AppleInsider Staff
According to a new report, the quality assurance manager in charge of Apple's buggy iOS 8.0.1 update was also leading a team accountable for the much maligned Maps app launched with iOS 6 two years ago.
Citing sources familiar with Apple's corporate structure, Bloomberg on Thursday reported the same Apple manager was in charge of quality assurance teams responsible for the two high-profile missteps.
According to the publication, the manager leads a worldwide team of more than 100 people tasked with detecting and fixing iOS software prior to public release. Sources claim that Apple looks to human oversight for bug finding operations instead of automated solutions, making the team vital to the overarching development process.
These people also said Apple's tight security for new product launches may have contributed to unforeseen issues that cropped up with this week's iOS 8.0.1 rollout, which itself was designed to fix problems pertaining to the new HealthKit framework. Chief executive Tim Cook reportedly allows only senior managers privileged access to unreleased iPhone hardware, meaning testing may not be as comprehensive as assessments of new software built for current models.
When Apple released iOS 8.0.1 on Wednesday, reports came pouring in from iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners who could not connect with cellular networks or use the Touch ID fingerprint reader. Earlier today, the company issued a second update in iOS 8.0.2 to bring back lost functionality and correct issues addressed with the initial iOS 8.0.1 update. Apple apologized, saying that some 40,000 people were affected by the incident.
As for the Maps debacle, sources said the manager was taken off the team following customer dissatisfaction with unreliable directions, incorrect points of interest and missing data. The launch was critical at the time as Apple had dropped Google Maps backbone for its own in-house solution. Despite the dust up, the manager in question was kept in charge iOS testing and apparently remains in that position today.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to remove the Apple employee's name as Bloomberg's report has yet to be verified.
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Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Marko Zivkovic
150 Comments
This is a shitty report. It's a man's livelihood.
Well, this just got awkward...
As much as the person responsible should've probably been let go, there's no call for naming him by name. You cannot characterize his career based upon 2 incidents that we do not really know anything about from the inside.
This is a shitty report. It's a man's livelihood.
Are you saying the story isn't accurate?
Very uncool to call someone out like this. He has contributed significantly to this company for 14 years. And, you have none of the specific details of what happened I'll second it - pretty shirty for you to report this