Apple should take a break with their annual iOS and macOS updates, a new report says.
The Verge has published an article questioning Apple’s annual iOS and macOS release schedule, claiming that both “arrived with more of a whimper than a bang.”
According to author
The second problem is that since Apple tends to “silo” off it updates to provide for the annual big release of iOS and macOS, the smaller, useful quality of life updates get stuck around all year until the fall.
“Take iOS 15, which added a grid view and the ability to blur a background in FaceTime, core features that have already been a key part of Zoom and Google Meet’s toolkits for making larger virtual conversations more organized,” the article explains. “Neither appears to be the kind of earth-shattering, OS-level feature that would require waiting for a new version of iOS, but Apple saved the updates to be part of iOS 15 anyway, despite the fact that they undoubtedly would have been more useful during the height of the pandemic when video chatting was more heavily in need.”
In order to solve this issue of lackluster updates, Gartenberg thinks that Apple should continue to build out releases with new features throughout the year, releasing them when they’re ready rather than waiting until the fall.
Additionally, Apple should space out its big software releases, waiting longer than a year for both iOS and macOS updates in order to make sure the latest updates are indeed worth getting excited about.
“But right now, Apple’s system of annual releases leaves it with the worst of both worlds: siloed updates that come too infrequently for minor features while still not having enough major features to be worth the hype,” the report concludes. “If Apple can’t make macOS and iOS updates more substantial, it might be time to leave the annual release cycle behind.”
Read the worthwhile report over at The Verge.
