Apple has delayed the rollout of the first significant software update for its smartwatch, which had been intended to fix some of the biggest complaints from early adopters.WatchOS 2 was scheduled to go live on Wednesday but has been held back for an unspecified time because of a problem with the software that was discovered in last-minute testing, Apple said.“We have discovered a bug in development of watchOS 2 that is taking a bit longer to fix than we expected,” the company added. “We will not release watchOS 2 today but will shortly.”The announcement was made just two hours before the update was due to be pushed out to customers.
WatchOS 2 represents a substantial overhaul of Apple’s latest device. It had been slated to include the ability for third-party apps to run “natively” on the device, helping to address a widespread complaint that non-Apple software runs too slowly.App developers would also be able to tap into data from the wearable device’s sensors, including its heart-rate monitor. The update will also add new watch faces and other ways to personalise the device.
While Apple did not provide details, some developers speculated that the bug was related to problems that were reported running some new watchOS 2 apps after they had been downloaded from the App Store — a bug that would only have emerged as the first compatible apps were published late on Tuesday.
Apple was later forced to apologise for the “great inconvenience” to some iPhone owners who lost wireless connectivity after installing iOS 8 last September.It is rare for Apple to miss its deadlines. Last year, a bug in iOS 8 forced it to delay a rollout of apps that plugged in to its Healthkit platform, which tracks health and fitness data.
Some developers reported that their updated apps failed to launch on a Watch running the new software. Such an issue could take days rather than weeks for Apple to resolve, developers say.The release on Wednesday of iOS 9, the annual update of the iPhone and iPad’s operating system, is not affected by the delay to watchOS 2. The latest iOS brings improvements to overall stability and usability, as well as adding a News app.
Apple Watch, the first launch into a new device category of the Tim Cook era, has made a slower start than some analysts expected. Estimates for first-quarter sales have hovered at about 3m units.In recent weeks, the company has expanded distribution of the Watch to new retailers including Best Buy in the US and John Lewis in the UK, while also announcing a partnership with luxury brand Hermès, offering custom straps and
No comments:
Post a Comment