(cache)Bugs Apple Loves

Bug Apple Loves #001

Mail Search Doesn't Work

The search bar is purely decorative

You need to find an email. You type in the sender's name. Nothing. You try the subject line. Nothing. You try a unique word you know was in the email. Nothing. You give up, open Gmail in a browser, search there, find it instantly. This has been broken for over a decade.

macOSiOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

14.0 million

macOS users affected

U_iOS

210.0 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

28.0 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

35%

of users use Apple Mail

f_bug

40%

of Mail users experience search failures

freq

2.3/day

searches per day

The typical journey of a failed Mail search

T_frag

Search for a word fragment

Type part of a name or subject

8s × 1.5 retries

T_full

Try the full word

Maybe it needs the complete word?

12s × 1.3 retries

T_var

Try other variations

Sender name, subject keywords, desperation sets in

18s × 2 retries

T_sigh

Give up and sigh

Accept that Mail has failed you again

3s

T_gmail

Open Gmail in browser

Navigate to gmail.com, maybe log in

15s

T_success

Search in Gmail

Type the same search, find it instantly

8s

Extra time spent by users trying to fix the unfixable

T_reindex Rebuild Mail/Spotlight index

10m × 3% of users

T_google Google for solutions

10m × 15% of users

T_settings Mess with Mail settings

15m × 12% of users

T_alt Evaluate alternative mail apps

30m × 8% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

4.2K years

37.1 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

1.5 million years

13.5 billion hours

Total Since Reported

21.8 million years

14.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$406.3 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac + U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 37.1 million hours/day = 429.5 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 320 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 429.5 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #002

Autocorrect Won't Take No For An Answer

You fixed it. It unfixed it. You fixed it again. It unfixed it again.

You type a word. Autocorrect changes it. You delete it and type what you meant. Autocorrect changes it again. You fix it AGAIN. It changes it AGAIN. You've now manually corrected this word twice, clearly signaling you want it this way. Autocorrect doesn't care. It will die on this hill.

iOSiPadOSmacOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_iOS

637.5 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

85.0 million

iPadOS users affected

U_mac

42.5 million

macOS users affected

f_use

85%

of users have autocorrect enabled

f_bug

50%

of users experience the re-correction loop regularly

freq

2.5/day

stubborn autocorrect incidents per day

The autocorrect battle of wills

T_type

Type what you mean

A name, technical term, slang, or just a valid word

2s

T_wrong

Autocorrect 'fixes' it

Changed to something you didn't want

0s

T_fix1

Notice and fix it

Delete and retype your original word

4s

T_again

Autocorrect changes it AGAIN

It saw you fix it. It doesn't care.

1s

T_fix2

Fix it a second time

Surely NOW it will learn?

4s

T_fix3

Possibly a third round

Sometimes it takes three attempts to stick

3s × 1.4 retries

T_verify

Paranoid verification

Re-read the message to make sure it didn't change again

3s

Attempts to teach autocorrect who's boss

T_shortcut Create text replacement shortcut

1m × 25% of users

T_reset Reset keyboard dictionary

3m × 5% of users

T_disable Disable autocorrect entirely

1m × 12% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

3.4K years

30.0 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

1.2 million years

11.0 billion hours

Total Since Reported

21.4 million years

17.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$328.7 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_i + U_iPad + U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 30.0 million hours/day = 347.39 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 40 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 347.39 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #003

Apple Pay: Card Icon Changes Address

The credit card icon doesn't change the credit card

You're checking out and need to change your card. You see a button with a credit card icon and your address. You tap it. It changes your address. Not the card. To change the card, you need the other button that says 'Change Payment'. The one without the card icon. Every. Single. Time.

iOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_iOS

318.8 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

42.5 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

25%

of users use Apple Pay

f_bug

85%

of users who try to change cards tap the wrong button first

freq

0.3/day

card change attempts per day

The payment confusion ritual

T_need

Need to use a different card

This purchase should go on a different card

2s

T_see

See button with card icon

There's a credit card icon! That must be it

1s

T_tap

Tap the card icon button

Confidently tap the button with the credit card on it

1s

T_confused

Address picker appears

Wait, this is for addresses? But there was a card icon!

3s

T_cancel

Cancel and go back

Dismiss the address picker

2s

T_find

Find the other button

Tap 'Change Payment' - the one WITHOUT the card icon

3s

T_change

Finally change the card

Select the correct card

4s

Learning doesn't help because the UX is backwards

T_memory Fight wrong muscle memory

5s × 70% of users

T_explain Explain to confused friends/family

2m × 15% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

334 years

2.9 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

121.9K years

1.1 billion hours

Total Since Reported

987.7K years

8.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$32.0 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 2.9 million hours/day = 33.87 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 8 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 33.87 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #004

Google Contacts Sync is a Black Hole

It's syncing. Or is it? Nobody knows.

You add a contact on your Mac. Open your iPhone. It's not there. Check your Mac again. Still there. Check your iPhone in an hour. Maybe it's there now? You edit a contact on your phone. The change doesn't appear on your Mac. Or it does, but three days later. The Contacts app freezes for 30 seconds while 'syncing' in the background. There's no progress indicator. No status. Just faith.

macOSiOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

22.5 million

macOS users affected

U_iOS

337.5 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

45.0 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

30%

of users sync Google contacts with Apple devices

f_bug

75%

of Google contacts users experience sync issues

freq

0.3/day

sync-related frustrations per day

The contact sync mystery

T_edit

Add or edit a contact

Create a new contact or update an existing one

30s

T_check

Check another device

Open Contacts on your other Apple device

10s

T_missing

It's not there

The change hasn't synced. Or has it?

5s

T_refresh

Pull to refresh / force sync

Try to manually trigger a sync somehow

15s × 2 retries

T_freeze

App freezes during 'sync'

Contacts becomes unresponsive for 30+ seconds

35s

T_still

Still not synced

After all that, the change still isn't visible

5s

T_hope

Give up and wait

Hope it eventually syncs on its own

3s

Desperate attempts to make sync work

T_toggle Toggle Google account off and on

2m × 35% of users

T_readd Remove and re-add Google account

5m × 15% of users

T_web Check Google Contacts website

2m × 40% of users

T_dupes Clean up duplicate contacts

10m × 25% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

1.8K years

16.0 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

664.6K years

5.8 billion hours

Total Since Reported

8.0 million years

12.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$174.8 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac + U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 16.0 million hours/day = 184.74 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 480 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 184.74 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #005

AirDrop: Looking for Devices...

They're right next to each other. They can't see each other.

You want to send a photo to someone standing next to you. You open AirDrop. 'Looking for devices...' Their phone is in their hand. AirDrop is on. They're in your contacts. Nothing. You both toggle WiFi. Nothing. Toggle Bluetooth. Nothing. Turn AirDrop off and on. Sometimes it works. Usually you just text it instead.

macOSiOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

24.8 million

macOS users affected

U_iOS

371.3 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

49.5 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

45%

of users use AirDrop

f_bug

55%

of AirDrop attempts have discovery issues

freq

0.8/day

AirDrop attempts per day

The device discovery dance

T_open

Open AirDrop / Share sheet

Select the thing you want to share

5s

T_look

Looking for devices...

The spinner spins. And spins.

15s

T_missing

Their device doesn't appear

They're literally holding it. You can see their screen.

5s

T_settings

Both check AirDrop settings

Is it set to Everyone? Contacts Only? Wait, try Everyone.

20s × 1.5 retries

T_toggle

Toggle WiFi, Bluetooth, AirDrop

The universal troubleshooting ritual

30s × 2 retries

T_maybe

Maybe it appears now?

Sometimes after all that, it finally shows up

10s

T_text

Give up and text/email it

The reliable fallback

20s

Arcane knowledge about AirDrop's requirements

T_unlock Remind people to unlock their screen

15s × 50% of users

T_hotspot Discover Personal Hotspot conflicts

2m × 20% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

5.9K years

51.5 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

2.1 million years

18.8 billion hours

Total Since Reported

28.1 million years

13.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$564.4 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac + U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 51.5 million hours/day = 596.56 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 240 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 596.56 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #006

iCloud Photos: 'Uploading X Items'

X has been 847 for three weeks.

You took some photos. iCloud says 'Uploading 847 items'. You wait. Next day: 'Uploading 847 items'. Week later: 'Uploading 847 items'. Is it stuck? Is it working? Is there an error? There's no progress bar. No ETA. No way to know which items. Just a number that never changes. Faith-based cloud storage.

iOSiPadOSmacOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_iOS

371.3 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

49.5 million

iPadOS users affected

U_mac

24.8 million

macOS users affected

f_use

55%

of users use iCloud Photos

f_bug

45%

of users see stuck/mysterious upload status

freq

0.5/day

times checking upload status per day

The upload status anxiety loop

T_photo

Take photos you care about

Important moments you want backed up

0s

T_check

Check iCloud status

Open Photos, scroll to bottom, see the message

15s

T_number

See 'Uploading X items'

A number with no context

3s

T_wait

Wait and check again later

Maybe it changed? Probably not.

20s × 3 retries

T_wonder

Wonder if it's stuck

The number hasn't changed in days

10s

T_fix

Try random fixes

Toggle iCloud off/on, restart phone, connect to WiFi

60s

Desperate verification attempts

T_web Check icloud.com/photos

2m × 35% of users

T_storage Check iCloud storage usage

1m × 40% of users

T_nuclear Disable and re-enable iCloud Photos

5m × 10% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

2.7K years

23.3 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

970.7K years

8.5 billion hours

Total Since Reported

10.8 million years

11.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$255.3 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_i + U_iPad + U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 23.3 million hours/day = 269.83 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 120 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 269.83 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #007

Spotlight: 'Indexing...'

Apple really can't do search.

You press Cmd+Space to search. Nothing comes up. Or it's slow. You check: Spotlight is 'Indexing'. It's been 'Indexing' for two days. Your laptop isn't new. Nothing changed. It just decided to re-index everything. Meanwhile, search doesn't work. You can't find apps, files, or emails. The computer is slow because Spotlight is churning in the background.

macOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

28.0 million

macOS users affected

f_use

80%

of Mac users rely on Spotlight

f_bug

35%

of users experience stuck indexing annually

freq

0.0/day

indexing issues per day (when it happens, it lasts days)

The search paralysis experience

T_search

Try to search for something

Cmd+Space, type what you need

5s

T_slow

No results or very slow

The thing you know exists doesn't appear

10s × 2 retries

T_status

Check Spotlight status

System Preferences > Spotlight, or click menu bar

30s

T_index

See 'Indexing...' message

Estimated time remaining: Unknown

5s

T_wait

Wait... for days

It can take 1-3 days to finish

0s

T_manual

Manually navigate to find things

Use Finder like an animal

45s

Terminal commands and prayers

T_rebuild Manually rebuild Spotlight index

5m × 30% of users

T_mdutil Run mdutil commands in Terminal

3m × 15% of users

T_alfred Install Alfred or Raycast

15m × 20% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

13.5 years

117.9K hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

4.9K years

43.0 million hours

Total Since Reported

103.7K years

21.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$1.3 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 117.9K hours/day = 1.36 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 400 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 1.36 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #008

Personal Hotspot Won't Auto-Connect

Three attempts. Every time. When you need it most.

You're at a coffee shop with no WiFi. Your laptop says it will 'automatically' connect to your iPhone's hotspot. It tries. It fails. You click it again. 'Connection failed.' You turn hotspot off and on. Try again. Failed. You unlock your phone, open Settings, stare at the Hotspot screen to 'activate' it. Finally, third or fourth attempt, it connects. This happens every single time.

macOSiOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

15.0 million

macOS users affected

U_iOS

225.0 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

30.0 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

25%

of users use Personal Hotspot regularly

f_bug

60%

of hotspot connections require multiple attempts

freq

0.7/day

hotspot connection attempts per day

The hotspot connection ritual

T_need

Need internet, no WiFi available

You're somewhere without WiFi, need to work

5s

T_click

Click iPhone hotspot in WiFi menu

It's right there in the list

3s

T_spin

Connecting...

Spinner spins hopefully

15s

T_fail

Connection failed

No explanation. Just failed.

3s

T_retry

Try again

Click it again, same result

18s × 1.5 retries

T_unlock

Unlock phone, open Hotspot settings

The secret ritual: staring at the hotspot screen 'activates' it

10s

T_third

Try connection a third time

Now it works. Why? Nobody knows.

15s

Workarounds that shouldn't be necessary

T_screen Keep phone hotspot screen open

0s × 60% of users

T_forget Forget network and rejoin

1m × 25% of users

T_usb Give up and use USB tethering

30s × 30% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

1.9K years

17.0 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

707.3K years

6.2 billion hours

Total Since Reported

6.4 million years

9.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$186.0 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac + U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 17.0 million hours/day = 196.6 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 200 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 196.6 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #009

macOS 26 Window Resizing Doesn't Work

The corner is there. You just can't click it.

You try to resize a window by grabbing the corner. You miss. You try again. Miss. You hover precisely where the corner should be. Nothing. Turns out the resize target is a tiny 19×19 pixel zone, but thanks to Tahoe's huge corner radius, 75% of it is outside the visible window. You have to click in empty space next to the window to resize it. Intuitive. (All credit goes to to Norbert Heger at noheger.at for doing all of the extensive legwork on this one!

macOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

63.0 million

macOS users affected

f_use

90%

of Mac users resize windows

f_bug

70%

of resize attempts miss on first try

freq

8.0/day

window resize attempts per day

The corner-hunting ritual

T_want

Want to resize a window

Need to make a window bigger or smaller

1s

T_aim

Aim for the corner

Move cursor to where the corner visually is

1s

T_miss

Click and drag... nothing

The window doesn't resize. You clicked inside the window.

2s × 2.5 retries

T_hunt

Hunt for the invisible hotspot

Move cursor around trying to find the magic pixel

3s × 1.5 retries

T_outside

Discover it's outside the window

Finally grab it by clicking in empty space

2s

T_resize

Finally resize

Drag to desired size

2s

Workarounds for people who resize a lot

T_keyboard Learn keyboard shortcuts

10m × 25% of users

T_edge Use edges instead of corners

5s × 40% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

332 years

2.9 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

121.1K years

1.1 billion hours

Total Since Reported

133.3K years

1.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$31.8 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 2.9 million hours/day = 33.66 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 16 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 33.66 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #010

Apple Watch Widgets Won't Let Go

You deleted that appointment. Your Watch didn't get the memo.

You delete a calendar event on your iPhone. You check your Watch. The event is still there. You wait. Still there. You open the Calendar app on your Watch — gone. But the widget? It's committed to that 2pm meeting you cancelled three hours ago. Widgets update when they feel like it. Which is never.

watchOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_watch

68.3 million

watchOS users affected

f_use

70%

of Apple Watch users use widgets

f_bug

65%

of widget users see stale data regularly

freq

3.0/day

glances at stale widgets per day

The stale widget experience

T_delete

Delete or modify an event

Cancel that meeting on your iPhone or Mac

5s

T_glance

Glance at your Watch

Check your schedule on the widget

2s

T_stale

See the deleted event

It's still there. Mocking you.

3s

T_wait

Wait for it to refresh

Maybe if I look away and look back...

10s × 2 retries

T_app

Open the actual Calendar app

The app shows correct data. Widget doesn't.

8s

T_distrust

Give up and ignore widget

Learn to distrust everything on your wrist

2s

Attempts to force widget updates

T_restart Restart Apple Watch

3m × 15% of users

T_readd Remove and re-add widget

1m × 20% of users

T_wake Open app to 'wake up' widget

15s × 50% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

648 years

5.7 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

236.4K years

2.1 billion hours

Total Since Reported

1.9 million years

8.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$62.2 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_watch) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 5.7 million hours/day = 65.71 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 80 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 65.71 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #011

iOS Text Selection is Pure Chaos

You just wanted to move the cursor. Now everything is selected.

You want to position the cursor at the end of a line. You tap. It selects the last word. You try to grab the handle — it doesn't respond and deselects. You tap again, now it selects the whole sentence. You tap blank space to deselect — nothing. You tap five more times. On the fifth, it selects all. You switch apps hoping the selection disappears. You tap and hold — sometimes text selects, sometimes a menu appears, sometimes nothing. Got a Magic Keyboard? Good luck — trackpad selection just doesn't work half the time, but touching the screen does. Eventually you select all, delete everything, and retype from scratch. Apple has had 17 years to figure out touch text selection. This is where they landed.

iOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_iOS

1.1 billion

iOS users affected

U_iPad

152.0 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

95%

of users edit text on iOS

f_bug

80%

of text editing sessions involve selection frustration

freq

8.0/day

text selection battles per day

The text selection lottery

T_want

Want to position cursor

Just need to add a word at the end

1s

T_word

Tap, accidentally select word

You tapped precisely where you wanted. It selected a word.

2s

T_handle

Try to grab selection handle

Your finger is clearly on it. It doesn't respond.

3s × 2.5 retries

T_jump

Handle jumps to wrong position

You moved it one word. It jumped three lines.

4s × 2 retries

T_deselect

Tap to deselect

Tap blank space. Nothing. Tap again. Nothing. Again. It selects more.

2s × 5 retries

T_all

Accidentally Select All

You've now selected everything. You don't know how.

1s

T_retype

Delete and retype

It's faster to start over than fight the selection

15s

Desperate attempts to control text

T_magnify Long-press for magnifying glass

5s × 60% of users

T_trackpad Use keyboard trackpad mode

3s × 25% of users

T_magic Try Magic Keyboard trackpad

8s × 15% of users

T_gesture Learn three-finger gestures

4s × 30% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

66.7K years

584.4 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

24.3 million years

213.3 billion hours

Total Since Reported

465.1 million years

19.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$6.4 trillion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 584.4 million hours/day = 6.8K hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 400 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 6.8K hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #012

AirDrop Shuffles Targets Mid-Tap

You aimed for Sarah. You hit Dave. Dave now has your meme.

You want to AirDrop something to Sarah. Her name appears. You reach for it. In the 300 milliseconds between your brain saying 'tap' and your finger hitting glass, another device appears and the list reorders. You've just sent your photo to Dave. Or worse, to 'iPhone' — could be anyone. The list loves to shuffle right as you commit. It's like Apple is running A/B tests on your social anxiety.

iOSiPadOSmacOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_iOS

168.8 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

22.5 million

iPadOS users affected

U_mac

11.3 million

macOS users affected

f_use

45%

of users use AirDrop

f_bug

25%

of AirDrop attempts hit the wrong target due to reorder

freq

0.4/day

AirDrop attempts per day

The AirDrop roulette

T_see

See the person you want

Their name appears in the AirDrop list

2s

T_reach

Reach to tap

Your finger commits to the target

0.3s

T_shuffle

List shuffles

A new device appears, everything moves

0s

T_wrong

Hit wrong target

You've sent it to someone else

1s

T_panic

Moment of panic

Who did that go to? Can I cancel?

3s

T_sorry

Damage control

Text them 'sorry wrong person' or hope they decline

15s

Paranoid behaviors developed to avoid mis-sends

T_wait Wait for list to 'settle'

5s × 50% of users

T_verify Double-check target name

3s × 40% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

305 years

2.7 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

111.5K years

977.4 million hours

Total Since Reported

1.5 million years

13.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$29.3 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_i + U_iPad + U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 2.7 million hours/day = 30.99 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 16 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 30.99 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #013

AirPlay Menu Reorders at Click

You clicked 'Conference Room TV'. You got 'Karen's MacBook'.

You're about to present. You click the AirPlay icon. You see 'Conference Room TV'. You click it. In the instant between mousedown and mouseup, 'Karen's MacBook' appeared at the top and everything shifted down. You're now mirroring to Karen. Karen sees your desktop. Karen sees your Slack. The whole conference room watches you fumble to disconnect while your private messages scroll by.

macOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

10.5 million

macOS users affected

f_use

30%

of Mac users use AirPlay to external displays

f_bug

35%

of AirPlay attempts hit wrong target due to reorder

freq

0.3/day

AirPlay connection attempts per day

The presentation horror show

T_click

Click AirPlay menu

Ready to present, looking professional

2s

T_see

See conference room TV

There it is, right where you expect

1s

T_target

Click the target

Mouse commits to the click

0.2s

T_shift

New device appears, list shifts

Someone's MacBook just showed up at the top

0s

T_wrong

Connected to wrong screen

Your desktop is now on Karen's laptop

2s

T_scramble

Scramble to disconnect

Find the menu, click disconnect, pray nothing embarrassing was visible

8s

T_retry

Try again, more carefully

This time watching the list like a hawk

5s

Pre-meeting rituals to avoid embarrassment

T_close Close all personal apps before presenting

1m × 60% of users

T_wait Wait for AirPlay list to stabilize

5s × 45% of users

T_cable Just use an HDMI cable

30s × 25% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

17.3 years

151.6K hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

6.3K years

55.3 million hours

Total Since Reported

70.1K years

11.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$1.7 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 151.6K hours/day = 1.75 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 8 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 1.75 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #014

Shortcuts Keeps Asking If You're Sure

You set up the automation. You are the automation. It still doesn't trust you.

You created a Shortcut. You set up an automation trigger. It worked great for a while. Then one day, Apple asks you to confirm you still want to run it. You tap yes. A week later, it asks again. You tap yes. It keeps asking, randomly, forever. You made this automation. On your device. For yourself. But Apple treats you like a suspicious stranger trying to hack your own phone.

iOSiPadOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_iOS

157.5 million

iOS users affected

U_iPad

21.0 million

iPadOS users affected

f_use

15%

of users use Shortcuts automations

f_bug

70%

of automation users get random re-confirmation prompts

freq

0.5/day

unexpected permission prompts per day

The trust interrogation

T_trigger

Automation tries to run

The thing you set up attempts to do the thing

0s

T_prompt

Permission prompt appears

'Do you want to run this shortcut?' Yes. Obviously. I made it.

2s

T_confirm

Tap to confirm

Sigh and tap 'Run' for the hundredth time

2s

T_works

It works... for now

Automation runs. Peace restored. Temporarily.

0s

T_again

Asks again later

Days or weeks later, same prompt. No pattern. No logic.

3s

Workarounds that defeat the purpose of automation

T_settings Check 'Ask Before Running' setting

1m × 50% of users

T_recreate Delete and recreate the shortcut

5m × 25% of users

T_manual Give up on automation entirely

0s × 20% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

60.0 years

525.7K hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

21.9K years

191.9 million hours

Total Since Reported

133.6K years

6.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$5.8 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_i + U_iPad) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 525.7K hours/day = 6.08 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 24 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 6.08 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #015

Finder Forgets Window Sizes

You resized it. Finder doesn't care.

You resize a Finder window. You set it to fill the screen, or position it just right. You close it. You open a new Finder window. It's some random size again. Small. Wrong position. You resize it again. Close it. Open a new one. Wrong again. Sometimes restart helps. Sometimes it doesn't. Finder stores window state somewhere, but it's clearly written on a napkin that blows away in the wind.

macOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

47.5 million

macOS users affected

f_use

95%

of Mac users use Finder

f_bug

50%

of users experience window size not persisting

freq

5.0/day

new Finder windows opened per day

The window size groundhog day

T_resize

Resize Finder window

Drag it to the size you want

3s

T_close

Close the window

Done with this folder

1s

T_open

Open a new Finder window

Need to look at something else

2s

T_wrong

Window is wrong size

Small, wrong position, not what you set

2s

T_again

Resize it again

Sigh and drag it back to where you want it

4s

Workarounds for persistent window sizes

T_option Learn the Option-close trick

30s × 15% of users

T_plist Delete Finder preferences

5m × 10% of users

T_app Install window manager app

10m × 25% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

183 years

1.6 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

66.8K years

585.5 million hours

Total Since Reported

1.7 million years

25.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$17.6 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 1.6 million hours/day = 18.57 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 40 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 18.57 hours every second.

Bug Apple Loves #016

Keyboard Language Switching Stops Working

Press Globe. Nothing. Press again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Oh there it is.

You press the Globe key to switch keyboard languages. Nothing happens. You press it again. Nothing. Three more times. Still nothing. You try Cmd+Space. Nothing. You open the menu bar and click the language manually. It works. Now the Globe key works again. Until tomorrow, when it randomly stops working again. Apple has decided that multilingual users are not a priority.

macOS

The Math (click values to edit)

U_mac

16.3 million

macOS users affected

f_use

25%

of Mac users use multiple keyboard languages

f_bug

65%

of multilingual users experience Globe key failures

freq

15.0/day

language switches per day for bilingual users

The language switching lottery

T_need

Need to switch language

Time to type in your other language

0s

T_globe

Press Globe key

The key that's supposed to switch languages

0.5s

T_nothing

Nothing happens

The language indicator doesn't change

1s

T_again

Press it again. And again.

Maybe you didn't press hard enough?

2s × 3 retries

T_ctrl

Try Ctrl+Space instead

The backup shortcut that sometimes works

2s × 2 retries

T_menu

Click menu bar manually

Give up on keyboard, use mouse like an animal

4s

T_fixed

Now the Globe key works again

Clicking the menu somehow fixed it. For now.

0s

Rituals to appease the language switching gods

T_kill Kill TextInputSwitcher process

2m × 15% of users

T_restore Restore keyboard shortcuts to defaults

1m × 30% of users

T_readd Remove and re-add input sources

5m × 20% of users

The Damage

Wasted Per Day

352 years

3.1 million hours of human life

Wasted Per Year

128.6K years

1.1 billion hours

Total Since Reported

1.3 million years

10.1 years of Apple neglect

Cost to Humanity

$33.8 billion

per year in lost productivity

The Equation


                    Daily Impact = (U_mac) × f_use × f_bug × f_day × T_incident × P_shame

= 3.1 million hours/day = 35.75 hours/second

According to our completely made-up estimates, Apple could fix this in 80 engineering hours. Instead, humanity wastes 35.75 hours every second.

Bugs Apple Loves

The Formula

Base Impact

Power User Tax

Shame Multiplier

The Verdict

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