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Apple's Software Quality Crisis

eliseomartelli.it

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Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#791

Post by alt227 »

latexr wrote: post #742
whstl wrote: post #728

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree that it's Tim Cook's responsibility to set the course and influence the culture, I doubt a new CEO will be able to so. I'm not saying nobody can be like Steve Jobs, but Steve Jobs was an anomaly when it comes to C-Levels, and even when it comes to management in general, at least from reading things like www.folkore.org and interviews with people who worked with him. And I'm not even talking about talent…

Tim Cook overrides the advice of high-ranking employees in the name of greed and profit, even when warned such decisions will sour long term relationships. https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/02/26/testimony-on-external-pur... I’m not saying anyone will be better than Tim Cook, I’m saying he’s actively bad. Will his successor be actively bad too? Maybe, but the sooner we find out, the better.

Why is this stuff not reported in the mainstream media?

The general publics opinion of Apple is that they are golden and untouchable, the best tech company out there. The reality is much different.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#792

Post by omcnoe »

kazinator wrote: post #417

My work Macbook sometimes drops random characters from the lock screen password input. You hit a key and a black dot does not appear; the password is consequently rejected. It's not exactly this: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/458099/macos-lock-... The system is not lagging at all. It's not this: https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/08/29/mac-wont-accept-correct-l... It's a bit like this, but only for the system p…

I believe this can occur when specific USB HID peripherals are connected. Try unplugging all your USB devices.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#794

Post by schnable »

walterbell wrote: post #702
yalok wrote: post #685

This has been going on for years. I used to do a lot of iOS development, and have an eye for bugs. Almost every Apple app/service has been regressing in quality. Take basic functionality - a phone app (calling). After certain audio sessions use (calling via WhatsApp) I can’t make regular calls over cellular - the UI app immediately cancels the call. Only reboot helps. Or notes - for many years/iOS versions, they live…

Current head of Apple hardware is in the line of CEO succession. If he becomes CEO at some point in the future, could he have a positive influence on software culture within Apple?

In my experience, hardware people in the top decision making roles are the cause of degradation of software quality, not the solution. They often don't understand the nature of software and software product management.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#795

Post by Brosper »

True! I experience many iOS bugs every day. I try to report them, but I feel I always get a response - "have you tried to turn off and on?"

They treat us as dump users.

Even when the device is for PRO users, they don't want our feedback as they think the software is perfect.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#796

Post by sureIy »

Zanfa wrote: post #723

My personal annoyance is Apple abandoning AppKit in favor of SwiftUI, which breaks down immediately once you do more complex interactions than basic demo apps. NSScrollView and NSCollectionView must be among the most buggy UI components, but SwiftUI ScrollView is so barebones (and also buggy), it's basically useless.

I call it ShitUI because you can tell immediately when a view uses it. It's absolutely incredible how bad it is and that macOS is becoming cluttered with these awful UIs. Have you seen the WiFi menu? How can they fuck up a menu? I just don't understand.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#797

Post by dandellion »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #429
dandellion wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know the feeling. I'm forced to use a Mac laptop for work, and it's really made me appreciate Linux.

Linux is better than Windows on most counts for sure, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to use it full-time without making significant concessions on preferences about how desktop environment stuff works. If you’re someone who grew up on Macs there’s almost nothing in the Linux desktop space that tries to replicate that set of patterns… it’s all Win9X-type taskbar setups, mobile-type setups (GNOME, Pantheon), old ni…

It's the other way around for me, it's all the concessions I have to make on Mac that make it so annoying. All the defaults I don't like, and the inability to change them or find alternatives like I can on Linux.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#798

Post by api »

latexr wrote: post #742
whstl wrote: post #728

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree that it's Tim Cook's responsibility to set the course and influence the culture, I doubt a new CEO will be able to so. I'm not saying nobody can be like Steve Jobs, but Steve Jobs was an anomaly when it comes to C-Levels, and even when it comes to management in general, at least from reading things like www.folkore.org and interviews with people who worked with him. And I'm not even talking about talent…

Tim Cook overrides the advice of high-ranking employees in the name of greed and profit, even when warned such decisions will sour long term relationships. https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/02/26/testimony-on-external-pur... I’m not saying anyone will be better than Tim Cook, I’m saying he’s actively bad. Will his successor be actively bad too? Maybe, but the sooner we find out, the better.

Tim Cook strikes me as a bean counter.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#799

Post by pndy »

roody15 wrote: post #268

When you upgrade MacOS 15.3.0 apple automatically enables Apple intelligence and then turns on Apple intelligence reporting (15 min intervals) by default. You are not prompted or asked to enable. After disabling Apple Intelligence when you do the next mini update to 15.3.1 Apple intelligence is enabled. Again no prompt and your previous choice to disable is ignored. This IMO is a bad sign for Apple software quality.…

> After disabling Apple Intelligence when you do the next mini update to 15.3.1 Apple intelligence is enabled

Lemme list some of my recent nitpicks:

I never used Bluetooth that much because I had no devices either for the phone or tablet, so I kept it disabled. But every major or minor iOS update was turning it on - I ofc understand that some devices may want to reconnect after update. But that doesn't explain why since v18.2.1 it suddenly stays disabled in my case on both devices after update's done.

Then there's iOS ongoing conversation screen that never ever allows me to access springboard when I want e.g. check the notifications. It just constantly pops up like on rubber-band and after few angry swipes, pressing the lock button back and forth finally lets me in. Do I by any chance "hold it wrong"? No idea but widget shouldn't block me from accessing phone - it should allow to swipe up and hide into status bar area.

And the control center changes in the latest iOS: these little widgets are stubborn, reorder themselves, can't change the size and tend to bug out to the point of flying "outside" the grid. It is baffling they managed to finally add icons custom positions on springboard but control center is like beta of the feature that should be here years ago.

Yesterday I've got a homepod mini for all the plugs, switchers and so on. Because for few years iPad cannot be the hub. During initial device asks for few things, like enabling voice recognition, location and then there's Apple Music offer for free for 3 months. I'm not using it and it will rather stay that way but now the offer is permanently presented in both tablet and phone settings right under my account and "family" represented by me and my partner.

After seeing the predatory tactics, dark patterns in last 2 Windows releases (I'll skip Google - because that's their default behavior for years) it seems that Apple too caught the trend. But also quality of the software overall isn't there anymore - no matter which company. Instead we're getting visual changes, or doubtful features that are being forced upon us like this Apple Intelligence or photos scanning.

Re: Apple's Software Quality Crisis

#800

Post by [deleted] »

latexr wrote: post #779
alexashka wrote: post #756

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What these companies need to do is slow down and stop chasing every shiny thing Who is dealing in fantasies now, friend? :) Apple's software really isn't in crisis. It's just very low quality relative to what people who've written software for a living know to be possible. But it doesn't matter - Apple is a prestigious jobs guarantee program for rich kids first, entity that delivers value to consumers second. It's…

> Who is dealing in fantasies now, friend? I said they need to, not that I think they will. But they have in the past. There is a reason Snow Leopard is still lauded today. > It's just very low quality relative to what people who've written software for a living know to be possible. No, it’s low quality relative to what Apple users came to expect. There was a time when “it just works” was an aspirational goal which p…

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