Apple takes a break in iOS 18 developmentbut it’s just a way to get a head start on an ambitious update. Craig Federighi, the company’s head of software engineering, stopped work on the next major software updates, saying the quality of the initial releases was insufficient. The company needs to catch up on AI to Google and OpenAI – and wants to do so within the next year.
iOS 18, Apple pauses the update to increase quality
According to what Mark Gurman reports on Bloomberg, the suspension came at the end of last month, when Federighi decided to freeze development of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11 and other next-generation operating systems. The main reason for this pause is to improve the quality of the software and resolve issues that emerged in the initial releases.
This outage is a rare move for Apple, the latest of which dates back to 2019. The decision to freeze the work comes after reaching a key milestone in the development of iOS 18 and macOS 15. For some time, engineers will only work on fixing any problems.
iOS 18 is especially crucial for Apple, as Gurman says the company is trying to catch up to Google and OpenAI in generative artificial intelligence. The next generation of software will bring this technology to iPhones. And the update will be even more essential, given that the iPhone 16 hardware will not have significant improvements next year.
In 2019, Federighi established what Apple calls “The Pact”. Engineers must fix any bugs caused by adding new features. This philosophy continues to guide Apple, highlighted by the pause in development of iOS 18.
Generative AI is entering the lives of more and more people. But Apple knows that on the iPhone the technology will only be appreciated if it works correctly: Apple perhaps doesn’t get to the software news first, but it wants always do them the “Apple Way”. It remains to be seen whether, to avoid bugs and problems, Apple will have to limit AI features in iOS 18. We will find out at the next WWDC in early summer 2024.