Maria Christina C.

Virtudazo (2019-00287) Homework #2

iOS 15: The Buggiest By Far?

BACKGROUND
Apple Inc. is an American-based multinational technology company specializing in
consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. Products such as iPhone, iPad,
Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods are its most commonly known electronics. And with its mobile
devices comes an exclusive software that differentiates Apple from the rest, namely iOS. iOS is
Apple’s exclusive operating system that is the second most installed mobile operating system
after Android. Through the years, Apple has been continuously developing its operating system
to serve its consumer base with the best and maintain its competitive position in the market.
Recently, Apple released the newest version of its operating system, iOS 15, in September
2021. It included both new and supplementary updates that keep up with the challenges caused
by the pandemic. As people become more reliant on online interaction, iOS 15 offers more ways
to stay connected and enjoy new experiences. However, challenges followed this new release
that led to customer dissatisfaction. There are records of numerous bugs that hindered users
from fully optimizing the new features brought by its new operating system. As a result,
consumer complaints have risen, and opinions about iOS 15 varied across users.
WHAT WENT WRONG
By the end of September, a rough estimate of 19.3% of iOS users had adopted the new
iOS 15 as analyzed by Mixpanel (Rossignol, 2021). However, comparing the speed of adoption
between iOS 14 and iOS 15, the latter has shown slower progress as people become hesitant
to adopt this update (See Appendices). And the primary reasons associated with its current
status are the handful of bugs and delay of features found by users during its early launch.

Bugs! Bugs Everywhere!

A prime example of the bugs was the
Unlock feature using the Apple
Watch. According to Rossignol
(2021), “The feature is designed to let
you unlock your iPhone while wearing
a mask, but some users have
encountered an "Unable to
Communicate with Apple Watch"
error message.” Even though the new iOS was supposed to support this feature, users have
expressed their inability to make full use of this update. Another bug that users discovered was
that photos saved from an iMessage conversation are later deleted and removed from the
Photos App when performing iCloud Backup. As this is such an inconvenient bug that results in
loss of internal data due to cloud transferring, users have described iOS 15 as one of the
buggiest releases so far. And with that, users have questioned whether beta testing was
conducted or not. And if it was, it was not as effective as it should have been because it still led
to numerous bugs with its new features, resulting in more damage to its image.

Beware of the Delay!

Another issue Apple has in encouraging users to adopt the new system is the delay in its
major features, wherein users have yet to access SharePlay in FaceTime. There have also
been records of intermittent screen issues, and some have also mentioned that these new
features are not even significant changes (e.g., Lock Screen and Focus feature). It is also
noteworthy that some features in iOS 14 may not be included in the new iOS 15 which people
find highly convenient. In iOS 14, users can choose to continue to adopt the major security
patches with the 14.8 version (Ahmed, 2021). This feature has not been mentioned in iOS 15,
causing people to lean towards the former system rather than the new one.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Moving forward, Apple should consider the following recommendations to appease its users:
● Conduct a more thorough beta testing phase
○ As more users become displeased with the number of bugs in iOS 15, Apple
should consider subjecting new releases to more rigorous beta testing. This aims
to thoroughly inspect and discover any underlying issues that might arise from its
usage, may it be minor or major. As this is a vital phase before the general
release of the system, Apple will be able to work on any underlying issues to
reduce future problems, customer complaints, and dissatisfaction. Moreover, this
will improve the overall experience of users, which improves customer loyalty and
competitiveness in the market. Hence, an increase in revenue is sure to follow.
● Focus on customer pull, not company push
○ Apple should delve deeper into what customers really want rather than focusing
on what the company wants. As customers are the blood of any business, it is
crucial to consider what would best attract them to buy or use the product. If they
are presented with something that they don’t want or need, they will opt to select
another. As such, this poses a potential loss of revenue and customer loyalty.
Moreover, customer pull indicates the potential demand in the market, leading to
the growth of the consumer base. Given this, Apple must consider the
satisfaction of customers with its new releases. It may not be enough to present
customers with new features. Instead, it is best to present both new and highly
convenient features. This will then stimulate curiosity and purchasing.
● Improve features that work best rather than change it
○ According to a recent article by Ahmed (2021), iOS 14 users are hesitant to
adopt the new operating system because of the lack of security options. Unlike
the former, iOS 15 seems to have eliminated the option for users to customize
their respective security settings. As such, users feel less secure with the new
system. Along with numerous reports on bugs and malfunctions, it can be
deduced that users are not attracted to the new operating system. As such,
instead of focusing on something new, Apple should consider building upon them
rather than removing features. As users have expressed their satisfaction with
this particular feature, Apple should capitalize on it and bring further
improvements to it to satisfy users. In iOS 15, they could consider adding security
measures such as notifications and alerts regarding unfamiliar access.
References:
Rossignol, J. (September 2021). iOS 15 Suffering From Several Bugs as Adoption Rises to
Nearly 20%. Retrieved October 29, 2021
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/30/ios-15-adoption-and-early-bugs/
Ahmed, A. (September 2021). iPhone users are taking longer when it comes to adopting the
latest version of the Apple operating system that is iOS 15. Retrieved October 29, 2021
https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2021/09/iphone-users-are-taking-longer-when-it.
html
Appendices: