Published Date: 2012-06-20
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident with the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage happened on the day the Surface tablet was officially unveiled in Los Angeles, which was reported in Article 12510 published on 2012-06-20. |
| System | The system that failed in the software failure incident was the Microsoft Surface tablet [12510]. |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Steven Sinofsky, President of Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft [12510] 2. Microsoft's software development team responsible for the beta software on the Surface tablet [12510] |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Steven Sinofsky, the President of Windows and Windows Live Division, was impacted by the software failure incident during the presentation of the Microsoft Surface tablet [12510]. |
| Software Causes | 1. The software cause of the failure incident during the Microsoft Surface tablet presentation was a bug in the beta software that interrupted the presentation [12510]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. The Microsoft Surface tablet crashed on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky, the President of Windows and Windows Live Division, due to a technical glitch [12510]. 2. The incident was reminiscent of a previous failure by Bill Gates during a Windows 98 presentation where the computer collapsed, showing the 'Blue Screen of Death' [12510]. |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident where the Microsoft Surface tablet crashed on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky had an embarrassing impact on the event, causing a 20-second hiccup in the presentation and leading to Sinofsky needing to switch to a backup tablet [12510]. 2. The incident brought back memories of a similar embarrassing technical glitch experienced by Bill Gates during a Windows 98 presentation, where the 'Blue Screen of Death' appeared on live TV, causing a public disaster [12510]. 3. Despite the software failure incident, the Surface tablet received favorable first impressions and plaudits for its design features, such as the detachable keyboard and the 'Metro UI', indicating that the incident did not significantly impact the overall reception of the device [12510]. |
| Preventions | 1. Proper testing and quality assurance of the beta software running on the Surface tablet could have potentially prevented the software failure incident [12510]. 2. Implementing robust error handling mechanisms within the software to gracefully handle unexpected crashes or freezes could have helped mitigate the impact of the incident [12510]. 3. Having a backup plan in place, such as a secondary device or a contingency presentation strategy, could have minimized the disruption caused by the software failure incident [12510]. |
| Fixes | 1. Ensuring thorough testing of the software before public demonstrations could help prevent such incidents in the future [12510]. 2. Implementing robust backup and failover mechanisms in the software to quickly recover from crashes or glitches during presentations [12510]. 3. Conducting a detailed analysis of the root cause of the software failure and addressing any bugs or issues in the beta software to prevent similar incidents in the future [12510]. | References | 1. Steven Sinofsky, President of Windows and Windows Live Division 2. Bill Gates, presenting a pre-launch version of Windows 98 live on national TV 3. Microsoft's Surface tablet unveiling event in Los Angeles 4. Microsoft statement regarding the availability of the Surface tablet when Windows 8 ships later this year 5. CEO Steve Ballmer announcing the Surface tablet at a press conference in Los Angeles 6. Information provided by Microsoft regarding the features and specifications of the Surface tablet 7. Technology analysts Forrester, specifically Sarah Rotman Epps |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization | The software failure incident related to the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky is reminiscent of a similar incident involving Bill Gates presenting Windows 98 live on national TV [12510]. This incident can be categorized as a case of a software failure happening again within the same organization (Microsoft) with its products and services (Windows operating system). |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the incident where the Microsoft Surface tablet crashed during the presentation by Steven Sinofsky. The article mentions that a bug in the beta software interrupted his presentation, leading to an embarrassing technical glitch [12510]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky was likely a result of a bug in the beta software of the Surface tablet itself. The incident occurred while Sinofsky was showcasing the Surface tablet, and he had to quickly switch to a backup device to continue his presentation [12510]. This indicates that the failure originated from within the system, specifically from the software running on the Surface tablet. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions | (a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions occurred during the presentation of Microsoft's Surface tablet by Steven Sinofsky. The tablet appeared to crash in the middle of his talk, leading to an excruciating moment as he tried to address the issue. The incident was described as a bug in the beta software interrupting his presentation, reminiscent of a past incident involving Bill Gates and the 'Blue Screen of Death' [12510]. (b) The software failure incident related to human actions involved the introduction of the Surface tablet by Steven Sinofsky. Despite the technical glitch during the presentation, Sinofsky was able to handle the situation by quickly switching to a backup tablet. This incident showcased the importance of preparedness and quick thinking in response to unexpected failures during public presentations [12510]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware, software | (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The incident involving the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky was likely a hardware-related issue. The article mentions that Sinofsky had to switch to a backup Surface tablet when the initial one appeared to crash, indicating a hardware malfunction [12510]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The article does not provide specific details indicating that the software failure incident was directly caused by software issues. However, it does mention a bug in the beta software interrupting Sinofsky's presentation, suggesting a potential software-related glitch [12510]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident related to the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky does not appear to be malicious. It seems to be a non-malicious failure caused by a bug in the beta software of the Surface tablet, leading to an embarrassing technical glitch during the presentation [12510]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | unknown | From the provided articles, there is no specific information available to determine whether the software failure incident related to the Microsoft Surface tablet crash on stage was due to poor decisions or accidental decisions. The incident seems to be more of a technical glitch or bug in the beta software rather than a result of explicit poor or accidental decisions. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence, accidental | (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Steven Sinofsky, the President of Windows and Windows Live Division, faced an embarrassing moment during the presentation of Microsoft's Surface tablet. The tablet appeared to crash in the middle of his talk, leading to an excruciating 20 seconds as he tried to handle the situation before grabbing a backup device [12510]. (b) The software failure incident related to an accidental factor is seen in the same article when the Surface tablet crashed during the presentation by Steven Sinofsky. This incident was not intentional but occurred unexpectedly, causing a hiccup in the presentation [12510]. |
| Duration | temporary | The software failure incident related to the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage during a presentation by Steven Sinofsky was temporary. The incident lasted for about 20 seconds as Sinofsky tried to address the unresponsive screen before switching to a backup tablet [12510]. |
| Behaviour | crash, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles is a crash. During the presentation of Microsoft's Surface tablet, the tablet appeared to crash, leading to an excruciating moment for the presenter, Steven Sinofsky. He had to quickly switch to a backup tablet to continue the presentation [12510]. (f) other: The incident also involved a glitch in the beta software of the Surface tablet that interrupted the presentation. This glitch caused an unresponsive screen, prompting Sinofsky to prod at the screen before switching to a backup tablet [12510]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any deaths related to the software failure incident reported in the articles [12510]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - There is no mention of any physical harm to individuals due to the software failure incident reported in the articles [12510]. (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 [12510]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident involving the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage did not result in any direct impact on people's material goods, money, or data as per the articles [12510]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - The software failure incident did cause a delay in the presentation as Steven Sinofsky had to switch to a backup Surface tablet when the initial one crashed on stage [12510]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident primarily affected the functionality of the Microsoft Surface tablet itself, leading to an embarrassing moment during the presentation [12510]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident did have consequences in terms of disrupting the presentation flow and requiring a switch to a backup device, but there were no significant long-term consequences reported in the articles [12510]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles mention the embarrassing nature of the software failure incident during the presentation, drawing parallels to a past incident involving Bill Gates and the 'Blue Screen of Death,' but no further theoretical consequences were discussed [12510]. (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 of the software failure incident mentioned in the articles [12510]. |
| Domain | information | (a) The software failure incident related to the Microsoft Surface tablet crashing on stage during a presentation is in the technology industry, specifically in the personal computing hardware and software sector. The incident occurred during the unveiling of the Surface tablet, which is a new product in the tablet market [Article 12510]. |
Article ID: 12510