Apple delays software features due to bugs - report
The iPhone maker is introducing a new development strategy to ensure its software works perfectly before release.
Tuesday 13 February 2018 13:29, UK
Apple will delay new software features over a concern that its fast-paced release cycle is causing programmers to leave bugs in the code, according to reports.
Although the company remains committed to an annual software update, this autumn's update will lack a number of features, according to Bloomberg.
There will be no redesign for the iPhone's home screen, nor an update to the photos app, following a new strategy by Apple's head of software Craig Federighi.
Developers will get more time to work on new features and on perfecting code at a lower software layer instead of rushing to meet the annual release cycle.
New features that are still expected in the autumn include allowing apps to work across iPhones, iPads and Macs, as well as a digital health tool to allow parents to monitor their children's computer use.
The move to delay some new features follows iPhone sales dipping in the last three months of 2017, although Apple - which is the most valuable company in the world - still pulled in record revenues.
"This change is Apple beginning to realise that schedules are not being hit, stuff is being released with bugs - which previously would not have happened," a source familiar with the company told Bloomberg.
Bloomberg describes the shift as "an admission of what many customers have already come to notice: Some Apple software has become prone to bugs and underdeveloped features".
An Apple spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.