| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The incident of services being down for Apple's App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes due to an internal DNS error is a recurring issue for Apple [34657].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The article does not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles was primarily due to a design issue caused by an internal DNS error at Apple. This error led to the outage affecting the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes Store, preventing users from downloading songs and apps. Apple confirmed that the issue was global, impacting users in various regions like the UK, US, Canada, India, and others. The outage lasted for approximately eleven hours, resulting in significant financial losses for Apple in terms of lost sales revenue [34657].
(b) The software failure incident also had operational implications as users experienced frustration and errors while trying to download content from the digital stores. Users encountered issues such as spinning circles indicating downloads in progress but not completing, error messages, broken pages, and inability to access iCloud mail. The operational impact was evident from user complaints on social media platforms and the inability of users to make purchases or access services during the outage [34657]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within_system. The failure was caused by an internal DNS error at Apple, affecting services like the App Store, iTunes Store, Mac App Store, and iBooks Store [34657]. The outage was attributed to technical problems within Apple's system, leading to users being unable to download songs and apps, resulting in lost sales for the company. Apple acknowledged the issue as originating from within their system and worked to restore the services for customers [34657]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurred due to non-human actions, specifically an internal DNS error at Apple. This error caused technical problems leading to the outage affecting the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes services globally [34657]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles was not attributed to hardware issues. The root cause of the failure was identified as an internal DNS error at Apple, indicating that the contributing factors originated in software [34657]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 34657 was non-malicious. The incident was attributed to an internal DNS error at Apple, causing technical problems that led to the outage affecting the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes. Apple confirmed the issue was not due to any malicious activity but rather an internal technical error [34657]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Apple services being down for approximately eleven hours, affecting the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes, was primarily due to poor decisions. The incident was caused by an internal DNS error at Apple, as confirmed by the company in a statement. This internal error led to the unavailability of all services to customers globally, resulting in significant financial losses for Apple [34657]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 34657 was due to an internal DNS error at Apple, which caused technical problems leading to the outage affecting the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes. This issue was attributed to development incompetence, as it was caused by a mistake or fault in the internal DNS configuration by Apple's team or organization [34657].
(b) Additionally, the incident could also be categorized as accidental, as the error was not intentional but rather an unintended consequence of the internal DNS error that occurred within Apple's systems [34657]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The services of the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes were down for approximately eleven hours due to an internal DNS error at Apple. The outage was not permanent as Apple was able to resolve the technical problems and restore all services [34657]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash as users were unable to download songs and apps from Apple's sites for much of the day due to technical problems caused by an internal DNS error. The services were down for approximately eleven hours, leading to a loss in revenue for Apple [34657].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission as users were unable to download content from the App Store, iTunes Store, Mac App Store, and iBooks Store. Users experienced issues such as seeing a spinning circle indicating that a song or app is being downloaded, but nothing happens, or receiving error messages when trying to download content [34657].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with a timing failure as the issue was not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. Instead, the primary issue was the system not performing its intended functions due to technical problems [34657].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a value failure as users were unable to purchase content from the iTunes Store despite being able to view it. This indicates that the system was not performing its intended functions correctly in terms of allowing users to make purchases [34657].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with a byzantine failure as there were no mentions of inconsistent responses or interactions from the system. The primary issue was the unavailability of services and the inability to download content [34657].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as an "other" behavior as well, specifically in terms of the impact on users and the financial losses incurred by Apple. Users expressed frustration over the outage, with some experiencing difficulties accessing iCloud mail and other services. Additionally, the financial impact on Apple was significant, with potential losses of millions of dollars in revenue due to the outage [34657]. |