Why is Apple so bad at this server stuff?

[jshort]

Seriously.. I'm a MobileMe customer and went through that fiasco like many of you. Now Apple is taking my MobileMe that isn't broken and requiring me to to go iCloud (yes, I understand the "why") when.. the transition isn't ready for prime time. They've got a phenomenal iOS that all but requires it.. so the iOS remains kinda crippled.. not to mention it would seem this would hurt the impeccable image Apple has. If you knowww how many iOS devices ad MobileMe users are out there and will make the transition.. why not do it waves to give the servers a break? Or MobileMe users hit the servers first... then new iCloud folks? Something like that...

I've tried 10 times... ridiculous.

 

[George Knighton]

I sympathise.

It takes a long while to get straight, and even now my iMac insists that the same password that works on all other applications will not work on iCal.

Still haven't figured it out and the server hasn't figured it out.

 

[Axiem]

Have you ever been involved in the construction/design of highways?

When you design a highway, you attempt to anticipate the average traffic and the peak traffic (during rush hour). If you're rebuilding a highway, this is relatively easy, because you can measure how people use the highway now; if it's a new highway, you have to run some guesses based on demographics et cetera.

Then, when designing the highway, you design for the average amount of traffic to go X mph without issue (where X depends on the state and location of the highway). You then run simulations to make sure it doesn't gum up too much during peak times.

But you don't design for peak. If you designed for rush hour, then you're building massive highways that aren't used much. Yeah, it would be nice if everyone could go 65 during rush hour, but to do that means that during the other 90% of the day, three-fourths of the highway lays fallow. That is not an efficient use of land, concrete, or time.

Building a server farm is similar. You don't design for peak--you design for average. It saves money, because you're not building stuff that won't be used 90% (to 99%) of the time.

 

[BlizzardBolt]

Lets say


You have planned a welcoming party for 50 people with everything set up.

Over 1000 people attend.

That is what Apple faced with servers being overloaded.

 

[AppleDApp]

Lets say


You have planned a welcoming party for 50 people with everything set up.

Over 1000 people attend.

That is what Apple faced with servers being overloaded.

Apple know they sold 250 millions iOS devices they should be able to handle about 50 million at once. Also ISP and central internet centers are part of the problem iOS 5 was like 400mb imagine everyone in a city trying to update at once.

Apple should do like WOW send the updates to a given amount of users. Then the first group of users share the download to others this would reduce server abuse.

 

[aristobrat]

If you knowww how many iOS devices ad MobileMe users are out there and will make the transition.. why not do it waves to give the servers a break?

Don't they already do it in waves? IIRC, neither iTunes nor Software Update are set to check for updates daily, meaning the vast majority of people that went into iTunes yesterday weren't told that there was a new iOS update.

The gazillion geeks that spent yesterday reading the forums/Mac blogs, however, knew exactly the minute that the updates became available.

 

[iTundra]

Building a server farm is similar. You don't design for peak--you design for average. It saves money, because you're not building stuff that won't be used 90% (to 99%) of the time.

Absolutely wrong. Server systems must be and are designed for near peak load. And, if there are dedicated systems that use them, controlled error handling is included for situations when network or servers are overloaded and unable to respond. It appears Apple screwed the pooch on both.

They know how many iOS devices are out there, they know from past experience how many people would likely try to upgrade immediately. They knew that overload was a possibility and did not write proper error handling routines for the installers.

 

[admanimal]

All of these Apple software updates nearly doubled the total internet bandwidth being used at an exchange point in London compared to a typical Wednesday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/13/ios-5-update-internet-traffic-spike

 

[fizzwinkus]

it's obviously apple's fault they didn't upgrade every backbone and switch in the entire internet.