Open Radar

 
Sometimes, I run across a bug. It could be a development-related bug, but most likely it's a customer bug. It's a bug I run into in my daily use of Apple products. As a developer, I could file Radars. As a customer, it's suddenly an unreasonable request.

Occasionally, someone will point me to the right person to discuss a bug. Sometimes I'll tweet about it. But ultimately, I'm always given the same line, "File a Radar."

This has become an overused adage at Apple. Reasons why it is told to clients are many and include any and all of the following:
1. Bugs are taken more seriously when filed by clients rather than Apple employees.
2. "It's not my job to file Radars."
3. If an Apple employee files a bug, it might be said that, "None of the clients care" so it shouldn't be prioritized.

Let me explain why each of these are fundamentally flawed.
1. No one knows Apple better than Apple itself. Bugs filed from within should be taken as seriously or more than clients.
2. It is neither my job to file Radars. I have work to do too.
3. From past experience, I can confirm that Apple pays its employees. But me? I am just a paying customer. Why would Apple trust a third party more than its own employees?

Overall, this seems like a pretty serious management problem at Apple. Whose job is it to fix this bug? (Since I'm filing this Radar, maybe one day I'll find out!)

It's unfair—and unreasonable—to expect paying customers (hardware, software, the Apple Developer Program) to spend extra time to file Radars. (It is not lost on me how ironic this Radar is.) Just because Apple's internal structure is set up in an irrational manner, that shouldn't have ever—nor should it continue—to put this responsibility on its customers.

It is understood and agreed that for technical problems that require debugging, testing, and even sample code that a bug should be filed by the developer who spotted it, whoever they are. But if a bug is well understood by an Apple employee, they only need file a Radar themselves and indicate they have done so on behalf of a client. That should solve any discrepancies about how "none of the clients care."

This bug is likely to be marked as a dupe, as designed, closed, or ignored. I will not be surprised. But I will remain disappointed that Apple functions distinctly differently (worse) from just about every company I can think of when I contact them about feedback, problems, and bugs.

I sincerely hope this is resolved, but just in case it isn't— I hope people read this and begin to take this problem more seriously.