by Jason Snell
Apple launches new OS versions on one day’s notice
The immediate timing of the releases might seem like a positive for consumers who were clamoring for new features, but it’s been highly disruptive to developers…. But with the timing of these launches, developers had less than a full day with the golden master before the public release, leading to many late nights, delayed releases, and vocal frustration.
Amidst the chaos, Apple published a note to its developer portal yesterday imploring developers to “Make sure your apps are ready when iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 become available to customers worldwide.” That note came with no acknowledgement that, for many, that would be nigh impossible given the timeframe.
I’d really love to know why Apple ended up releasing the software in this fashion. I want to believe that it was just an unfortunate chain of events that forced this timing. Clearly the App Review team was prepared for an onslaught of app submissions from surprised developers, so someone at Apple knew this was coming.
This is yet another event from 2020 that I hope is never repeated.