iOS 9.1 Web Activity Tapers Off After Surfacing in July

[bbeagle]

Done and dusted. Moving onto iOS 10.


So how do they dictate what is being worked on in each version? For example, what would 9.1 be working on if not bug fixes from 9.0?

In general, a project manager chooses which features they want for the next version of some software. They look at which features they can finish in time for the launch, and which will take a little longer. Or, maybe something that was supposed to be done for version .0 can't be done on the and is moved to .1 or .2

For example, Apple Music couldn't make it into 8.0, so it was moved to 8.4. And they didn't wait until 8.3 to start working on it, it probably took about a year to develop it

 

[mr.bee]

why would they continue to visit mac related sites when they know they can be tracked?
or they just don't care?

how about...it's carefully laid out marketing.
everything is very orchestrated with Apple. They do care and they do know what's happening with this info

 

[tennisproha]

He already explained it, it depends on the efforts/manpower required to finish the code. If something is going to take 6 months to finish and your deadline to submit it is 3 months, that project will be assigned to some releases in 6 months, as in 9.2 or 9.3 milestone

It's different for each company but it is generally like this: Usually the managers and each departments would have weekly or whenever meetings to determine what can make the deadline and what's holding them back. It is also dependent on what feedback/bug reports they're getting from the beta project.

An example: if there is a small UI rendering issue that doesn't seem like a big deal and would require more efforts or they don't have enough manpower to meet the 9.0 deadline, they'd assign to 9.0+ milestone as in either 9.1 or 9.2.

Apple will intentionally ship a major update with known issues and bugs, that's just the nature of software development that have deadlines, which in Apple's case is less than 12 months as they need to ship it every year.

Ah gotcha. I didnt read into it enough. Thanks for explaining.

 

[CFreymarc]

Most people don't understand software development.

You have people working on all different versions at the same time.

15 developers working on 9.0 (code that will be done by September)
5 developers working on 9.1 (code that might take 2-3 months to develop)
5 developers working on 9.2 (code that might take 5-6 months to develop)
2 developers working on 10.0 (code that will take 1 year to develop)
....

Then when 9.0 is released, 12 developers go on to 9.1 work.... while 3 stay back to fix bugs with 9.0

So you have this in October....
3 developers working on 9.0 (bug fixes)
15 developers working on 9.1 (code that might take 2-3 months to develop)
5 developers working on 9.2 (code that might take 5-6 months to develop)
2 developers working on 10.0 (code that will take 1 year to develop)
2 developers working on 10.1 (code that will take 15 months to develop)
....

it's just the way that software is developed. (These are just made up examples to show in lay-man terms what happens)

These can be lyrics to the "Twelves Day of Christmas" melody for a Christmas party.

 

[Andrei90]

It is not clear if the visits came from existing iOS devices or from new devices that are in testing, including the iPhone 6s Plus and the iPad mini 3.

Article Link: iOS 9.1 Web Activity Tapers Off After Surfacing in July

It should be iPad mini 4

 

[MrGuder]

Why do I feel like  is getting way too much like another company we know (MS...cough) with constant updates because they can't get it right the first time.

I never use to worry about a MAC updates. Now I feel like I have to let the guinea pigs play with it first to find out if it breaks more things than it fixes.

^^This^^

I'd rather have less updates....in the past year or two it seems they release too many updates that are not polished and then we get an update to fix something they broke on the last update. It seems very few of these updates actually benefit the user experience. If they don't start working on polishing iOS 9, it will soon be just like 7 and 8 more and more updates that don't really do much.
When can we go back to 6?

 

[MikhailT]

According to several interviews with Cook and others, there isn't going to be a convergence. That's why they made fun of Microsoft not having a pan or knowing what they want to do. I think the keynote introducing Yosemite touched on this as well. Apple realizes that you use certain tools to get the job done.

Show me these interviews, I have never heard of them said this explicitly. Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with putting touchscreen on Mac, that's not what convergence automatically means. I'm talking about convergence on the software level, not hardware. Apple isn't that stupid to say it because they've already been doing it in their own software for a while. iOS and OS X shares the same core for an example, in fact, many APIs are the same for both iOS and OS X platforms.

A single SDK for building universal apps for Apple platforms is likely to happen, why wouldn't they want this? Keep in mind, that doesn't mean Mac == iPad in the same device, that means Tweetbot can dynamically switch between iPad and Mac UI experiences in the same app with iCloud syncing the content. It means one app for all of your devices with different UI layouts built for the device. Buy Tweetbot on iPhone once, boom, it shows up on the rest of your devices automatically such as AppleWatch, AppleTV, iPad, and Macs. Notifications, contents, everything is in sync via iCloud. The developer only has to do it once and users don't have to hassle with buying and getting separate apps.

Also, Apple can make fun of Microsoft all they want, Surface with Windows 10 are some of the best products I've seen Microsoft done. I'm starting to see far more interests in Surfaces than Mac lately and I'm thinking of getting a Surface as my next laptop as well.

 

[BillyTrimble]

Oh my god, Apple is going to have an update to iOS 9. How cool is that, everyone?

I don't understand what you are saying. I must be stupid. Doesn't apple always have updates? Are you saying there will be an update from 8 to 9 or from 9 to 9.x?

 

[BillyTrimble]

Why do I feel like  is getting way too much like another company we know (MS...cough) with constant updates because they can't get it right the first time.

I never use to worry about a MAC updates. Now I feel like I have to let the guinea pigs play with it first to find out if it breaks more things than it fixes.

Wow. I'm with you. No more updates from Apple. Let's just have one release and no updates for at least 9.3 months. After all, I get almost daily updates on Windows 7 and apple is just getting close to this. I'd rather live with a bug or security issue than get an update from Apple.

And wow, those updates always fail and just ruin my machine. In fact, I used to be like you and let those guinea pigs test first. But the updates are so stable, I now have no hesitation is applying them right away. And my lord, the pain of applying those updates every 2 or 3 months just exhausts me. I'd rather have the bugs and security issues cripple my machine. Is your name Frosty? Up with mac haters. Down with intelligence.

"Can't get it right the first time"? Are you serious. I doubt you ever programmed even a vcr in your life. You have NO clue what programming is about. And the fixes to newly found security issues? Well, apple should have anticipated every issue that surfaced in the last two years and should have fixed them before they were even known.

Do you moaners and groaners even have the slightest clue about reality before you bash everything?

 

[Tech198]

iPad Pro so large u can replace your HDTV with it... (edits: not a joke)

 

[benji888]

It's entirely possible that they started working on the 9.1 version with some kind of major feature that they did not expect to be ready in time for the release of iOS 9. Then possibly the version was merged into iOS 9 after all, or the feature was dropped, and iOS 9.1 with it.

If it's like any previous pattern...just because Apple announces new features with the next iOS (iOS 9), doesn't mean they all come in at 9.0. I would guess 9.0 will come out with new iPhones, 9.1 later when they implement split screen and other multitasking features exclusive to the iPads at some later date, when they add new iPads. This year it might not be until December or January instead of October. And, if they give us a new iPad Mini 4 in September, it will likely be A8 or A8X and not A9, which also means it will not be announced, but apple will quietly update their website, drop iPad Mini 2, keep Mini 3, dropping the price a bit and add Mini 4 at the Mini 3 price slot.

 

[Black Magic]

Show me these interviews, I have never heard of them said this explicitly. Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with putting touchscreen on Mac, that's not what convergence automatically means. I'm talking about convergence on the software level, not hardware. Apple isn't that stupid to say it because they've already been doing it in their own software for a while. iOS and OS X shares the same core for an example, in fact, many APIs are the same for both iOS and OS X platforms.

A single SDK for building universal apps for Apple platforms is likely to happen, why wouldn't they want this? Keep in mind, that doesn't mean Mac == iPad in the same device, that means Tweetbot can dynamically switch between iPad and Mac UI experiences in the same app with iCloud syncing the content. It means one app for all of your devices with different UI layouts built for the device. Buy Tweetbot on iPhone once, boom, it shows up on the rest of your devices automatically such as AppleWatch, AppleTV, iPad, and Macs. Notifications, contents, everything is in sync via iCloud. The developer only has to do it once and users don't have to hassle with buying and getting separate apps.

Also, Apple can make fun of Microsoft all they want, Surface with Windows 10 are some of the best products I've seen Microsoft done. I'm starting to see far more interests in Surfaces than Mac lately and I'm thinking of getting a Surface as my next laptop as well.

Quoted from 9to5Mac with full link included:

http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/27/apple-execs-say-ios-and-os-x-wont-merge-and-10-10-will-prove-that/


“It’s obvious and easy enough to slap a touchscreen on a piece of hardware, but is that a good experience?” Federighi said. “We believe, no.”

“We don’t waste time thinking, ‘But it should be one [interface]!’ How do you make these [operating systems] merge together?’ What a waste of energy that would be,” Schiller said. But he added that the company definitely tries to smooth out bumps in the road that make it difficult for its customers to switch between a Mac and an iOS device—for example, making sure its messaging and calendaring apps have the same name on both OS X and iOS.

Of course, it appears that the Apple executives are taking shots at Microsoft, Windows 8, the Surface line of products, and Google’s new Touch-enabled Chromebooks. Microsoft is well known to believe that computer operating systems should be the same regardless of devices. On the other hand, Apple has two complete different operating systems: one for the iPad and iPhone, and the other for the Mac. Federighi explains why:




“The reason OS X has a different interface than iOS isn’t because one came after the other or because this one’s old and this one’s new,” Federighi said. Instead, it’s because using a mouse and keyboard just isn’t the same as tapping with your finger. “This device,” Federighi said, pointing at a MacBook Air screen, “has been honed over 30 years to be optimal” for keyboards and mice. Schiller and Federighi both made clear that Apple believes that competitors who try to attach a touchscreen to a PC or a clamshell keyboard onto a tablet are barking up the wrong tree.

 

[Aluminum213]

How to not increase secrecy: visit a site dedicated to rumors about your products on a product running unreleased software.

Yes, it was giant secret that were would be an iOS 9.1

Everyone expected it to stay at 9.0 till the iPhone 7 launched

 

[Keirasplace]

Show me these interviews, I have never heard of them said this explicitly. Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with putting touchscreen on Mac, that's not what convergence automatically means. I'm talking about convergence on the software level, not hardware. Apple isn't that stupid to say it because they've already been doing it in their own software for a while. iOS and OS X shares the same core for an example, in fact, many APIs are the same for both iOS and OS X platforms.

A single SDK for building universal apps for Apple platforms is likely to happen, why wouldn't they want this? Keep in mind, that doesn't mean Mac == iPad in the same device, that means Tweetbot can dynamically switch between iPad and Mac UI experiences in the same app with iCloud syncing the content. It means one app for all of your devices with different UI layouts built for the device. Buy Tweetbot on iPhone once, boom, it shows up on the rest of your devices automatically such as AppleWatch, AppleTV, iPad, and Macs. Notifications, contents, everything is in sync via iCloud. The developer only has to do it once and users don't have to hassle with buying and getting separate apps.

Also, Apple can make fun of Microsoft all they want, Surface with Windows 10 are some of the best products I've seen Microsoft done. I'm starting to see far more interests in Surfaces than Mac lately and I'm thinking of getting a Surface as my next laptop as well.

Surface, I don't know, may be OK; but Windows 10... You must be joking! Its a crapping Windows 7 + 8.1 put into a blender and a bit more on the side. Although saying it's the best product MS ever done was faint praise by itself...

 

[Keirasplace]

^^This^^

I'd rather have less updates....in the past year or two it seems they release too many updates that are not polished and then we get an update to fix something they broke on the last update. It seems very few of these updates actually benefit the user experience. If they don't start working on polishing iOS 9, it will soon be just like 7 and 8 more and more updates that don't really do much.
When can we go back to 6?

The only "update" that's not polished usually is the big main one, like 7.0, 8.0, etc. Subsequent releases have only increased both stability and features (the new features, which you're not force to use, are usually the only less stable area). After 7.0, you are not even forced to upgrade if you don't want too; the update can be removed from your phone.

So, because you don't want upgrades... No one should get them. You do know you can wait till reviews are in before updating.

The reason the .0 release is less stable is that it is linked to a fixed hardware cycle and code must be frozen pretty early because it needs to get on the phones being manufactured in July and August (they can't delay) and before 9.0, it only got into on limited number of machines/contexts prior to wide release.

With 9.0 having a public beta, it should be better (and from comments seemingly is better.

 

[Black Magic]

Surface, I don't know, may be OK; but Windows 10... You must be joking! Its a crapping Windows 7 + 8.1 put into a blender and a bit more on the side. Although saying it's the best product MS ever done was faint praise by itself...

I agree with this. The Surface is a glorified laptop. Sure it can be a tablet too but if anyone is being honest here, Microsoft doesn't have any worthwhile mobile presence and the apps are nonexistent. Windows 10 is the same old rehash with some heavy borrowing from OS X. Let's not even get started on the bit torrent like feature for updates that milks your bandwidth turned on by default.

I truly feel that if Microsoft wants to get back into the consumer market, they need to drop the Windows Brand. They probably need to create a new OS from the ground up and let go of the legacy code and compatibility. They never will and that is their downfall.

 

[Keirasplace]

In general, a project manager chooses which features they want for the next version of some software. They look at which features they can finish in time for the launch, and which will take a little longer. Or, maybe something that was supposed to be done for version .0 can't be done on the and is moved to .1 or .2

For example, Apple Music couldn't make it into 8.0, so it was moved to 8.4. And they didn't wait until 8.3 to start working on it, it probably took about a year to develop it

Code freeze probably occurs way early for the .0 release. Everything but major bug fixes are probably pushed back to the 0.0 to .1 release. That's why the first few releases after the .0 release are often bug fix releases and not feature releases.

 

[Andrei90]

When the hire

^^This^^

I'd rather have less updates....in the past year or two it seems they release too many updates that are not polished and then we get an update to fix something they broke on the last update. It seems very few of these updates actually benefit the user experience. If they don't start working on polishing iOS 9, it will soon be just like 7 and 8 more and more updates that don't really do much.
When can we go back to 6?

When they hire Scott Forstall.

 

[Rogifan]

Who the hell would want to go back to iOS 6?

 

[dampfnudel]

How to not increase secrecy: visit a site dedicated to rumors about your products on a product running unreleased software.

It's not really much of a revelation that they're already testing iOS 9.1. Now, if iPhone 9,1 and 9,2 (iPhone 7 Plus/iPhone 7) were detected, that would be a different story.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I would rather they just lump events together and keep things interesting. I am funding there events now boring and never live up to hype.

Glad to hear you're financing Apple's events; they could do with the help.

 

[0098386]

Hey look, the iPad Pro copies the Samsung Tab Pro...oh of course it only happens the other way around...

Pointing out hypocrisy with fanboys is Easy Mode. Still fun though!

 

[MikhailT]

Quoted from 9to5Mac with full link included:

http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/27/apple-execs-say-ios-and-os-x-wont-merge-and-10-10-will-prove-that/


“It’s obvious and easy enough to slap a touchscreen on a piece of hardware, but is that a good experience?” Federighi said. “We believe, no.”

“We don’t waste time thinking, ‘But it should be one [interface]!’ How do you make these [operating systems] merge together?’ What a waste of energy that would be,” Schiller said. But he added that the company definitely tries to smooth out bumps in the road that make it difficult for its customers to switch between a Mac and an iOS device—for example, making sure its messaging and calendaring apps have the same name on both OS X and iOS.

Of course, it appears that the Apple executives are taking shots at Microsoft, Windows 8, the Surface line of products, and Google’s new Touch-enabled Chromebooks. Microsoft is well known to believe that computer operating systems should be the same regardless of devices. On the other hand, Apple has two complete different operating systems: one for the iPad and iPhone, and the other for the Mac. Federighi explains why:




“The reason OS X has a different interface than iOS isn’t because one came after the other or because this one’s old and this one’s new,” Federighi said. Instead, it’s because using a mouse and keyboard just isn’t the same as tapping with your finger. “This device,” Federighi said, pointing at a MacBook Air screen, “has been honed over 30 years to be optimal” for keyboards and mice. Schiller and Federighi both made clear that Apple believes that competitors who try to attach a touchscreen to a PC or a clamshell keyboard onto a tablet are barking up the wrong tree.

That has nothing to do with software convergence, it's all hardware use cases they're talking about. Look at this statement alone:

But he added that the company definitely tries to smooth out bumps in the road that make it difficult for its customers to switch between a Mac and an iOS device—for example, making sure its messaging and calendaring apps have the same name on both OS X and iOS.

That's the biggest problem they have and that is what I'm talking about. Apple needs to bridge the app experiences on both iOS and OS X, so that you can have two experiences within one app as you switch between hardware. Apple also agrees, look at this statement from the same interview:

What’s clear when you talk to Apple’s executives is that the company believes that people don’t have to choose between a laptop, a tablet, and a smartphone. Instead, Apple believes that every one of its products has particular strengths for particular tasks, and that people should be able to switch among them with ease. This is why the Mac is still relevant, 30 years on—because sometimes a device with a keyboard and a trackpad is the best tool for the job.

“It’s not an either/or,” Schiller said. “It’s a world where you’re going to have a phone, a tablet, a computer, you don’t have to choose. And so what’s more important is how you seamlessly move between them all…. It’s not like this is a laptop person and that’s a tablet person. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Note the bolded part, that's the goal. An ability to switch between hardware that's designed to do one specific task really well but with the same app and same data. Imagine you're working on a movie on the Mac but the editing sucks for a specific area with a mouse, so you switch to the iPad, and that same app shows up with a different interface designed for the iPad and you can then switch back to Mac later after you're done. That is the software convergence I'm talking about, the ability to produce multiple UIs with one app with the same codebase and the ability for the users to have a smooth and seamless experience as they switch between their Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Like I said in my first place, Apple has been working toward this for many years now. Handoff, AirDrop, and so on are part of that eventual "app" convergence.

Let me make it clear again, I am not talking about merging hardware that's built for specific purposes into one vague and crappy hardware that can't do several jobs in the best way it can. I'm talking about building an app experience that can let you use whatever hardware you want in the best way it can be, the opposite of what MS did with Windows 8 and what they're trying now with Universal Windows apps on Windows 10.

Surface, I don't know, may be OK; but Windows 10... You must be joking! Its a crapping Windows 7 + 8.1 put into a blender and a bit more on the side. Although saying it's the best product MS ever done was faint praise by itself...

That is your opinion. I understand your feeling but I am not joking, I have several months of experience using Windows 10 since the first Tech Preview as both professional and a user (my company is in software development) and everyone in my company also agrees, it's a very good release, better than 8 for sure. W10 is much faster and lighter than W7. I absolutely despite Windows 8 and what MS was thinking was idiotic, that was the worst release they've done but they have done a great job with Windows 10.

Windows 10 is much faster and responsive on all of my Macs compared to El Capitan, Apple has lost the round this year. Unless they came up with a new beta for El Cap that has 100% improvements in all areas, El Cap won't hold its ground against Windows 10.

 

[Soccertess]

Funding

Glad to hear you're financing Apple's events; they could do with the help.

**finding


I wish I had that type of cash!

 

[tampageek]

Wow. I'm with you. No more updates from Apple. Let's just have one release and no updates for at least 9.3 months. After all, I get almost daily updates on Windows 7 and apple is just getting close to this. I'd rather live with a bug or security issue than get an update from Apple.

And wow, those updates always fail and just ruin my machine. In fact, I used to be like you and let those guinea pigs test first. But the updates are so stable, I now have no hesitation is applying them right away. And my lord, the pain of applying those updates every 2 or 3 months just exhausts me. I'd rather have the bugs and security issues cripple my machine. Is your name Frosty? Up with mac haters. Down with intelligence.

"Can't get it right the first time"? Are you serious. I doubt you ever programmed even a vcr in your life. You have NO clue what programming is about. And the fixes to newly found security issues? Well, apple should have anticipated every issue that surfaced in the last two years and should have fixed them before they were even known.

Do you moaners and groaners even have the slightest clue about reality before you bash everything?

I get the sarcasm but your missing the point. I'm not against updates, just ones that are a disaster like  music/iTunes and missed security holes. I would expect this from the inept MS but Apple never used to be this sloppy.