Looks like Apple is overhauling their development to improve quality

OtinG · 11-22-2019, 12:01 PM

Interesting MacRumors article "Apple Reportedly Overhauling Its Software Development Process Following Buggy Release of iOS 13" suggests that Apple is overhauling their development approach to improve quality after the buggy release of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. They definitely need to. iPadOS 13 was seriously buggy and should have been released later after it was in much better shape.

pwalker8 · 11-22-2019, 01:38 PM

Yea, I saw that report. I never ran into any issues myself, but I agree that the numerous updates was at the minimum gave the perception of a lack of quality control. I don't know that I agree that this approach will actually improve QC, but certainly the focus should improve things a bit.

I will say that there were some significant bugs in the betas fairly late in the processes. I'm not complaining because that's what you sign up for when you do beta's, but it was a bad sign. At the minimum it meant they were focused on major issues rather than cleaning up the cosmetic issues.

OtinG · 11-23-2019, 12:38 PM

Normally I have little say nice about Microsoft, but the one thing I agreed with their development strategy was to release the update/upgrade after it was ready rather than on some predetermined date. it pissed customers off, but at least they got a less terrible release that way. I know from experience working with software companies that trying to make deadlines that are chiseled into stone while marketing keeps agreeing to new features up to the end and management okays same, well that is a recipe for disaster. You almost never heard them agree to push a promised feature to the next development cycle. I’m not a programmer, but I watched those poor folks working around the clock the last several weeks before the final release trying to deliver the undeliverable. While it was usually the position of management that the fault was due to the programmers not getting the work done in a timely fashion. They rarely looked into the mirror and pointed the blame at themselves, where is really belonged. I don’t know wherein Apple's development issues lie, but I know they are not perceived and they need to be fixed. This has been happening a lot in the past several years. One of the macOS releases a few years ago had to have constant updates all year long because it was so bad. So bad in fact the Apple promised to focus on getting things right before tackling new features. A promise they never kept IMO. I for one, and I know other long time Apple users (as in over 30 years of using Apple software and hardware) who will never again be quick to adopt their new releases/updates. They have a systemic problem that needs to be fixed...

solitarywolf · 12-04-2019, 05:04 PM

I had a discussion with a friend that put this in perspective for me. He says, there are deadlines and they have to decide what is ready and not ready for these deadline for correction on the next release. Along with this, Apple is already working on the next iOS for next year. The same teams that are fixing the current version are also working on the next version. This workload and hard deadlines are what is making them fail. There isn't enough time to be juggling this and have it all ready for release on a specified date.

In a perfect world, they would hold off on a release until its perfectly READY. But that costs money in our world when expectations of people want the new I-gadget with the new iOS. Its sad as I feel the quality of Apple iOS has dropped a lot since I first bought my iOS device(s).

JSWolf · 12-04-2019, 05:22 PM

iOS 13 is still not good. The battery dies way too fast compared to iOS 12.

kyteflyer · 12-08-2019, 02:01 PM

What I detest, utterly, is the arbitrary decision they make about not signing older OSes. I hate iOS13. I want to go back to 12.4.1 which for me, at least, was bug free. Can’t. Apple should allow people to downgrade when a release is known to be buggy. Its just nasty not to allow that.

crane3 · 12-11-2019, 08:20 PM

installed ipados 13.3 last night; still NO "file sharing".

When I run ipados "files" app and select 'browse', I see 'calibre companion' as selectable BUT when I do select/click/touch it, I get an error claiming the it cannot communicate with the helper application.

What is the 'helper' app & which version?

11-22-2019, 12:01 PM	#1
OtinG Old Gadget Guy Posts: 908 Karma: 1225635 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Oasis 3, iPhone XR, iPad Pro 9.7, Alexa Devices	Looks like Apple is overhauling their development to improve quality Interesting MacRumors article "Apple Reportedly Overhauling Its Software Development Process Following Buggy Release of iOS 13" suggests that Apple is overhauling their development approach to improve quality after the buggy release of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. They definitely need to. iPadOS 13 was seriously buggy and should have been released later after it was in much better shape.

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11-22-2019, 01:38 PM	#2
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,993 Karma: 40384502 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	Yea, I saw that report. I never ran into any issues myself, but I agree that the numerous updates was at the minimum gave the perception of a lack of quality control. I don't know that I agree that this approach will actually improve QC, but certainly the focus should improve things a bit. I will say that there were some significant bugs in the betas fairly late in the processes. I'm not complaining because that's what you sign up for when you do beta's, but it was a bad sign. At the minimum it meant they were focused on major issues rather than cleaning up the cosmetic issues.

11-23-2019, 12:38 PM	#3
OtinG Old Gadget Guy Posts: 908 Karma: 1225635 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Oasis 3, iPhone XR, iPad Pro 9.7, Alexa Devices	Normally I have little say nice about Microsoft, but the one thing I agreed with their development strategy was to release the update/upgrade after it was ready rather than on some predetermined date. it pissed customers off, but at least they got a less terrible release that way. I know from experience working with software companies that trying to make deadlines that are chiseled into stone while marketing keeps agreeing to new features up to the end and management okays same, well that is a recipe for disaster. You almost never heard them agree to push a promised feature to the next development cycle. I’m not a programmer, but I watched those poor folks working around the clock the last several weeks before the final release trying to deliver the undeliverable. While it was usually the position of management that the fault was due to the programmers not getting the work done in a timely fashion. They rarely looked into the mirror and pointed the blame at themselves, where is really belonged. I don’t know wherein Apple's development issues lie, but I know they are not perceived and they need to be fixed. This has been happening a lot in the past several years. One of the macOS releases a few years ago had to have constant updates all year long because it was so bad. So bad in fact the Apple promised to focus on getting things right before tackling new features. A promise they never kept IMO. I for one, and I know other long time Apple users (as in over 30 years of using Apple software and hardware) who will never again be quick to adopt their new releases/updates. They have a systemic problem that needs to be fixed...

12-04-2019, 05:04 PM	#4
solitarywolf Ink Drinker Posts: 174 Karma: 199056 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Device: Kindle Vger, Ipad Pro, iPhone X.	I had a discussion with a friend that put this in perspective for me. He says, there are deadlines and they have to decide what is ready and not ready for these deadline for correction on the next release. Along with this, Apple is already working on the next iOS for next year. The same teams that are fixing the current version are also working on the next version. This workload and hard deadlines are what is making them fail. There isn't enough time to be juggling this and have it all ready for release on a specified date. In a perfect world, they would hold off on a release until its perfectly READY. But that costs money in our world when expectations of people want the new I-gadget with the new iOS. Its sad as I feel the quality of Apple iOS has dropped a lot since I first bought my iOS device(s).

12-04-2019, 05:22 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 54,432 Karma: 51273184 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Aura H2O, Sony PRS-650, Sony PRS-T1, nook STR, iPad 4, iPhone 5	iOS 13 is still not good. The battery dies way too fast compared to iOS 12.

12-08-2019, 02:01 PM	#6
kyteflyer Wizard Posts: 1,718 Karma: 5275188 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Newcastle, Australia Device: iPhone 7, iPhone SE	What I detest, utterly, is the arbitrary decision they make about not signing older OSes. I hate iOS13. I want to go back to 12.4.1 which for me, at least, was bug free. Can’t. Apple should allow people to downgrade when a release is known to be buggy. Its just nasty not to allow that.

12-11-2019, 08:20 PM	#7
crane3 Evangelist Posts: 462 Karma: 2101000 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Calif Device: Fire hdx 8.9, Tab S2, Tab Pro 8.4, Aura ONE	installed ipados 13.3 last night; still NO "file sharing". When I run ipados "files" app and select 'browse', I see 'calibre companion' as selectable BUT when I do select/click/touch it, I get an error claiming the it cannot communicate with the helper application. What is the 'helper' app & which version?