As I recall, Scott Forstall is the one who got fired over the maps mess. This guy may well have been telling Forstall the maps weren't ready for release. Apple doesn't keep incompetent people around: this report is way out of line.
Well obviously Apple does keep incompetent people around in QA ... otherwise this would never have happened. It is hard to believe that QA had noticed this bug, which bricked flagship devices during the high-profile launch week. My experience with this kind of issue in other companies makes me confident that if QA had the issue on the list of "show stoppers" then Marketing and Sales would NOT have been able to override them.
SO whatever way you look at it, the controls failed .. and if we can't have confidence in QA and security controls being effective then Apple Pay is in trouble before it gets off the ground. In my opinion.
You know who's responsible for the maps debacle? Steve Jobs, and his anger at Google. It was a dumb idea to think that Apple could match Google's quality of product in this area. Apple's maps are still, and always will be, inferior to Google maps.
oh course it was someone in the quality teams fault it did not take some inside knowledge to even make this claim or write the article, What I want to know which is normal Apple practice why wasn't this first release to developers for them to take a look at it to see if it broke anything.
Something really went wrong and it more than some quality managers doing here, Apple appears to have deviate its own processes here and a sole manager can not do that.
Overstated problem, just like the bent iPhone. The QA dept has corrected the slight problem faster than I ever anticipated. Drop the concern and move on to something. The QA Manager gets my Vote.
We don't know that. All we have are unnamed sources. Basically your convicting someone based on no hard evidence. You don't work at Apple so how do you know this guy was solely responsible?
Yeah, rarely is anyone solely responsible. What about all the hundreds of successful releases that surround these two? He might have requested more resources and been denied, or maybe they couldn't find enough high-caliber people in time. Maybe the devs didn't adequately summarize their changes for test planning.
Lots of stuff could have gone wrong besides one man dropping the ball.
The lack of software validation programs is not unique to Apple. When US Air rolled out their new ticketing and reservation software a decade ago, it choked and caused havoc. Remember the US Navy warship some time ago that needed to be towed to port because the Windows-based navigation system froze up? Similarly, there is a reason the US air-traffic control software is archaic--no replacement system has been validated to ensure the 10,000 jets in the sky at any one time would be mis-directed, causing disaster. Though Apple is certainly in a position to lead in the field of software validation, they have not done so. And really the problem is rooted not in the corporations, but in the universities where computer science developers are trained. What is needed is a completely new software development paradigm, where the product can be validated before it's deployed. The current system where consumers act as the QC department is just no longer feasible. We have moved beyond the days where coding software is a hobby--it truly is a matter of life and death. With the lessons learned in the past 20 years, an entirely new way of coding needs to be instituted, from the ground up. No back-doors, no viruses, no bugs.
When you're in college, and you score 95% on an exam, you get an "A".
In the real world, if you only deliver 99%, you get fired.
It's time for software development to enter the real world.
I'm not saying to pin this one even on a single man, call out his name, and persecute him in the media.
I'm saying there is a problem with the system, and a "revolution" in cs practices needs to occur, starting in the universities.
Why are you all complaining about the media naming a person in charge of these bricked phones? If it was regular police officer that happened to shoot someone in St Louis, you'd all be complaining that his name wasn't released.
Transparency is the best disinfectant. Verify the sources, name them and put it on record. This is just as bad as all the media reports of "un-named officials" or "un-named corporate spokesmen/women". Without a name on record, the media is un-credible and unchecked.
Let's all hope and pray that the cretin responsible for this fiasco has been fired forthwith.
MEMO TO COOK: REMEMBER IN FUTURE TO HIRE A PLAYERS ONLY.
Apparently this employee has worked at Apple for 14 years which means he worked there under Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall. If aspects of this Bloomberg story are accurate one question I have is, are these issues carryovers from the Jobs/Forstall era or are they new issues that have cropped up on Craig Federighi's watch?
Good question.
It would seem that Federighi is a possible culprit. Jobs was known for getting the best out of people, as well as wielding a three-line whip when required.
Whilst the lovey-dovey, touchy-feely, happy-clappy, new-age Apple that we glimpsed at the June keynote is all very well, it counts for nothing if the Apple staff's performance worsens as a result.
I haven't read any of the comments (yet) but if the guy was responsible for the team debugging Maps and iOS doesn't that mean we're seeing two major issues in 4(?) years? What about all the iOS releases that have passed in that time? Why isn't there anyone else checking the debugging team at Apple? This sounds more like a shortcoming with Apple's setup more than the doing (or lack thereof) of a single individual.
And that's the problem. There is a story to be written here but Bloomberg stupidly chose to go the route of smearing a mid-level employee. Craig Federighi is fair game. This mid-level manager is not.
Rogifan. That is bullshit and you should know it ! If the evidence isn't clear, then any individual deserves protection. If the evidence is clear and shows culpable negligence or incompetence, then any individual deserves to be made accountable in public.
Rogifan. That is bullshit and you should know it ! If the evidence isn't clear, then any individual deserves protection. If the evidence is clear and shows culpable negligence or incompetence, then any individual deserves to be made accountable in public.
Even if it boils down to one person, unless that person is an executive officer, there's no reason to share that information outside the company.
It's an impossible job: insane pressure from management to release, but secrecy requirements that make it impossible to test correctly. And then the sh... hits the fan and you're left holding the bag. Being able to hold that position for 14 years says a lot about how good the man is, actually.
Rogifan. That is bullshit and you should know it ! If the evidence isn't clear, then any individual deserves protection. If the evidence is clear and shows culpable negligence or incompetence, then any individual deserves to be made accountable in public.
We're not talking about the law here because no one is filing a lawsuit. We're talking about journalistic principles and basic ethics. Going after a public figure is fair game because they have decided to make themselves public. You can make accusations and build a "case" against them through investigative journalism because their name and public persona is usually part of the evidence. These are sometimes just hit pieces and sometimes they are fair and expose true corruption. You cannot censor a reporter's right to criticize a company or person because our entire media system is built upon that premise. But going after someone that is basically anonymous in a story like this isn't just unethical, it's bad journalism that sets Bloomberg up for possible legal ramifications.
Apple routinely updates the phone firmware without the carriers approving it first. This is, unfortunately, a bad example of what can go wrong with this process. I think the industry is moving to this process (witness the slightly more frequent Android updates).
Comments
As I recall, Scott Forstall is the one who got fired over the maps mess. This guy may well have been telling Forstall the maps weren't ready for release. Apple doesn't keep incompetent people around: this report is way out of line.
Well obviously Apple does keep incompetent people around in QA ... otherwise this would never have happened. It is hard to believe that QA had noticed this bug, which bricked flagship devices during the high-profile launch week. My experience with this kind of issue in other companies makes me confident that if QA had the issue on the list of "show stoppers" then Marketing and Sales would NOT have been able to override them.
SO whatever way you look at it, the controls failed .. and if we can't have confidence in QA and security controls being effective then Apple Pay is in trouble before it gets off the ground. In my opinion.
You know who's responsible for the maps debacle? Steve Jobs, and his anger at Google. It was a dumb idea to think that Apple could match Google's quality of product in this area. Apple's maps are still, and always will be, inferior to Google maps.
BLOCKED.
I won't put up with stupidity
BLOCKED ... nor will I
What was it Steve used to say....'You are F***ing dickless assholes"
1, Test should be part of the modern development process, it is not an afterthought.
2, Apple is making engineering compromises for the sake of esthetics. This is not a criticism, but a fact.
3, Apple is relatively inexperienced in mobile devices manufacturing, cloud computing and big-data services.
4, Working hard or hire the smartest, most talented people can never replace experience.
Apple needs to
1, Trust more people. At least trust the testers
2, A wider beta test program.
3, Make earlier product announcement to allow ample time for testing.
4, Designers have to admit they may be wrong sometimes.
Something really went wrong and it more than some quality managers doing here, Apple appears to have deviate its own processes here and a sole manager can not do that.
This is a shitty report. It's a man's livelihood.
Totally agree. Pinning it one guy and initially releasing his name? Wow.
We don't know that. All we have are unnamed sources. Basically your convicting someone based on no hard evidence. You don't work at Apple so how do you know this guy was solely responsible?
Yeah, rarely is anyone solely responsible. What about all the hundreds of successful releases that surround these two? He might have requested more resources and been denied, or maybe they couldn't find enough high-caliber people in time. Maybe the devs didn't adequately summarize their changes for test planning.
Lots of stuff could have gone wrong besides one man dropping the ball.
The lack of software validation programs is not unique to Apple. When US Air rolled out their new ticketing and reservation software a decade ago, it choked and caused havoc. Remember the US Navy warship some time ago that needed to be towed to port because the Windows-based navigation system froze up? Similarly, there is a reason the US air-traffic control software is archaic--no replacement system has been validated to ensure the 10,000 jets in the sky at any one time would be mis-directed, causing disaster. Though Apple is certainly in a position to lead in the field of software validation, they have not done so. And really the problem is rooted not in the corporations, but in the universities where computer science developers are trained. What is needed is a completely new software development paradigm, where the product can be validated before it's deployed. The current system where consumers act as the QC department is just no longer feasible. We have moved beyond the days where coding software is a hobby--it truly is a matter of life and death. With the lessons learned in the past 20 years, an entirely new way of coding needs to be instituted, from the ground up. No back-doors, no viruses, no bugs.
When you're in college, and you score 95% on an exam, you get an "A".
In the real world, if you only deliver 99%, you get fired.
It's time for software development to enter the real world.
I'm not saying to pin this one even on a single man, call out his name, and persecute him in the media.
I'm saying there is a problem with the system, and a "revolution" in cs practices needs to occur, starting in the universities.
Transparency is the best disinfectant. Verify the sources, name them and put it on record. This is just as bad as all the media reports of "un-named officials" or "un-named corporate spokesmen/women". Without a name on record, the media is un-credible and unchecked.
Good question.
It would seem that Federighi is a possible culprit. Jobs was known for getting the best out of people, as well as wielding a three-line whip when required.
Whilst the lovey-dovey, touchy-feely, happy-clappy, new-age Apple that we glimpsed at the June keynote is all very well, it counts for nothing if the Apple staff's performance worsens as a result.
What my memo said was Jobs's philosophy—to only hire the A players, not the B or C.
Seemed to serve him pretty well.
There were plenty of issues under Jobs. MobileMe readily comes to mind.
No back-doors, no viruses, no bugs.
Too expensive to pursue, impossible to validate, and impossible to achieve.
I haven't read any of the comments (yet) but if the guy was responsible for the team debugging Maps and iOS doesn't that mean we're seeing two major issues in 4(?) years? What about all the iOS releases that have passed in that time? Why isn't there anyone else checking the debugging team at Apple? This sounds more like a shortcoming with Apple's setup more than the doing (or lack thereof) of a single individual.
And that's the problem. There is a story to be written here but Bloomberg stupidly chose to go the route of smearing a mid-level employee. Craig Federighi is fair game. This mid-level manager is not.
Rogifan. That is bullshit and you should know it ! If the evidence isn't clear, then any individual deserves protection. If the evidence is clear and shows culpable negligence or incompetence, then any individual deserves to be made accountable in public.
Rogifan. That is bullshit and you should know it ! If the evidence isn't clear, then any individual deserves protection. If the evidence is clear and shows culpable negligence or incompetence, then any individual deserves to be made accountable in public.
Even if it boils down to one person, unless that person is an executive officer, there's no reason to share that information outside the company.
Rogifan. That is bullshit and you should know it ! If the evidence isn't clear, then any individual deserves protection. If the evidence is clear and shows culpable negligence or incompetence, then any individual deserves to be made accountable in public.
We're not talking about the law here because no one is filing a lawsuit. We're talking about journalistic principles and basic ethics. Going after a public figure is fair game because they have decided to make themselves public. You can make accusations and build a "case" against them through investigative journalism because their name and public persona is usually part of the evidence. These are sometimes just hit pieces and sometimes they are fair and expose true corruption. You cannot censor a reporter's right to criticize a company or person because our entire media system is built upon that premise. But going after someone that is basically anonymous in a story like this isn't just unethical, it's bad journalism that sets Bloomberg up for possible legal ramifications.
Apple routinely updates the phone firmware without the carriers approving it first. This is, unfortunately, a bad example of what can go wrong with this process. I think the industry is moving to this process (witness the slightly more frequent Android updates).