Partners Say 'Rushed Release' Of iOS 8 Is 'Egg On The Face' For Apple

Channel partners both in and out of Apple circles are reacting to the botched iOS 8.0.1 update that the iPhone 6 maker was forced to pull from the app store yesterday due to a high volume of user complaints.

The update to iOS 8 was made unavailable from the app store within two hours of it being released yesterday afternoon. iPhone 6 users complained of losing cell service and that the Touch ID feature was not working after downloading the free update. Apple has since released an immediate workaround, while promising a fix to iOS 8.0.2 and "will release it soon as it's ready in the next few days."

"I'm aware of the 8.01 update, but I have not installed it," said David Felton, founder of Canaan Technology, a solution provider based in Norwalk, Conn. "My own experience with 8.0 on an iPad was pathetic performance, [it] lock ups, and many apps ... didn't work, so I rolled back to 7.1.2. We are not advising our clients to upgrade. As far as the iPhone 6 goes, the faster processor probably compensates for the poor performance, however, I think the lock-ups and apps not working will initially slow upgrades to the iPhone 6."

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The release of iOS 8.0.1 yesterday, just one week after the introduction of OS 8 on Sept. 12, came to solve multiple problems in the operating system, including fixing HealthKit as the new health-care platform, which had a bug that rendered it useless. The intention of the update was also to lower the data used for SMS and MMS messages, and resolve a problem of crashing applications.

Solution providers are saying all signs point to a "rushed release" of Apple's new mobile operating system.

"My initial reaction to the iOS 8 release was that it didn’t feel finished," said Douglas Grosfield, president and CEO of Xylotek Solutions, a Cambridge, Ontario-based solution provider. "The recall of iOS 8.0.1 with the issues that it had with cell services and Touch ID and applications, there were quite a few things they were playing catch-up with. It felt like a rushed release. It opens the door for speculation as to whether or not they were rushing a bit to beat some of their competition to the market. It was no secret BlackBerry had a big release coming, which they had yesterday, and Samsung's new Galaxy phone is coming in October too. The timing couldn't be worse for Apple to have an 'oops' moment."

Next: Apple Apologizes For 'Great Inconvenience' As Company Stock Drops

Apple shares fell 3.22 percent as of Thursday afternoon to 98.47 as complaints of the update -- and bending iPhone 6 Plus reports -- persist.

’We have a workaround for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who lost cellular service and Touch ID functionality after updating to iOS 8.0.1. Affected users can reinstall iOS 8 through iTunes," said an Apple spokesperson in an email. "We apologize for the great inconvenience experienced by users, and are working around the clock to prepare iOS 8.0.2 with a fix for the issue, and will release it as soon as it is ready in the next few days.’

Meanwhile, Apple partners have commended the company for its prompt response in issuing the update so quickly, but admits it is embarrassing for the tech giant.

"It's obviously an egg on the face for Apple, but they did react pretty quickly," said Michael Oh, CEO of Tech Superpowers, an Apple partner based in Boston. "In my mind, it's sort of 'Don’t be the first to update.' That's always my advice. I don’t think it takes away from the product. I don't think that many people did the update since it wasn't up that long. For them to make a misstep so early in the process is unfortunate, but speaking as an iPhone 6 owner, it's an incredible phone. It is better than I thought it would be."

PUBLISHED SEPT. 25, 2014