| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Jawbone fitness trackers being rendered useless due to the closure of a companion app has happened again within the same organization. The article mentions that Jawbone, the defunct wearables company, liquidated its assets in 2017 and disabled the companion app earlier this year, leaving existing Jawbone Up users unable to use their fitness trackers [73379].
(b) The software failure incident has also happened at multiple organizations. The article highlights that retailers like Amazon, Selfridges, and Groupon were still selling the Jawbone fitness trackers even after they were rendered useless by the closure of the companion app. These retailers removed the devices from sale after being contacted by Which, indicating a failure in ensuring that products listed for sale are fully functional [73379]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The closure of the companion app by Jawbone led to the fitness trackers becoming useless, rendering both existing and unsold products non-functional [73379].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The article mentions that retailers like Amazon, Selfridges, and Groupon were still selling the Jawbone devices even though the companion app had been disabled, leading to customers being unable to use the fitness trackers as intended [73379]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case can be categorized as within_system. The failure originated from within the system itself, specifically from the closure of the companion app by the company. The article mentions that the Jawbone company liquidated its assets and disabled the app, rendering existing Jawbone Up users unable to use their fitness trackers. This internal decision directly led to the software failure incident where the devices became useless despite still being available for sale [73379].
(b) outside_system: There is no indication in the article that the software failure incident was caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. The failure was primarily a result of the company's internal decisions and actions, such as the closure of the companion app, which impacted the functionality of the fitness trackers [73379]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is primarily due to non-human actions. The closure of the companion app by the company after liquidating its assets rendered the fitness trackers useless, impacting both existing users and unsold products still on shelves [73379].
(b) Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. Retailers like Amazon, Selfridges, and Groupon continued to sell the Jawbone devices even after the companion app was disabled, leading to customers purchasing products that were essentially non-functional. However, once contacted by Which, these retailers removed the devices from sale [73379]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is more related to hardware issues rather than software issues. The Jawbone fitness trackers became useless due to the closure of the companion app, which was a result of the company liquidating its assets. This hardware-related failure left existing users unable to use their fitness trackers and also pre-emptively broke unsold products [73379]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The failure occurred due to the closure of the companion app by the company after facing financial difficulties, rendering the fitness trackers useless for existing users and pre-emptively breaking unsold products [73379]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Jawbone fitness trackers being rendered useless due to the closure of the companion app can be attributed to poor decisions made by the company. The article mentions that after facing financial difficulties, the company liquidated its assets and disabled the app, leaving existing users unable to use their fitness trackers and also pre-emptively breaking unsold products still on shelves [73379].
(b) Additionally, the incident also involved accidental decisions or mistakes by retailers such as Amazon, Selfridges, and Groupon who continued to sell the Jawbone devices even though they were no longer functional due to the app closure. These retailers removed the devices from sale only after being contacted by Which, indicating an unintentional oversight on their part [73379]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of Jawbone fitness trackers. The closure of the companion app by the company led to existing users being unable to use their fitness trackers, causing frustration and complaints on social media [73379]. Additionally, the failure to inform retailers about the issues with the app and the devices shows a lack of professional competence in managing the transition and ensuring customer satisfaction.
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident can be seen in the fact that unsold Jawbone devices were still on shelves even though the companion app had been disabled, rendering them useless. This accidental oversight led to the sale of non-functional products by retailers like Amazon, Selfridges, and Groupon until it was brought to their attention by Which magazine [73379]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is more of a permanent nature. The Jawbone company liquidated its assets in 2017 and disabled the companion app earlier this year, rendering the fitness trackers useless permanently [73379]. The article mentions that Jawbone trackers haven't been officially distributed or sold in the UK for at least two years, indicating a long-term impact of the software failure incident. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The Jawbone companion app was disabled by the company, rendering the fitness trackers useless and causing existing users to be unable to carry on using their devices [73379].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The closure of the companion app led to the omission of the intended functions of the fitness trackers, as they were no longer able to upload data or function properly [73379].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident is not the main issue described in the article. The focus is more on the fact that the app was disabled, rendering the devices useless, rather than a timing issue [73379].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a value failure. The Jawbone devices were still being sold by retailers even though they were rendered useless by the closure of the companion app. This means that customers were potentially paying for devices that could not perform their intended functions [73379].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure. The issue primarily revolves around the app being disabled, leading to the devices becoming non-functional, rather than inconsistent responses or interactions [73379].
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited in this software failure incident is the pre-emptive breaking of unsold products by disabling the app. Even though the devices were still on shelves, they were essentially non-functional due to the app being disabled, which is a unique aspect of this incident [73379]. |