2 ms·

The iPhone 13 feels rough and unfinished

18 points by LinuxBender 5y ago

mimsee 5y ago
> The iPhone 13 is out, and while there's no doubt that the hardware is a step up from the previous incarnation. > I've watched iOS releases quality slip over the years, and now I'm seeing the same thing happen with Apple's hardware. So which is it? I get that the release software is buggy which sucks considering the price of the phone, but software is not hardware.
- SkyMarshal 5y ago
  All the examples of problems the article gives sound like software problems rather hardware problems.
  - Tepix 5y ago
    Given how bad Apple is at fixing bugs, does it even matter?
    - SkyMarshal 5y ago
      Are they unusually bad at fixing bugs? I've had an iPhone for several years and never noticed...
  - karmakaze 5y ago
    It's all Apple. The problem was that the hardware was released before it (including compatibility with the available software) was ready. It's a hardware release problem. The software that was released before the hardware was fine with other devices as the post is reporting. If a Tesla fails because of software, who cares about the distinction?
  - randyrand 5y ago
    the iphone 13 can only run ios 15. that’s an important point to make. previous iphones are capable of running much more polished software. it’s still tbd if ios 15 will ever be a good OS.
rvz 5y ago
So what was the point in buying it? Sell it and wait for the iPhone 14 then.
beezischillin 5y ago
I've had having plenty of problems with Apple devices not communicating with one another even on iOS 14 and before: from the Apple Watch not unlocking the phone when wearing a mask to macOS Safari no longer prompting for unlocking the Keychain or unlocking my Mac via the Watch, etc. I just assumed that it's because I have a Series 3 Watch and it's getting to that point where it's getting less functional with each update. Shame. The worst problem I've had consistently across multiple iPhone models and OS versions is trying to answer phonecalls on the Mac/Homepod and the caller on the other end being completely unable to hear my microphone which basically made the feature completely useless to me because I cannot leave my phone upstairs or downstairs and just rely on being able to take calls on an Apple device near me because there's a major chance that it's just going to end up in me frustratingly looking for my phone around the house while the caller is confused and 'hello'-ing at me. It doesn't seem to be a networking issue. I recently went through my keychain, updating re-used passwords, including on my Apple account. That was an interesting experience as well because re-enabling my iCloud account ended up in several lockouts due to it asking me for passwords or passcodes of random devices on my account and then refusing to accept any of them despite me entering the correct ones. It's a crying shame because all of these issues seem like software bugs to me and I don't think there's going to be a real solution to most of them. But it's given me a motivation to peek outside the walled garden, at least.
- jonwest 5y ago
  I have literally never gotten answering calls on another device to work. I use it as a notification and that’s all because otherwise I’m in for a bad time.
imchillyb 5y ago
So the -just released- iOS is buggy. Uh... Really? This is just someone penning words for exposure, or to pay the rent. It's just not news.
- saurik 5y ago
  I mean, the software has been in beta for so many months now with active users using it constantly, and I additionally believe that they dogfood it internally before release, that it seems weird for them to push software that is buggy to people... they could at least make it more-obviously opt-in only--maybe even with a warning, as this is arguably then still a true "beta"--for a while until they think it actually works.
  - moistly 5y ago
    > I additionally believe that they dogfood it internally before release Given how frustrating iTunes/TV can be to use, I can not believe the highest echelons of Apple are using their software, or at least not the way I’m using it (as UI to my large collection of owned albums or to watch TV on my iPad.) I want to watch the next episode of Ted Lasso. Does TV “now watching” give me a direct link? Hell, no! It’s stuck on “Watch First Episode”! Gotta hunt click through and scroll and select. Even though all the previous episodes are marked as watched. My device is set to English, I want subtitles so I can understand some thick Brit accent, is English CC top of the list? Hell, no! Apple executives do not eat their dogfood. They can’t be.
- wly_cdgr 5y ago
  They shipped multiple serious regressions. That's absolutely news

18 points by LinuxBender 5y ago

> The iPhone 13 is out, and while there's no doubt that the hardware is a step up from the previous incarnation. > I've watched iOS releases quality slip over the years, and now I'm seeing the same thing happen with Apple's hardware. So which is it? I get that the release software is buggy which sucks considering the price of the phone, but software is not hardware.

SkyMarshal 5y ago
All the examples of problems the article gives sound like software problems rather hardware problems.
- Tepix 5y ago
  Given how bad Apple is at fixing bugs, does it even matter?
  - SkyMarshal 5y ago
    Are they unusually bad at fixing bugs? I've had an iPhone for several years and never noticed...
- karmakaze 5y ago
  It's all Apple. The problem was that the hardware was released before it (including compatibility with the available software) was ready. It's a hardware release problem. The software that was released before the hardware was fine with other devices as the post is reporting. If a Tesla fails because of software, who cares about the distinction?
- randyrand 5y ago
  the iphone 13 can only run ios 15. that’s an important point to make. previous iphones are capable of running much more polished software. it’s still tbd if ios 15 will ever be a good OS.

rvz 5y ago

So what was the point in buying it? Sell it and wait for the iPhone 14 then.

beezischillin 5y ago

I've had having plenty of problems with Apple devices not communicating with one another even on iOS 14 and before: from the Apple Watch not unlocking the phone when wearing a mask to macOS Safari no longer prompting for unlocking the Keychain or unlocking my Mac via the Watch, etc. I just assumed that it's because I have a Series 3 Watch and it's getting to that point where it's getting less functional with each update. Shame. The worst problem I've had consistently across multiple iPhone models and OS versions is trying to answer phonecalls on the Mac/Homepod and the caller on the other end being completely unable to hear my microphone which basically made the feature completely useless to me because I cannot leave my phone upstairs or downstairs and just rely on being able to take calls on an Apple device near me because there's a major chance that it's just going to end up in me frustratingly looking for my phone around the house while the caller is confused and 'hello'-ing at me. It doesn't seem to be a networking issue. I recently went through my keychain, updating re-used passwords, including on my Apple account. That was an interesting experience as well because re-enabling my iCloud account ended up in several lockouts due to it asking me for passwords or passcodes of random devices on my account and then refusing to accept any of them despite me entering the correct ones. It's a crying shame because all of these issues seem like software bugs to me and I don't think there's going to be a real solution to most of them. But it's given me a motivation to peek outside the walled garden, at least.

jonwest 5y ago
I have literally never gotten answering calls on another device to work. I use it as a notification and that’s all because otherwise I’m in for a bad time.

imchillyb 5y ago

So the -just released- iOS is buggy. Uh... Really? This is just someone penning words for exposure, or to pay the rent. It's just not news.

saurik 5y ago
I mean, the software has been in beta for so many months now with active users using it constantly, and I additionally believe that they dogfood it internally before release, that it seems weird for them to push software that is buggy to people... they could at least make it more-obviously opt-in only--maybe even with a warning, as this is arguably then still a true "beta"--for a while until they think it actually works.
- moistly 5y ago
  > I additionally believe that they dogfood it internally before release Given how frustrating iTunes/TV can be to use, I can not believe the highest echelons of Apple are using their software, or at least not the way I’m using it (as UI to my large collection of owned albums or to watch TV on my iPad.) I want to watch the next episode of Ted Lasso. Does TV “now watching” give me a direct link? Hell, no! It’s stuck on “Watch First Episode”! Gotta hunt click through and scroll and select. Even though all the previous episodes are marked as watched. My device is set to English, I want subtitles so I can understand some thick Brit accent, is English CC top of the list? Hell, no! Apple executives do not eat their dogfood. They can’t be.
wly_cdgr 5y ago
They shipped multiple serious regressions. That's absolutely news