# Why would iOS 8 get released as it was?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 27, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727 "2014-09-27T17:34:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@therealyankey27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/therealyankey27)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/1 "2014-09-27T17:34:52Z")
As many of us know iOS 8 is insanely buggy, and even 8.0.2 still didn’t fix some vital things. So what made Rene think it was a good idea to release something as bug filled as iOS 8. (Side note - at least it didn’t f up tapatalk)
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/2 "2014-09-27T18:09:55Z")
I can’t say for sure, but my guess is either they didn’t know they had the bugs they did until it was out in the wild and actually being used by people, or they knew they had the bugs, and they were facing a deadline; for some reason, the product had to get out by that date.
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### Author:  [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/3 "2014-09-27T18:18:10Z")
iOS gets a major version release every time the new iPhone comes out. They traditionally release a developer preview ~3 months ahead of time and then work to fix bugs that come up until the Gold Master which needs to be shipped to China to flash onto the new phones.
Whatever bugs still remain are an unavoidable byproduct of this release cycle.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/4 "2014-09-27T18:38:08Z")
This is why I don’t update frequently, and certainly not right after one comes out. And it really pisses me off.
We’re told keeping our computers and devices updated is crucial for security. But frequently the updates screw things up. I’m so sick of software I like being rendered unusable due to buggy updates, or changed in ways I don’t want even when the update does work properly.
For now, I’m sticking with Windows XP on my desktop, and one or two versions behind the current IOS on my iPad.
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### Author:  [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/5 "2014-09-27T21:08:17Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> I’m so sick of software I like being rendered unusable due to buggy updates
> [@](#):
>
> For now, I’m sticking with Windows XP on my desktop
Wait, what?
You’re on XP and you’re sick of buggy updates? Seems to me it has to be one or the other, not both…
The really annoying part is that Apple is pushing us to update but won’t let us downgrade to earlier iOS versions. (Although Microsoft and Google are much worse with the update pushing.)
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### Author:  [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/6 "2014-09-27T22:23:17Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> This is why I don’t update frequently, and certainly not right after one comes out.
Well, \*that \*part I agree with. I decline automatic updating and never go for OS upgrades on Day One. I try to avoid release number \*.0 of anything if I can. And I try not to buy new hardware until two or or three months past introduction, let someone else do the shakedown cruise.
I am inclined to agree that part of the problems Apple has had lately may be the result of a market environment where having your new gear/software version be fragile and buggy is nothing compared with the fate-worse-than-death of going past a whole year without announcing a new gear/software version.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/7 "2014-09-27T23:04:02Z")
> [@iljitsch](#):
>
> Wait, what?
>
> You’re on XP and you’re sick of buggy updates? Seems to me it has to be one or the other, not both…
XP isn’t being updated anymore, which is good. For now, it works just fine and runs my legacy software.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/8 "2014-09-28T11:29:35Z")
Being two major versions behind current is not exactly what I’d call hanging back to avoid buggy updates.
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### Author:  [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/9 "2014-09-28T13:35:03Z")
> [@therealyankey27](#):
>
> As many of us know iOS 8 is insanely buggy, and even 8.0.2 still didn’t fix some vital things. So what made Rene think it was a good idea to release something as bug filled as iOS 8. (Side note - at least it didn’t f up tapatalk)
I just routinely updated both our iphones to iOS 8 and haven’t noticed any problems (well, one news app stopped working. I assume it will get fixed. The others work fine). What problems are being reported?
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### Author:  [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/10 "2014-09-28T13:50:48Z")
> [@rbroome](#):
>
> I just routinely updated both our iphones to iOS 8 and haven’t noticed any problems (well, one news app stopped working. I assume it will get fixed. The others work fine). What problems are being reported?
What iPhone do you have?
On my 4S, I have the following issues:
- Camera doesn’t work with all apps.
- Keyboard in Safari doesn’t align the cursor correctly (I end up typing “off screen”).
- Forums like this are buggy in general with Safari (again, keyboard issues, and other problems).
- Photos no longer has an “All” album (not really a bug, rather a bad design).
- In general, apps open slowly now.
- There are other little annoyances I can’t remember at the moment.
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/11 "2014-09-28T13:52:31Z")
> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> Being two major versions behind current is not exactly what I’d call hanging back to avoid buggy updates.
More than that. Someone still running XP is three major versions behind current.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/12 "2014-09-28T15:02:32Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> More than that. Someone still running XP is three major versions behind current.
Yes, and my computer doesn’t have the issues that constantly seem to crop up as a result of “improvements”. I’ll migrate up when I have to, not when they want me to for their own purposes.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/13 "2014-09-28T15:30:46Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> Yes, and my computer doesn’t have the issues that constantly seem to crop up as a result of “improvements”.
You most likely also have security vulnerabilities that haven’t been patched.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/14 "2014-09-28T15:35:28Z")
There are actual improvements in there. You can stop using the scare quotes.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/15 "2014-09-28T18:20:52Z")
I’ve never had virus problems, never been hacked to my knowledge. I have, however, had various updates cause software to not work, kill all audio, screw up all sorts of settings, and remove features that I used and liked. Ditto for IOS updates.
I don’t know why my POV here seems so unpalatable. I read user feedback before I update anything, and am usually persuaded to wait by all the bad reviews and reports of problems similar to what I’ve experienced over and over. For example, I use the Mercury browser on my iPad. Look at their reviews and it’s a very mixed bag. It’s popular, but suffers from problems that piss off users every time they update it. I’m purposely two releases behind and guess what - my version works.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/16 "2014-09-28T18:34:51Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> I’ve never had virus problems, never been hacked to my knowledge. I have, however, had various updates cause software to not work, kill all audio, screw up all sorts of settings, and remove features that I used and liked.
So have I. I just think your solution is more drastic than the problem.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/17 "2014-09-28T19:40:50Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> I’ve never had virus problems, never been hacked to my knowledge. I have, however, had various updates cause software to not work, kill all audio, screw up all sorts of settings, and remove features that I used and liked. Ditto for IOS updates.
>
> I don’t know why my POV here seems so unpalatable. I read user feedback before I update anything, and am usually persuaded to wait by all the bad reviews and reports of problems similar to what I’ve experienced over and over. For example, I use the Mercury browser on my iPad. Look at their reviews and it’s a very mixed bag. It’s popular, but suffers from problems that piss off users every time they update it. I’m purposely two releases behind and guess what - my version works.
Because I’ve installed iOS 8, and while I noticed some minor bugs here and there, your posts come across as hand-wringing exaggerations.
Bugs happen, they’re the nature of development and come with the territory of progress. They’re also inherent in any release of any version of software. So unless there was some release that was a complete catastrophe for you, I really don’t understand your whole gripe here.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/18 "2014-09-28T20:39:57Z")
> [@cmyk](#):
>
> Because I’ve installed iOS 8, and while I noticed some minor bugs here and there, your posts come across as hand-wringing.
All of those things happened. No exaggerations.
My loss of audio happend with Windows. A similar issue happened for users of the Mercury browser with the last update. But that didn’t happen to me because I waited.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/19 "2014-09-28T20:42:32Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> All of those things happened. No exaggerations.
>
> My loss of audio happend with Windows. A similar issue happened for users of the Mercury browser with the last update. But that didn’t happen to me because I waited.
Sorry, I confused you with the OP.
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### Author:  [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-ios-8-get-released-as-it-was/699727/20 "2014-09-28T21:30:27Z")
Yeah, it’s completely normal for Apple to pull the 8.0.1 update within hours because it turns their latest phones into non-phones.
I don’t know if other companies are this bad because I don’t use their operating systems, but Apple’s quality assurance is definitely not as good as it should be. Way too much stuff slips through and of that, a lot doesn’t get fixed, either at all or in a timely manner.
Of course it’s a fine line between ill-advised features that work as intended and bugs where the system doesn’t work as intended.
But as to the original question, that’s pretty obvious: they needed 8 out there because they were about to release the iPhone 6.
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