Published Date: 2017-04-18
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving the Galaxy Note 7, which led to overheating and catching fire, occurred last year as mentioned in Article 50624. 2. Published on: 2017-04-18 Estimation: The incident with the Galaxy Note 7 occurred last year, and the article was published in April 2017. Therefore, the software failure incident with the Galaxy Note 7 likely occurred in 2016. |
| System | 1. Galaxy Note 7 2. Galaxy S8 3. Bixby 4. Facial recognition feature 5. Fingerprint sensor placement 6. Dual-lens camera |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Samsung - The software failure incident was caused by Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 spontaneously combusting, leading to overheating and fires, which ultimately resulted in the discontinuation of the device [50624]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Consumers considering purchasing the Galaxy S8 were impacted by the software failure incident, particularly due to concerns about safety, design flaws, unfinished key features like Bixby, and Samsung's safety record following the Galaxy Note 7 incident [50624]. |
| Software Causes | 1. Unknown |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Battery manufacturing problems and design flaws in the Galaxy Note 7 leading to overheating and fires [Article 50624] 2. Placement of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the Galaxy S8 making it easy to bump into the camera lens and difficult for left-handed people to unlock the phone [Article 50624] 3. Incompleteness of Bixby's voice features at the launch of the Galaxy S8 [Article 50624] 4. Lack of a dual-lens camera on the Galaxy S8 compared to competitors like Apple iPhone 7 Plus or LG G6 [Article 50624] 5. Concerns about the safety record of Samsung following the Galaxy Note 7 incident [Article 50624] |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident involving the Galaxy Note 7, which led to phones overheating and catching fire, raised concerns about Samsung phones in general, impacting consumer trust and confidence in the brand [Article 50624]. 2. Following the Galaxy Note 7 incident, Samsung's safety record came under scrutiny, leading to doubts about the safety of the Galaxy S8 and potential future Samsung devices [Article 50624]. 3. The failure incident with the Galaxy Note 7 prompted Samsung to implement an eight-point battery safety check for their devices, indicating a direct impact on their manufacturing and quality control processes [Article 50624]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures for the software, including rigorous quality assurance processes to detect any potential issues before the product release [50624]. 2. Conducting comprehensive risk assessments to identify and address any design flaws or vulnerabilities that could lead to software failure [50624]. 3. Ensuring that key features of the software are fully developed and functional before the product launch to avoid customer dissatisfaction and potential failures [50624]. 4. Prioritizing user security by implementing secure authentication methods, such as facial recognition or iris scanning, to prevent unauthorized access to the device [50624]. 5. Establishing a robust post-launch monitoring system to track the performance and safety of the software in real-world usage, allowing for timely intervention in case of any emerging issues [50624]. |
| Fixes | 1. Implementing a thorough and rigorous battery safety check process like the eight-point battery safety check developed by Samsung after the Galaxy Note 7 incident [50624]. 2. Ensuring that key features of the software, such as voice-controlled virtual assistants like Bixby, are fully developed and functional before the product launch to avoid consumer dissatisfaction [50624]. 3. Addressing design flaws and user experience issues, such as the awkward placement of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the device, to improve usability and prevent user frustration [50624]. | References | 1. Consumer electronics experts who tried the Galaxy S8 ahead of its release [Article 50624] 2. Mark Spoonauer, the editor in chief of Tom’s Guide [Article 50624] 3. Mike Gikas, a phone reviewer for Consumer Reports [Article 50624] 4. Jessica Dolcourt, a product reviewer for CNET [Article 50624] 5. Samsung spokesman [Article 50624] 6. Kyle Wiens, the owner of iFixit [Article 50624] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) The software failure incident related to Samsung's safety record is a recurring issue within the same organization. After the Galaxy Note 7 incident where some phones overheated and caught fire, there were concerns about the safety of the Galaxy S8 as well. Samsung developed an eight-point battery safety check after the Note 7 problems, but reviewers still expressed caution and recommended waiting to ensure the safety of the Galaxy S8 [50624]. (b) The software failure incident related to unfinished key features can be seen as a common issue across different organizations. In the case of the Galaxy S8, Samsung highlighted its voice-controlled virtual assistant, Bixby, but later announced that some features of Bixby would not be available at launch. This situation reflects a common challenge in the tech industry where products are sometimes released with unfinished or delayed features, impacting user experience and expectations [50624]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The article mentions a design-related issue with the Galaxy S8's fingerprint sensor placement. Several product reviewers criticized the location of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the device, near the camera lens, making it easy to bump into the lens when trying to unlock the phone. This design flaw could lead to operational difficulties for users, especially left-handed individuals [50624]. (b) The article discusses an operational issue related to the Galaxy S8's facial recognition feature. It was found that the facial recognition feature could easily be tricked with a photo of the device's owner, indicating a security vulnerability in the operation of the device. This flaw in the operational aspect of the facial recognition feature could potentially compromise the security of the device [50624]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | outside_system | (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Galaxy S8 does not seem to be directly caused by factors originating from within the system itself. The concerns raised in the articles primarily revolve around design choices, unfinished features, and Samsung's safety record following the Galaxy Note 7 incident. There is no specific mention of an internal software bug, fault, error, or glitch as the primary cause of the failure incident [50624]. (b) outside_system: The failure incident surrounding the Galaxy S8 is more influenced by factors originating from outside the system. These external factors include concerns about Samsung's safety record following the Galaxy Note 7 incident, the delay in releasing certain features like Bixby's voice capabilities, and the overall uncertainty regarding the device's safety and performance in the market. These external factors impact consumer confidence and decision-making regarding the purchase of the Galaxy S8 [50624]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The article does not mention any software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions [50624]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The article discusses the failure of the Galaxy Note 7 due to battery manufacturing problems and design flaws, which were attributed to human actions [50624]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware, software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The article discusses the Galaxy Note 7, which was discontinued due to some of the phones overheating and catching fire. Samsung issued two recalls for the big-screen smartphone and blamed battery manufacturing problems and design flaws for the issues [Article 50624]. - Samsung developed an eight-point battery safety check after the Galaxy Note 7 incident, which involves putting batteries through various tests including X-ray and human inspections to ensure safety [Article 50624]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The article mentions that Samsung highlighted Bixby, its voice-controlled virtual assistant, as a key feature of the Galaxy S8. However, it was noted that while some portions of Bixby would be available on Day 1, Bixby’s voice features would not be released in the United States until later in the spring, indicating an incompleteness in the software feature [Article 50624]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The objective of the software failure incident was non-malicious. The failure was related to safety concerns and uncertainties surrounding the Galaxy S8 smartphone release by Samsung, particularly in light of the previous issues with the Galaxy Note 7. Consumer electronics experts highlighted concerns about the new design, unfinished key features like Bixby, and Samsung's safety record following the Note 7 incidents [50624]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | unknown | The articles do not provide information about a specific software failure incident related to poor decisions or accidental decisions. Therefore, the intent of the software failure incident is unknown. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | unknown | (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the failure was due to contributing factors introduced due to lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization. (b) The software failure incident related to an accidental failure is also not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the failure was due to contributing factors introduced accidentally. |
| Duration | unknown | The articles do not provide information about a specific software failure incident related to either a permanent or temporary duration. |
| Behaviour | value | (a) crash: The articles do not mention any specific instances of the Galaxy S8 crashing or failing due to the system losing state and not performing any of its intended functions [50624]. (b) omission: The articles do not mention any specific instances of the Galaxy S8 omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [50624]. (c) timing: The articles do not mention any specific instances of the Galaxy S8 performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early [50624]. (d) value: The articles mention a potential failure related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Specifically, the facial recognition feature of the Galaxy S8 could easily be tricked with a photo of the device’s owner, indicating a failure in correctly identifying the user [50624]. (e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any specific instances of the Galaxy S8 behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [50624]. (f) other: The articles do not mention any other specific behaviors of the Galaxy S8 that do not fall into the categories of crash, omission, timing, value, or byzantine behaviors [50624]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | delay, theoretical_consequence | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any deaths resulting from the software failure incident reported in the articles [50624]. (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 incident reported in the articles [50624]. (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 due to the software failure incident reported in the articles [50624]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident involving the Samsung Galaxy S8 did not directly impact people's material goods, money, or data. However, there were concerns raised about the safety of the device following the Galaxy Note 7 incident, which could potentially impact consumer confidence and Samsung's reputation [50624]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - Consumers were advised to wait before purchasing the Galaxy S8 to ensure safety and to allow time for potential improvements and bug fixes in the device [50624]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - There is no mention of non-human entities being impacted due to the software failure incident reported in the articles [50624]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The articles discuss potential consequences such as safety concerns, unfinished features, and design issues with the Galaxy S8, indicating that there were observed consequences of the software failure incident [50624]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles mention potential consequences such as safety concerns, unfinished features, and design issues with the Galaxy S8, which were discussed as reasons for consumers to wait before purchasing the device. These consequences were not observed at the time of the articles' publication but were discussed as possibilities [50624]. (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 specific consequences of the software failure incident mentioned in the articles [50624]. |
| Domain | manufacturing | The software failure incident discussed in the provided article [50624] is related to the **electronics industry**. Specifically, it pertains to Samsung's Galaxy S8 smartphone release following the failure of the Galaxy Note 7 due to battery issues and design flaws. The article highlights concerns about safety, design changes, unfinished key features like Bixby, and Samsung's safety record after the Note 7 incident. This incident falls under the category of the **electronics industry** within the broader technology sector. |
Article ID: 50624