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Why Only Once a Year Feature Updates?

D

djdsas

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 20, 2008
110
38
I am anticipating the preview and release of IOS 7 just like everyone else,
however, can someone please explain to me why the heck we
have to wait for new features only once a year?

I have my own wishlist just like everyone else, I just can't understand
why apple can't release a 6.x or 7.x update that includes new requested
features more than once a year instead of just security updates?

There are so many new features that are needed in IOS, I'm sure
only a small handful will be part of IOS 7. Are we going to have
to wait a whole year for the ones that are left out?


Does anyone else feel the same way?
 
Because it's the bigger picture.

It's the whole iOS, not just what every Tom, Dick and Harry wants. It's an incredible OS that takes time to develop.

So no.
 
It depends.

If Apple are only going to do yearly feature updates, they'd better make sure they do enough with each update, and that the features that are in there are really forward-thinking.

On the other hand, if 6 months later it's a case where you wouldn't include feature X if you were shipping today (in light of changes, new technologies, etc), it's probably better if you'd never shipped it at all.
 
DollFaceDork said:
Because it's the bigger picture.

It's the whole iOS, not just what every Tom, Dick and Harry wants. It's an incredible OS that takes time to develop.

So no.
Click to expand...

But it doesn't have to be that way. If Apple wanted they could make an iOS that is more module and thus could be tweaked more often. They just don't want to do it because they like the one big splash.

We'll see if they trim the fat and shift to any DLC type bits for fonts and such. That might be as good as it gets
 
I can only really think of AirPlay as one of the features they added without a major iOS update.

I think it's easier to explain to consumers when having yearly releases, apple want to sell the features, not for them to go unnoticed as just random updates I guess
 
features don't only come in the major annual releases. airplay and wifi hotspot, for example, came as part of a dot release of ios 4.3. ios 5.1 also brought the camera shortcut on the lock screen (before in 5.0, you'd have to double click the home button to access the shortcut). and you know how in windows phone 8 where the volume controls are tied to the ringer volume (still can't believe this isn't fixed)? ios changed that in ios 2.1.
 
charlituna said:
But it doesn't have to be that way. If Apple wanted they could make an iOS that is more module and thus could be tweaked more often. They just don't want to do it because they like the one big splash.

We'll see if they trim the fat and shift to any DLC type bits for fonts and such. That might be as good as it gets
Click to expand...

Except then they couldn't brag that they now have 72.5 thousand features per update. :p
 
They used to do that until 2010. Still remember the days when Apple pushed out meaningful updates like 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and such. Now, at most the version gets pushed to x.1 before going to the major annual updates. That's how they have "more than 200 new features every year".

They no longer want to push out smaller updates like x.2, x.3 so they can save up features for a single major update. Don't like the way they do this, would prefer periodic features updates. :(
 
In recent years, the iOS update just wasnt enough to excite for the 365 day wait.

I have high hopes that iOS 7 will meet my needs for the entire year with no problem. Lets just hope I am right.
 
jbenkelman said:
In recent years, the iOS update just wasnt enough to excite for the 365 day wait.

I have high hopes that iOS 7 will meet my needs for the entire year with no problem. Lets just hope I am right.
Click to expand...

From a marketing perspective, Apple always tries to under-promise and over-deliver.

The thing is that annual iOS updates in the face of a constant stream of competitor products build up people's expectations, and so Apple can't under-promise or over-deliver.
 
I think one of the main reasons is that apple control both the hardware and software for phones, tablets, desktop and cloud so that they want everyting to work seamlessly.

There's also a lot of testing to do as well which takes time.

And there's developers as well. I've still got some apps which aren't even retina yet even though it supports iphone 5 resolution.
 
The one thing I've always wanted Apple to do is to make more frequent updates to the stock apps by allowing them to be updated right from the App Store. Other than that, I see no need to have iOS updates every few months.
 
I hate Apple's release cycles.

"Feature" updates don't require 365 days of dev+q&a to validate the feature is worthy.

Being a developer, point releases aren't complicated.

Adding Vimeo to the share widget probably could be done in a week from a development standpoint. It's silly to think it NEEDS to be rolled up into a major release.

And if you create an OTA method of delivery, the idea is to be able to more easily do delta updates to the iOS system.

I thought the whole idea of the delta OTA update method was to make it easier for Apple to push out updates more readily than relying on the iTunes method.

Complete UI overhauls, I can understand why they wouldnt push that into an OTA release on a wednesday morning without notice but I can't think why things like Apple map enhancements don't make it in more frequent updates besides the above-mentioned marketing ploys. To which I fart in apple's marketing team's general direction.
 
Count your blessings. If you were on Android, you wouldn't know when you would/MIGHT get an update and what level it might be. The carriers can hold an update for more than a year, even though a different carrier might have already OK'd and implemented it ... while you have to wait months and months. No sir! Apple's method is far superior and user friendly than any Android scenario.
 
They need to give people plenty of time to complain that the last release didn't include anything that anyone wanted; time for everyone to tell the world exactly what they need in the next release or they are leaving Apple; and for people to say they aren't going to do the next release because it doessn't have enough new - even before they actually know what is in the next release.

It would be rediculous for a serious software company to have substantial software releases monthly or probably more than twice a year. There is significant integration testing etc. that must be done and from a user standpoint many people get annoyed when then get any updates (ask my wife and her adroid phone).

If IOS releases are your excitement - get a life.
 
Simplicated said:
The one thing I've always wanted Apple to do is to make more frequent updates to the stock apps by allowing them to be updated right from the App Store. Other than that, I see no need to have iOS updates every few months.
Click to expand...

I agree with this 110%. I am fine with OS level features being once a year. By and large that is faster than most desktop OS's get feature updates.

That said I have a problem with bundling the stock apps with the OS. I think that they should be split so that the email app/safari and those kind of things can be updated on the fly.
 
djdsas said:
I am anticipating the preview and release of IOS 7 just like everyone else,
however, can someone please explain to me why the heck we
have to wait for new features only once a year?
Click to expand...
Because you and like minded individuals are not Apple.
 
Ha! I'm sure all those poor souls with an Android device abandoned on 1.x or 2.x would LOVE a yearly OS update.
 
Agree this needs to become more modular with most of the default apps being able to update from the App Store on any schedule.

It will remove the giant "splash" impact, but they can only ride that wave so long before needing a new strategy.
 
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