst" trying to make a name for themselves says something crazy like "Sapphire glass on every single iPhone coming out!" and then 500 lazy journalists repeat the story with absolutely no research to support or refute it. And then when it turns out to be bogus then they blame the source for bad info rather than themselves for sucking at their job.


So, while I agree that the tech geeks tend to notice "problems" first, these problems are often exaggerated and become a rampaging monster that is filled with nothing but hot air.

 

[Armen]

The tech enthu crowd on internet first spotted what a disaster Windows 8 was even before launch. Few months later, most websites picked up on that and now we have "Windows 8: Good vision, flawed execution and flawed product". That caused bit of damage to Microsoft's reputation.

Now, We have seen so many complaints of iOS 8 instability and UI sluggishness at places on Macrumors forums. My iPad Air itself reboots few times a day with BSOD on iOS 8.0.2. So much that I hate to use it. So it is very much possible that Apple's reputation might permanently get tarnished if they don't fix the damn iOS 8. Apple has just 2-3 months to get things right otherwise I can accurately predict that Apple will become like Microsoft within 2 years as general perception of common people changes.

Software is life. A good software can uplift a product where hardware designs can get more or less similar to other products.

So what does Macrumors think?

I have iOS 8.0.2 running on a iPad 2, iPad mini (1st gen) and 2 iphone 5's and can't really complain about anything. Things seem to be working just fine for me so it's difficult to label iOS 8.0.2 as a "disaster".

 

[jonnyb098]

There are two things at play here:

1. The media has to be very careful how it talks about negative Apple news. Since those involved will never again get an invite to an event nor an advanced review unit. Bad news is often very sugar coated especially by the Mossbergs and Pogues of the tech industry. I suggest reading the 9to5 mac article about how finely tuned Apple's PR is. http://9to5mac.com/2014/08/29/seeing-through-the-illusion-understanding-apples-mastery-of-the-media/

2. And this is a biggie. Apple Quality Control. Apparently the same dope that was in charge of the QC for Maps is also in charge of QC for iOS 8. What Apple needs is for people to just simply have people who work there that are very objective, smart, yet tech oriented but not so closely connected to the project like the engineers. The reality is that engineers do not think like typical people and can be very systematic. Having these types test software as "ordinary people" doesn't really get as much accomplished. They don't care if wi-fi is slow or if the animation is choppy as long as it "WORKS". Refinement comes after it gets to the masses.

Nothing is every going to be perfect with a x.0.0 release. Thats just a fact. However what can be avoided is biting off more than one can chew. Which is precisely what Apple has done with iOS 8. Announcing many things that aren't even ready today nor will be for weeks or months to come that didn't ship with iOS 8.0.0.

People can say what they want about Forstall etc, but I never once EVER felt shaky about upgrading to iOS 4, 5, 6, or even 7 until iOS 8 came along. The irony of it all is a lot of the general public including investors that think Apple is tanking every month that goes by when they don't release anything. Yet many of us want them to take a step back and just GET IT RIGHT. So now they feel the weight of the impatient, A.D.D. world we live in.

I'll end on this.....I've never questioned Apple's future until this unnecessary watch was announced. Every new product category that Apple has ever announced has always answered the question of "this is why you need this product". Instead we got this me too product. The day that Apple leaves people scratching their heads is not something to be proud of. Why do I need this? What problem is this solving? How will this change/enrich my life? None of that was answered at all, even in the slightest. What we get instead is this little tiny screen that does a bunch of stuff my 4+" screen does. I don't care if its finely crafted. I wear a watch and most who do know what a decent watch is anyway.

Just take a step back Apple......

 

[benji888]

This - People love to complain anonymously.

^This

You are missing a key point in your assessment about Websites, Bloggers and Major Publications.

The "media" is too lazy to think for themselves.

If you subscribe to multiple tech blogs then you'll see the exact same stories and topics all pop up within hours of each other. That is because copying someone elses story is easier than writing your own original and intelligent articles.

The problem with this style of "journalism" is that in their Copy/Paste routine then the skewed opinion of the original poster gets dragged along as fact. This is exactly why we get "rumored products" that don't ever show up or bendgates. Some unknown "analyst" trying to make a name for themselves says something crazy like "Sapphire glass on every single iPhone coming out!" and then 500 lazy journalists repeat the story with absolutely no research to support or refute it. And then when it turns out to be bogus then they blame the source for bad info rather than themselves for sucking at their job.


So, while I agree that the tech geeks tend to notice "problems" first, these problems are often exaggerated and become a rampaging monster that is filled with nothing but hot air.

& This^
There is very little professional journalism out there now, bloggers & writers don't research and find the facts first, they just try to be the first with whatever gets them hits on their blog/website, etc. They are just trying to get attention. No one cares if information is sensationalism, misleading or even false.


I'm running iOS 8.0.2 on three devices, not having the issues OP mentions at all.

 

[/V\acpower]

Ok, first of all, the comparison with Windows 8 doesn't hold.

The problem with Windows 8 is not some particular bugs, it's the whole design and vision behind the OS. The design of the Metro interface, the way it was designed, the total absence of visual cue for functions, the overall confusion with same apps being open in Metro AND in Desktop, forced fullscreen apps on desktop, etc, etc. This is what killed Windows 8. It's not even that peoples are not open to new things, it's just that Windows 8 tried to replace something that wasn't broken with something that was just not good for desktop users and clearly was aimed at using their desktop monopoly to convince developers to create apps for an ecosystem that would eventually make them competitive in the Tablet/Phone market.

Anyway, iOS is a very good upgrade, just a bit buggy at the beginning, but nothing that will have the same impact in the eyes of the public.

Also, about the "geeks" being supposedly able to "see" what eventually the public will love or not is simply not true. The best example of all : iPad. When it was announced, the tech world blasted it and even laughed at it. ("Just a big iPod Touch", "Doesn't run OS X" "Useless for any kind of work", etc. etc.) But when it came out, actually it was the right product for so many peoples, probably even more than what Apple themselves anticipated.

 

[C DM]

The tech enthu crowd on internet first spotted what a disaster Windows 8 was even before launch. Few months later, most websites picked up on that and now we have "Windows 8: Good vision, flawed execution and flawed product". That caused bit of damage to Microsoft's reputation.

Now, We have seen so many complaints of iOS 8 instability and UI sluggishness at places on Macrumors forums. My iPad Air itself reboots few times a day with BSOD on iOS 8.0.2. So much that I hate to use it. So it is very much possible that Apple's reputation might permanently get tarnished if they don't fix the damn iOS 8. Apple has just 2-3 months to get things right otherwise I can accurately predict that Apple will become like Microsoft within 2 years as general perception of common people changes.

Software is life. A good software can uplift a product where hardware designs can get more or less similar to other products.

So what does Macrumors think?

People were saying the same types of things when iOS 7.0 came out, and now iOS 7.1 is seen as a fairly good and stable version. Same kinds of things were said about Apple Maps and even other iOS versions or even OS X versions before too, and yet Apple is still here and is still doing better and better. So, none of this gives much light to any realistic predictions, let alone accurate ones.

 

[urkel]

The problem with Windows 8 is not some particular bugs, it's the whole design and vision behind the OS. The design of the Metro interface, the way it was designed, the total absence of visual cue for functions, the overall confusion with same apps being open in Metro AND in Desktop, forced fullscreen apps on desktop, etc, etc.

That very much describes the iPhone 6/6+ landscape keyboard with the "shortcut keys" that just get in the way.

Designed by concept, not by real world usage

 

[/V\acpower]

That very much describes the iPhone 6/6+ landscape keyboard with the "shortcut keys" that just get in the way.

Image

Designed by concept, not by real world usage

I don't really see the ressemblance. The iPhone 6 keyboard may be a bit annoying at first if you are not used to it, but it's not really creating any confusion.

The problem with Windows 8 is that in the OS there is two completely different environment that don't work the same and it's not always clear "what is going on and how do I get back to where I was". It's not clear that a page opened in Metro IE will be open or not in Desktop IE. You press the start menu and you get a full screen interface that is entirely different from the windows and desktop you were just using with a completely new set of rules.

I just don't see how a slightly larger keyboard with some new buttons will "confuse" users in that way. May be a bit of an annoyance, but nobody will get really "lost" in iOS 8 because of that unlike Windows 8.

 

[oldmacs]

People are complaining that it is a buggy mess... because it is a buggy mess. Quite frankly, I have better things to do than make up stories of my iOS devices stuffing up then type them up on here.

What some people don't understand is that just because they are luckily having no iOS 8 issues, doesn't mean its a bug free release.

 

[I7guy]

People are complaining that it is a buggy mess... because it is a buggy mess. Quite frankly, I have better things to do than make up stories of my iOS devices stuffing up then type them up on here.

What some people don't understand is that just because they are luckily having no iOS 8 issues, doesn't mean its a bug free release.

Right and all software has bugs, but not all users hit every bug. Conversely a particular bug may or may not be noticed by a specific user.

I disagree about 8.0.2 being a buggy mess. To say there are some bugs is fair.

 

[duffman9000]

People can say what they want about Forstall etc, but I never once EVER felt shaky about upgrading to iOS 4, 5, 6, or even 7 until iOS 8 came along. The irony of it all is a lot of the general public including investors that think Apple is tanking every month that goes by when they don't release anything. Yet many of us want them to take a step back and just GET IT RIGHT. So now they feel the weight of the impatient, A.D.D. world we live in.

I think Apple had to add a lot of new features because let's face it, iOS was severely lacking in some areas. Under Forstall, changes were very slow in coming. I think you forgot about how bad Apple Maps was under Forstall and how he refused to apologize for it.

 

[oldmacs]

Right and all software has bugs, but not all users hit every bug. Conversely a particular bug may or may not be noticed by a specific user.

I disagree about 8.0.2 being a buggy mess. To say there are some bugs is fair.

Ok its probably not the most buggy release ever, but in comparison to iOS 7 it seems in my experience to be more buggy

 

[braddick]

Although I'm sure Apple doesn't constantly seek blandishment, at times the vapid negativity runs half an inch deep and a mile wide.

 

[geeshiet]

Without Steve Jobs, Apple is nothing.

 

[C DM]

Without Steve Jobs, Apple is nothing.

Whaf does that have to do with it? And clearly Apple just went downhill over the past few years without Jobs, right?

 

[lk400]

BS. There were essentially zero complaints here about 7.1.2. I MARVELED at the lack of complaints here a month ago. iOS8 is a mess, period.

7.1.2 was a beautiful thing and people should be able to revert and not treated like children.

you do realize you are comparing a X.0 build with a X.1 build right? Of course 7.1.2 was more stable than 8.0 or 8.0.2.

 

[taptic]

BS. There were essentially zero complaints here about 7.1.2. I MARVELED at the lack of complaints here a month ago. iOS8 is a mess, period.

7.1.2 was a beautiful thing and people should be able to revert and not treated like children.

you do realize you are comparing a X.0 build with a X.1 build right? Of course 7.1.2 was more stable than 8.0 or 8.0.2.

Yeah man... There's a reason people weren't complaining about 7.1.2. Were you around when ios 7 was first released? That was a mess. Comparatively ios 8 is doing pretty well.

 

[flyinmac]

BS. There were essentially zero complaints here about 7.1.2. I MARVELED at the lack of complaints here a month ago. iOS8 is a mess, period.

7.1.2 was a beautiful thing and people should be able to revert and not treated like children.

Really???????

All I remember from 7.1.2 is that no one could get it to finish installing properly and had to resort to interrupting the installation and rebooting and hoping that the device came back to life.

And for tons of people, all they ended up with was a paperweight that looked oddly like an iPhone.

I'd hardly call that a lack of complaints.

Now, if you're trying to say that after getting through a very rough and rocky installation that few people had trouble with the update if their phone was fortunate enough to still be working, then perhaps that is a different story.