[nowherecat]

I've been with apple since 1995, but it seems to me that the fruit has been rotting from the inside out for some time now and it is starting to become very obvious. I hope they get their act together, because a real alternative that "just works" does not yet exist.

[waynecochran]

Apple has succumbed to the programming culture that is pervasive everywhere now -- "release early, release often." This isn't just an Apple problem, this is everywhere. We all use less stable software.

[Yetanfou]

Release early/often is a mantra which fits free software development, one where there is often a second party between the software producer and the end user. This second party can be an integrator - Debian, Redhat, etc - or an IT department.

Release early/often is categorically unsuitable for proprietary, closed software development, especially for a company like Apple which directly targets end users and has made a name for producing stuff which 'just works'.

As such I don't think Apple actually follows release early/often, they just seem to think they can get by with less testing than they actually should. They also have a tendency to concentrate efforts on superficial 'improvements' while they lack the same drive to improve basic infrastructure.