Apple iOS 8.0.1 Issues Linked to Maps Debacle, Same Manager Oversaw Both Projects

Apple's recent iOS 8.0.1 issue, which saw the update disable the cellular connection and Touch ID functionality on numerous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, may have links to Apple's 2012 Maps debacle, reports Bloomberg .



According to "people familiar with Apple's management structure," the same mid-level manager was in charge of overseeing quality assurance for both projects, having been moved to the iOS team after being removed from the Maps team.

[The manager] was removed from the maps team after the software gave users unreliable directions and mislabeled landmarks, though he remained in charge of testing for iOS, said one person, who asked not to be identified since the information isn't public.

The employee in question, who has worked at Apple since 2000, is in charge of a team of more than "100 people around the world" responsible for testing the software before it reaches consumers, says Bloomberg.



According to the Bloomberg report, engineers who test the new software often are unable to get the latest iPhones until they are available to customers, "resulting in updates that may not have gone through tests that are are rigorous as those for the latest handsets," and internal issues can also impact Apple's testing, which may explain how such a significant bug got through the testing process.

Internal turf battles also can impact quality testing, according to a former senior manager. Teams responsible for testing cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity will sometimes sign off on a product release, then [the manager's] team will discover later that it’s not compatible with another feature, the person said.

Released yesterday, iOS 8.0.1 contained a critical bug that caused the cellular service and Touch ID on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices to malfunction. Though the update was pulled after approximately an hour and fifteen minutes after it was first released, numerous iPhone users were able to download the software, which effectively disabled their phones.



Apple announced that it was investigating the situation in the afternoon, and yesterday evening, the company released a support document saying iOS 8.0.2 was in the works and directing users to fix the problem via an iTunes restore to iOS 8.



Apple has seen several issues with iOS 8 in recent weeks, including a major bug with HealthKit that caused the company to pull all HealthKit-enabled apps from the App Store ahead of the public release of iOS 8. Apple promised a quick fix, and iOS 8.0.1 was supposed to repair the issue and allow apps that use HealthKit back into the App Store.



Apple has just released iOS 8.0.2 to fix the bugs that were introduced with iOS 8.0.1.



Update: This post has been updated to remove the individual's name.

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Posted in 2014 at 11:55PM, September 25

Apple's Second Wave iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Launch Kicks Off With Online Availability in Several Additional Countries

Apple Online Stores around the world have begun accepting orders for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus as part of a second wave launch that will see the devices become available in more than 20 additional countries.



The two devices are now available for order online in multiple different countries, and will become available in local retail stores in the morning. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are already on sale in stores in New Zealand, where it is just after 11:30 AM.





Second wave launch countries for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.



Many countries where the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are available for purchase online are displaying shipping estimates of five to seven days for both devices, for all colors, carriers, and capacities. In many cases, these shipping estimates are better than the shipping estimates for new orders placed in first wave launch countries, but estimates may change as available supply per country dwindles.



Initial iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sales in the United States, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, and Singapore topped 10 million during the first weekend that the devices were available for purchase, which Apple CEO Tim Cook said "exceeded expectations."



Apple has plans to bring the new iPhones to 115 countries by the end of 2014.

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Posted in 2014 at 11:45PM, September 25

Apple Invites Reporters Into Testing Lab, Details iPhone 6 Plus Durability Tests

Earlier today, Apple released a statement to several different media outlets in response to reports about the iPhone 6 Plus bending within user pockets, stating that bending from normal use was "extremely rare" and suggesting only nine customers had complained about bending issues.



In addition to outlining its rigorous testing policies, Apple has now invited reporters from both CNBC and The Verge to its testing facility to see the machines that it uses to test its products in person. The lab contains an array of different testing equipment, with Apple's head of engineering Dan Riccio telling CNBC the iPhone 6 was "the most tested product we have ever done" and that Apple had not tested another phone as exhaustively.






"As we add more and more features, we have to find out a way to break them before customers do," Riccio told The Verge. According to Apple, 15,000 separate tests were conducted on both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. "The bottom line is that if you use enough force to bend an iPhone, or any phone, it's going to deform," said Riccio.



When asked about the reports of bending, Apple's head of marketing, Phil Schiller, called them "extremely rare occurrences" reiterating to CNBC that out of millions of iPhones sold, Apple had only received nine complaints. He also told The Verge that Apple "designed the product to be incredibly reliable throughout all your real world use."



Apple also outlined some of the different durability tests conducted on the iPhone 6 Plus to The Wall Street Journal , explaining that it's subjected to three-point bend tests, which place pressure on the iPhone to ensure it can handle reasonable force, and pressure-point cycling, which places "substantial" force on the enclosure hundreds of times. The iPhone is also subjected to torsion testing, which twists and torques the device, and there were sit tests simulating real-life scenarios.




Torsion test image, courtesy of The Verge

Apple pointed to five different tests that new iPhones go through in the development process, including what is known as "pressure point cycling test" when it applies substantial force on the display and enclosure hundreds of times while the phone is held by the sides. Apple said this process bends the enclosure repeatedly to ensure that the iPhone can be bent and pressed at reasonable force throughout its life.



Another test, according to Apple, is called the "sit test." This test simulates sitting on a hard surface with the phone in the back pocket of a pair of tight jeans. Apple said it runs the phones through thousands of cycles testing the phone in different positions.

In addition to all of the above testing, Apple also tested the phone in real-life, handing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices out to "hundreds of company employees" to use in various situations to test for durability and performance.



Reports of the iPhone 6 Plus's weakness to bending first surfaced on Monday, after multiple MacRumors forum members shared images of devices that had bent subtly while in a pocket. The bending issue then went viral after a YouTuber posted a video of the iPhone 6 Plus warping out of shape when bent in his hands.



Given the significant amount of media attention the bending has received over the course of the last few days, it has been difficult to determine how many users were truly affected by iPhone 6 Plus bending during real world usage. According to Apple, the number of affected users is comparatively low based on how many devices are now out in the wild.



Despite keeping quiet on the issue for several days, Apple has directed support staff to replace affected phones under warranty following a visual inspection. "In this case, as in many things, we tell customers that if you think something's occurred that shouldn't have with your device, go to AppleCare, go to The Genius Bar, and let them take a look at it," Schiller told The Verge. "And we'll see if your product is having an experience it shouldn't have and is covered under warranty."



Additional photos of Apple's testing equipment and details on the testing process can be found in The Verge's original report on Apple's testing facility.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:42PM, September 25

Leaked pic may show us just how massive the Nexus 6 will really be

Google is expected to unveil the Motorola-manufactured Nexus 6 next month and we know from leaked specs that the device will likely feature a display in the range of 5.9 inches. Droid Life has posted a new picture that purportedly shows the new Nexus 6 next to LG's G3 flagship phone and if the picture is genuine, then the Nexus 6 will be an absolutely massive phone.

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Posted in 2014 at 09:05PM, September 25

New Mac Mini Finally Coming in October Alongside New iPads?

At just under two years since its last update, the Mac mini seems to have become the forgotten part of Apple's Mac lineup, with a number of fans of the small desktop waiting for any word of a potential update.



As they typically are with Mac products, rumors and leaks regarding the Mac mini's future have been relatively rare, with essentially nothing having appeared on the radar since a reference to a "Mid 2014" Mac mini surfaced on an Apple support page as a likely error several months ago.



MacRumors has now received word that Apple is planning a Mac mini update possibly launching next month alongside new iPad models and presumably OS X Yosemite. While we have been unable to obtain corroborating information of an imminent update, the mere possibility of an update as soon as next month is likely to be welcome news to Mac mini fans. The single source has provided no additional details on what to expect in terms of a next-generation Mac mini, but has provided accurate information in the past.



The timing of such an update would be a bit odd, as it is unclear what processors Apple would use in these machines. Next-generation Broadwell processors from Intel appropriate for the Mac mini are not scheduled to arrive until early next year, and the current Haswell processors are no longer cutting edge as Intel has been forced to prolong their shelf life due to continued delays with Broadwell.



Still, the Mac mini is not generally intended to be a workhorse machine with the fastest processors (although they are popular as servers), so Apple may be willing to launch the updated models with Haswell refresh processors released earlier this year. The Mac mini typically uses the some of the same processors as the MacBook Pro except shifted several months later, meaning that an updated Mac mini released next month could use some of the processors from the late July MacBook Pro update.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:44PM, September 25

FBI Concerned With New Default Encryption Settings in iOS and Android Devices

The FBI has been in talks with Apple and Google about the way the technology companies are marketing the privacy features in their smartphones, according to FBI Director James Comey (via The Huffington Post ). Comey says that he is concerned that the two companies are "marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves above the law."



Comey's remarks come following both privacy changes introduced with iOS 8 and a new privacy site that Apple introduced last week, explaining that the company has altered the way encryption works in iOS 8. Apple no longer stores the encryption keys for devices in iOS 8, making it impossible for it to unlock content on devices under police request.





"Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access your data," reads its new privacy site. "So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8."



Shortly after Apple announced the encryption changes to iOS 8, Google announced that the next generation of Android, set to be released next month, will also encrypt data by default, providing the same encryption protections to its smartphones that a passcode provides to iPhones.



According to Comey, though he understands the need for privacy, he believes government access to electronic devices is necessary in some cases.

"I like and believe very much that we should have to obtain a warrant from an independent judge to be able to take the content of anyone's closet or their smart phone," he said. "The notion that someone would market a closet that could never be opened -- even if it involves a case involving a child kidnapper and a court order -- to me does not make any sense."

He goes on to say that one day, it may matter "a great, great deal" that the government be able to infiltrate "a kidnapper's or a terrorist or a criminal's device." His goal, he says, is to have a "good conversation" in the country "before that day comes."



The exact nature of the talks between FBI officials and Apple and Google remains unknown, with Comey only stating that the discussion has been over the "marketing of their devices."



Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:29PM, September 25

Check out this insanely cool iPhone thermal camera add-on

The Seek Thermal is a cool standalone smartphone camera add-on that lets users take pictures and record videos in a thermal imaging mode, though many iPhone and Android device owners may not have an actual need for that other than the "coolness" factor. The device attaches to a supported smartphone via a Lightning or microSD port, The Next Web reports, and costs $199.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:03PM, September 25

Here are the 3 free games you’ll get on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in October

Over the past several months, we haven't had many game releases to occupy our time. That's all beginning to change, with huge games like Destiny, Forza Horizon 2 and Shadow of Mordor either already out or coming soon, but the free Games with Gold have been doing a stellar job of tiding over Xbox owners in the interim.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:40PM, September 25