| Recurring |
one_organization |
The software failure incident related to the Time Capsule wireless storage product by Apple has happened again within the same organization. The article mentions that Apple faced previous issues with the iPhone 4 reception and early problems with the iPad's Wi-Fi, indicating a pattern of software or hardware issues within Apple's products [2231].
Additionally, the article discusses how Apple released a revised version of the Time Capsule in July 2009 without acknowledging the problems with the initial versions, suggesting a recurrence of issues within the same organization [2231]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to the flawed thermal design of the Time Capsule. The article mentions that the cause of the failure was identified as overheating of the power supply, which was a design flaw that led to the systems stopping working after about 18 months [2231].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be linked to the misuse or operation of the Time Capsule devices. The article highlights that owners of the affected units had their valuable data lost when the devices failed to power up, indicating issues with the operation or functioning of the devices [2231]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Apple Time Capsule was primarily within the system. The failure was attributed to a flaw in the power supply design of the Time Capsule, specifically the overheating of the power supply's capacitors. This internal issue led to the devices not powering on or shutting down unexpectedly, resulting in data loss for users [2231]. The flaw was identified to be a design fault within the Time Capsule itself, causing the devices to fail after approximately 18 months of use, as highlighted by the Time Capsule Memorial Register [2231].
(b) There is no specific mention in the articles of the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. The focus of the incident was on the internal design flaw of the Time Capsule leading to the failure of the devices [2231]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in the article is primarily attributed to a flaw in the design of the Time Capsule wireless storage product. The article mentions that the problem with the Time Capsules was identified to be with the power supply, specifically that it overheated, leading to the devices stopping working after about 18 months of use [2231].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions in the article is highlighted in the context of Apple's response to the issue. It is noted that Apple took nine months to acknowledge the problem with the Time Capsule devices after a Guardian investigation pointed to the issues. Additionally, there is mention of potential legal actions that affected users might take against Apple, indicating a possible failure in addressing the issue promptly or transparently [2231]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions that the Time Capsule devices experienced issues with the power supply overheating, leading to the devices not powering on or shutting down unexpectedly [2231].
- The failure was attributed to a flaw in the Time Capsule's thermal design, specifically with the power supply's capacitors not being able to handle the heat over an extended period of time [2231].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The article does not specifically mention any software-related contributing factors to the failure incident. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Apple Time Capsule was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to a flaw in the design of the product, specifically related to overheating of the power supply components. This flaw led to the devices becoming inoperable after a certain period of use, causing data loss for users [2231]. The failure was not due to any intentional malicious actions but rather a design issue that affected the functionality of the product. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident related to the Apple Time Capsule can be attributed to both poor decisions and accidental decisions.
1. Poor Decisions:
The incident reflects poor decisions made by Apple in the design and manufacturing of the Time Capsule. The flaw in the thermal design, particularly with the power supply overheating, was a critical issue that led to the failure of numerous devices. Despite being aware of the problem, Apple did not address it adequately, as indicated by the lack of an official response until much later. The failure to acknowledge and rectify the design flaw in a timely manner can be considered a poor decision on Apple's part [2231].
2. Accidental Decisions:
The incident also involves accidental decisions or unintended consequences resulting from the design flaw. The overheating of the power supply leading to the malfunction of the Time Capsule devices was likely not an intentional outcome desired by Apple. The fact that a significant number of devices failed due to this issue suggests that it was an unintended consequence of the design choices made during the manufacturing process [2231]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of the Apple Time Capsule. The article highlights that the Time Capsules sold between February 2008 and June 2008 faced issues where they would not power on or would shut down unexpectedly. This issue was attributed to a flaw in the power supply design, specifically overheating of the power supply's capacitors, leading to the devices becoming unusable after about 18 months of use. Despite users reporting these problems and setting up a memorial register to track the failures, Apple did not acknowledge the issue officially until much later, indicating a lack of responsiveness to the identified problem [2231].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the case of the Apple Time Capsule as well. The article mentions that the flaw in the power supply design, leading to overheating and subsequent device failure, was not intentional but rather a consequence of the design and manufacturing process. Additionally, the release of a revised version of the Time Capsule in July 2009 without any acknowledgment of the previous issues suggests that the problems may have been unintentional but persisted due to oversight or lack of thorough testing [2231]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
The software failure incident related to the Apple Time Capsule was more of a hardware issue rather than a software issue. The failure was primarily attributed to a flaw in the power supply design of the Time Capsule, leading to overheating and subsequent failure of the device [2231]. This hardware flaw resulted in the devices becoming permanently non-functional, as they were unable to power on or would shut down unexpectedly after starting up, rendering them useless for data backup purposes [2231]. The failure was not temporary but rather a permanent issue affecting the functionality of the Time Capsule devices. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Apple Time Capsule involved a crash where the devices failed to power up, leading to the loss of valuable data for thousands of users [2231].
(b) omission: The omission of performing the intended functions was evident in the Time Capsule failure incident where the systems simply stopped working after about 18 months, resulting in the inability to get data onto or off the devices, rendering them useless for backup purposes [2231].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the provided article.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be attributed to a value-related failure as the Time Capsules were not performing their intended functions correctly, leading to data loss and device malfunction [2231].
(e) byzantine: The article does not describe a byzantine behavior in the software failure incident.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident was the inconsistency in the recall/replace boundaries set by Apple. While some failed devices fell within the boundaries for repair or replacement, a significant portion (20%) had serial numbers outside those boundaries, indicating an inconsistency in addressing the issue [2231]. |