496: One of My Lesser TiVos

Unshippable Betas

The discussion highlights the significant usability issues in macOS betas that render them unshippable. John Siracusa emphasizes that these betas are plagued by fundamental errors, such as unreadable text on buttons, which prevent them from being released 1. Marco Arment shares his frustration with the System Settings app, describing it as sloppy and incomplete, suggesting that Apple should revert to the old settings app until the new one is ready 2.

This is not ready yet.

--- Marco Arment

The team questions why these issues persist across multiple beta versions, speculating on potential framework problems or prioritization issues 3.

   

Design Feedback

The team critiques Apple's handling of design feedback, noting a reluctance to adjust based on beta testing. Marco Arment argues that Apple often ignores criticism, citing the persistent issues with notifications since Big Sur as an example 4. John Siracusa adds that some bugs are not opinion-based but are clear functional errors that remain unfixed 4.

They cannot take criticism, and they think they are right all of the time.

--- Marco Arment

The discussion reveals a broken feedback loop, with design flaws and bugs persisting in macOS releases 5.

   

Shipping Challenges

Shipping challenges are a major concern, especially when products have known bugs. John Siracusa expresses doubt about Apple's ability to address these issues before the scheduled release, suggesting that unresolved bugs could force a rollback 6. Marco Arment is skeptical, believing Apple might prioritize hardware release dates over software quality, potentially shipping macOS with significant bugs 6.

I hope you're right. But frankly, I don't trust them to make that call.

--- Marco Arment

The team anticipates that Apple may tolerate bugs to meet hardware launch deadlines, promising fixes in later updates 6.