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0 pointsbangonkeyboard8y ago0 comments

macOS and iOS updates at Apple are now inextricably tied to new iPhone releases. There is a strict yearly deadline that the teams sprint toward, a timeline imposed by marketing rather than readiness. This affects prioritization of which features are pursued, where they lie in the stack, and how polished they get.

Insufficient testing at today's Apple is not limited to software. They bragged about their extensive input testing lab [0] when the new line of Magic accessories was released, but the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad launched last summer had all of its inventory pulled from the channel last month because users discovered that the model was so thin that its midsection bowed over time.

[0]: https://medium.com/backchannel/what-i-saw-inside-apple-s-top...

0 comments

warent8y ago

Everything ends in tears when managers mix up targets/estimates with commitments

nikofeyn8y ago

it is also that they pursue features just for the sake of it. things get moved arund in the iPad from release to release for no good reason, often going backwards in usability. every release i have to relearn simple things like how to manage the screen brightness. i really wonder what they are thinking internally other than “we need to shake things up to make it appear we’re doing something with stale products”.

maxxxxx8y ago

It seems phones and tablets have reached the stage where laptops were maybe 15 years ago. All the major features are done and innovation is pretty much over. So they have to make a lot of cosmetic changes that look like activity.

komali28y ago

Haven't deadlines at Apple always been driven by marketing? I'm looking for a source but I remember a story where the product director for iPod was told by steve jobs "make it simple, fast, beautiful, and have it done by Christmas."

oneeyedpigeon8y ago

That's sure to send shivers down the spine of anyone reading it here but, to be fair to jobs, he managed to get exactly what he wanted on that occasion.

amildie8y ago

Asking for stuff requires no talent, vision, discipline or effort whatsoever. Pretty much anyone can do it. If you don't actually deliver, you don't actually matter.

kifleswing8y ago

Where did you hear that the keyboard was pulled from the channel? It just seems to be out of stock for me.

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