Incident: iPhone 5s Sensors Calibration Issue Impacting Users' Experience.

Published Date: 2013-10-04

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated happened around September 2013. [22408]
System 1. iPhone 5s sensors (gyroscope, accelerometer, compass) [22408]
Responsible Organization 1. Apple - The entity responsible for causing the software failure incident mentioned in the article is Apple, as it relates to the iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated [22408].
Impacted Organization 1. iPhone 5s users [22408]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was related to iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated, leading to issues with the gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass functionality [22408].
Non-software Causes 1. Hardware issue with iPhone 5s sensors not working properly [22408]
Impacts 1. Users experienced issues with iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated, affecting functions like using the device as a level, compass, or for activity tracking [22408]. 2. Uncertainty whether the problem was due to software or hardware, leading to challenges in providing a fix [22408]. 3. Some users had to return their affected units to Apple Stores for replacements, but even the new units showed abnormalities in gyro, accelerometer, and compass functions [22408].
Preventions 1. Conducting thorough testing of the sensors on the iPhone 5s units before the product launch could have potentially identified the calibration issue and prevented it from affecting users [22408].
Fixes 1. Swapping out affected units for new ones at the Apple Store could potentially fix the software failure incident related to iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated [22408].
References 1. iPhone 5s users experiencing sensor calibration issues [22408]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated is a recurring issue within Apple's products. The article mentions that with the launch of every new iPhone, there are fresh problems plaguing iOS users. In the past, there have been issues like Antennagate with the iPhone 4 and problems with the Maps app with the launch of iOS 6. The specific incident of iPhone 5s sensors not working properly is highlighted as a new problem with the launch of iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s [22408]. (b) The software failure incident of iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated is not explicitly mentioned to have occurred at other organizations or with their products in the provided article. Therefore, there is no information to suggest that this specific issue has happened at multiple organizations.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article as it mentions the issue with the iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated. It states that "those sensors aren't working properly on some iPhone 5s units" and highlights that it is unclear if it's a software or hardware problem. This indicates a potential design flaw or issue introduced during the development phase [22408]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also apparent in the article. It discusses how some users are experiencing problems with the sensors on their iPhone 5s units, leading them to take the devices back to the Apple Store for replacements. This indicates a failure introduced during the operation or use of the system [22408].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system The software failure incident related to the iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated can be attributed to factors both within and outside the system: (a) within_system: The article mentions that the sensors on some iPhone 5s units are not working properly, indicating an internal issue within the device itself [22408]. (b) outside_system: The article also highlights that it is unclear whether the problem is a software or hardware issue, suggesting that the failure could potentially be influenced by external factors beyond the immediate software environment [22408].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident related to non-human_actions: - The article mentions an issue with the sensors on some iPhone 5s units not working properly, affecting functions like the level, compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer. It is unclear if this is a software or hardware problem, indicating a potential failure introduced without human participation [22408].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The article mentions an issue with the iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated, indicating a hardware problem [22408]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The article discusses the uncertainty whether the sensor issue is a software or hardware problem, suggesting a potential software-related failure [22408].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The article does not mention any malicious intent related to the software failure incident. It describes the issue with iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated, indicating a non-malicious software failure incident [22408].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The software failure incident related to the iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated does not explicitly point to poor decisions or accidental decisions as the intent behind the failure. The article mentions that the issue could be either a software or hardware problem, and it is unclear at that point. Users affected by the problem are advised to return their units to the Apple Store for replacement, indicating a response to the issue rather than a specific intent behind the failure.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article [22408]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the article [22408] regarding the iPhone 5s bugs. It mentions that the sensors on some iPhone 5s units were not working properly, causing issues with calibration. The article states that it is unclear if the problem is a software or hardware issue, indicating that the failure could have occurred accidentally during the development or manufacturing process.
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the iPhone 5s sensors being incorrectly calibrated is described as potentially a hardware problem, and it is unclear if it is a software or hardware issue. Some affected users are already exchanging their units at the Apple Store, indicating a temporary nature of the incident as users are seeking replacements [22408].
Behaviour crash (a) crash: The article mentions an issue with the sensors on some iPhone 5s units not working properly, which could potentially lead to a crash as the system may lose its state and fail to perform its intended functions [22408].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence theoretical_consequence, unknown (a) unknown (b) unknown (c) unknown (d) unknown (e) unknown (f) unknown (g) no_consequence (h) theoretical_consequence: The article mentions that some iPhone 5s units had issues with sensors not working properly, specifically the gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass. It is unclear if it is a software or hardware problem. Some customers returned their affected units to the Apple Store for replacements, indicating a potential consequence of the software failure [22408]. (i) unknown
Domain information (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to the information industry, specifically affecting iPhone 5s users due to issues with sensors not working properly [22408].

Sources

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