Apple’s iOS Miscue Just A Blip Or A Bigger Snafu?

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. In the wake of massive sales and pre-orders of its new iPhone 6, Apple finally stumbled. Sure, it sold more than 10 million new units, but it’s oops moments are definitely grabbing the headlines.

Forget the rumors of iPhones bending in people’s pockets, or the massive numbers of suspected international resellers clogging up lines in the States. The worst snafu in recent Apple memory has to be iOS 8.0.1. Millions flocked to update to the latest operating system, hoping to enjoy scads of promised upgrades, updates, and fixes.

Instead, they got no cell service. Yep, the old joke finally came true. These things can do everything but make a phone call. The fallout was immediate … and, of course, it was scathing. Apple responded by pulling the update. Indefinitely. The withdrawal came with the following quick statement:

“We have received reports of an issue with the iOS 8.0.1 update. We are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can. In the meantime we have pulled back the iOS 8.0.1 update.”

Now, people love it when Apple gets terse and pithy with their advertising, but consumers were not buying it. The reaction to the statement was less than enthusiastic. Frustrated consumers were quick to dismiss the entire leadership, wishing openly for the days of Steve Jobs and unquestioned Apple dominance.

Their faith shaken, the faithful may even do something even more rare than Apple admitting a mistake. They may actually remember them. Snafus like the Antenna Issue and the horrible roll out of Apple Maps.

Sure, these are minor annoyances compared to some other tech rollout nightmares, but many Apple users buy Apple products so they don’t have to worry about stuff like this. And they have good reason to think this way. Apple is using its own systems, improving and testing its own software on its own hardware. There are no outside the loop issues. So something like this just shouldn’t happen.

For better or worse, that is the expectation Apple has created for their customers. The reputation they have lived by for years. Now, in a time when they have major and widespread competition in the mobile market, Apple cannot afford this stumble.

The day the iPhone came out there were countless articles written on why Android users should make the switch. Today, some of those guys are asking for Mulligans, and Apple’s PR team has seen a triumph turn into the Hindenburg.

It will be interesting to see if Apple’s engineers can fix the issue before Samsung figures out a way to take advantage of Apple’s rare misstep.

Apple’s iOS Miscue Just A Blip Or A Bigger Snafu?