Published Date: 2018-11-10
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident affecting the iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products happened in 2018. [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756] |
| System | 1. iPhone X displays [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756] 2. 13-inch MacBook Pro storage drives [78640, 77711, 77574, 77756] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Apple Inc [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756] |
| Impacted Organization | 1. iPhone X users [78640, 78293, 77711, 77756] 2. 13-inch MacBook Pro users [78640, 77711, 77756] |
| Software Causes | 1. The iPhone X experienced touch issues due to a component failure in the display module, causing the screen to become unresponsive or react without being touched [#77574, #77756]. 2. The 13-inch MacBook Pro had issues leading to data loss and failure of the storage drive, specifically affecting a limited number of 128GB and 256GB solid-state drives in units sold between June 2017 and June 2018 [#77574, #77756]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Component failure in the iPhone X touchscreen [78293, 77574, 77756] 2. Data loss and failure of the storage drive in the 13-inch MacBook Pro [78293, 77574, 77756] |
| Impacts | 1. The iPhone X experienced touch issues due to a component failure, leading to screens not responding correctly to touch or reacting even without being touched, rendering the device unusable for some users [78640, 78293, 77574, 77756]. 2. The MacBook Pro computers faced issues that could result in data loss and failure of the storage drive, affecting a limited number of units sold between June 2017 and June 2018 [78640, 77756]. 3. Apple offered free repairs for the affected iPhone X and MacBook Pro units, acknowledging the technical problems and committing to fixing them at no cost to the customers [78640, 78293, 77574, 77756]. 4. The incidents added to a series of product quality problems faced by Apple over the past year, despite the company raising prices for its laptops, tablets, and phones to new heights, potentially impacting customer trust and brand reputation [78640, 77756]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing thorough quality assurance testing before releasing the products to identify any potential issues [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574]. 2. Conducting more extensive user testing to catch any touch issues or component failures before mass production [78293, 77574]. 3. Providing more transparent communication with customers about potential software or hardware issues and offering solutions promptly [78293, 77574]. 4. Regularly monitoring and addressing customer feedback and complaints on social media platforms to identify emerging issues [78293, 77574]. 5. Ensuring proper design and testing of components like screens and storage drives to prevent data loss and touch issues [77711, 77574]. |
| Fixes | 1. Apple offered to fix the touch issues affecting some iPhone X models due to a component failure by replacing the faulty parts for free [78640, 78293, 77574, 77756]. 2. Apple also provided repair services for the 13-inch MacBook Pro models that were experiencing data loss and storage drive failure issues [78640, 77756]. 3. The repair programs were aimed at addressing the touch issues on iPhone X screens and the faulty storage chips in the MacBook Pro models sold between June 2017 and June 2018 [78640, 77711, 77574, 77756]. | References | 1. Apple Inc [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756] 2. Apple's website [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756] 3. Apple Store [77574] 4. Reddit [78293] 5. U.S. lawmakers [77574] 6. CNET [77711] 7. BBC News Mundo [78293] 8. Reuters [78640, 77756] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization | (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: Apple Inc. has faced software failure incidents with its products multiple times. For instance, the iPhone X experienced touch issues due to a component failure, leading to unresponsiveness or erratic behavior of the screen. Apple acknowledged this problem and offered free replacements for affected devices [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: The articles do not mention any instances of similar software failure incidents occurring at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase: - The articles mention that the iPhone X experienced touch issues due to a component failure in the display module, causing the screen to become unresponsive or react without being touched [Article 78640, Article 78293, Article 77574]. - Apple acknowledged that the faulty part in the new displays of the iPhone X caused the touchscreen issues, leading to an intermittent or wholly unresponsive touch experience [Article 77711]. - The design flaw in the iPhone X's display module resulted in touch issues, affecting the user experience and necessitating a replacement program for the affected devices [Article 77574]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase: - The articles do not specifically mention any software failure incidents related to the operation phase. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products was primarily within the system. Apple acknowledged issues affecting the displays on iPhone X, such as touch issues due to a component failure, and issues with the storage drives in the 13-inch MacBook Pro leading to data loss and failure. Apple offered free replacements or repairs for these internal system failures [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756]. (b) outside_system: There is no information in the provided articles indicating that the software failure incidents were caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incidents related to the iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products were primarily due to component failures in the devices. For the iPhone X, the touch issues were attributed to a faulty part in the display module, causing the screen to become unresponsive or react without touch input [78293, 77574, 77756]. - In the case of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the issue leading to data loss and storage drive failure was linked to faulty solid-state drives (SSDs) in a limited number of units sold between June 2017 and June 2018 [77711, 77756]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The articles do not provide information indicating that the software failure incidents were caused by human actions. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The articles mention hardware-related issues affecting some iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products. For the iPhone X, there were touch issues due to a component failure affecting the display [78640, 78293, 77574, 77756]. - Specifically, the iPhone X experienced touch issues where the screen may not respond correctly to touch or could react even without being touched due to a faulty part in the display module [78293, 77574]. - In the case of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, there was an issue that could result in data loss and failure of the storage drive, affecting a limited number of solid-state drives sold between June 2017 and June 2018 [78640, 77711]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The articles do not provide specific information about software-related failures in the incidents mentioned. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) malicious: - No information in the provided articles indicates that the software failure incident was malicious in nature. There is no mention of any intentional actions by individuals to harm the system ([78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756]). (b) non-malicious: - The software failure incidents reported in the articles were non-malicious in nature. They were attributed to component failures in the iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products, leading to touch issues on the iPhone X and data loss/failure of the storage drive on the MacBook Pro. Apple acknowledged these issues and offered free repairs to affected customers ([78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756]). |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions | (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products can be attributed to poor_decisions. Apple faced issues with the displays on iPhone X and storage drives on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, leading to touch issues on the iPhone X and potential data loss on the MacBook Pro. Apple acknowledged these problems and offered free repairs for the affected devices, indicating that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by poor decisions in the design or manufacturing process [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development_incompetence: - The software failure incidents related to the iPhone X touchscreen issues were attributed to a component failure in the display module, causing touch issues [Article 78293]. - Apple acknowledged that the faulty part in some iPhone X displays led to unresponsiveness or erratic behavior, indicating a development issue in the manufacturing process [Article 77711]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The article did not specifically mention any software failure incidents occurring accidentally. |
| Duration | temporary | (a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone X touchscreen issues was temporary. Apple acknowledged that some iPhone X devices may experience touch issues due to a component failure, causing the screen to become intermittently or wholly unresponsive to touch. Apple offered a free replacement program for affected devices, indicating that the issue was not permanent [#77574, #77711, #78293]. (b) The software failure incident related to the 13-inch MacBook Pro storage drive issue was temporary. Apple mentioned that an issue with the storage drive could result in data loss and failure of the drive. Apple offered to service the affected drives, indicating that the issue was not permanent [#77574, #77756]. |
| Behaviour | crash, value, other | (a) crash: The articles mention a software failure incident related to the iPhone X where the display may become intermittently or wholly unresponsive to touch, causing the screen to crash and not respond correctly to touch [77711]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of a software failure incident related to omission in the articles. (c) timing: The articles do not provide information about a software failure incident related to timing issues. (d) value: The software failure incident related to the iPhone X involves touch issues due to a component failure, causing the screen to react even without being touched or not respond correctly to touch, leading to incorrect performance of the intended functions [77574, 77756, 78293]. (e) byzantine: There is no indication of a software failure incident related to a byzantine behavior in the articles. (f) other: The software failure incident also includes issues with the storage drive in the 13-inch MacBook Pro models, which may result in data loss and failure of the storage drive, impacting the correct functioning of the system [77574, 77756]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | property, non-human | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any deaths caused by the software failure incidents reported in the articles [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - There is no mention of physical harm to individuals due to the software failure incidents reported in the articles [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted by the software failure incidents reported in the articles [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incidents led to issues with iPhone X displays and 13-inch MacBook Pro storage drives, potentially causing data loss [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - There is no mention of people having to postpone activities due to the software failure incidents reported in the articles [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incidents affected the functionality of iPhone X displays and 13-inch MacBook Pro storage drives [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failures resulted in tangible consequences such as touch issues on iPhone X displays and data loss on 13-inch MacBook Pro storage drives [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles do not mention any potential consequences discussed that did not occur as a result of the software failure incidents [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - There are no other consequences mentioned in the articles beyond the impact on data loss and device functionality [77574, 77756, 78293, 78640]. |
| Domain | information, manufacturing | (a) The software failure incident related to the production and distribution of information industry as it affected Apple's iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro products, causing touch issues on the iPhone X and data loss/failure of the storage drive on the MacBook Pro [78640, 78293, 77711, 77574, 77756]. |
Article ID: 78640
Article ID: 78293
Article ID: 77711
Article ID: 77574
Article ID: 77756