With the latest round of iOS 13 beta updates, Apple released iOS beta 13.1 before iOS version 13.0 was released to the general public. So right now I’m running a beta of the first update to an operating system that’s not out yet. Now that Apple will be announcing new phones on September 10, I’m sure they are under a deadline to have an operating system in those new devices. Put simply, they had to cut off iOS 13.0 development and move some of the promised features to the 13.1 update.

One take on this development is that Apple blew it. I disagree. These yearly updates to the various Apple operating system are necessary to keep Apple on the cutting edge. I do not want them approaching this task from a conservative mindset. I believe it’s just such a fear of missing shipping dates that, at least partly, explains why the iPad stagnated for so long.

If anything, I feel like the fact that Apple missed some of the features with the .0 release but are going to get them in the .1 release means Apple got this year about right.

Years (or even months) from now nobody’s going to remember when exactly the new automation triggers for Shortcuts arrived. They will, however, be very happy that those automation tools exist.

I hope Apple doesn’t take their inability to get all the features in the initial release as a sign that they need to scale back next year. Keeps pushing, Apple.