Mo' iPhone Updates, Mo' Problems

Everyone has been all atwitter (no pun intended) about the latest iPhone software update (OS 3.0). It includes a lot of requested features, with search and copy/paste at the top of most people’s wishlists come to life.

As with all iPhone releases, this one is having scalability issues for the horde waiting to hit the update button the second it's available. I will admit to being a member of anticipatory horde and have found myself among a smaller group as well – those with a bricked iPhone waiting for an iTunes Store availability issue to get resolved. I have little doubt that before the night is done, order will be restored to the Apple world and my iPhone will once again take its place, surgically attached to my side.

In the meantime, I keep picturing an Alert Management platform at iTunes Operations working overtime notifying support staff of the next place to plug a leak, deploy additional capacity, or reach out to CDN partners, while their IT management team automatically gets updates on the latest status of all incidents, and marketing & CSR types get real-time updates on what they should be saying to annoyed customers. And of course, being operations types, Tim Cook  and an always involved Steve Jobs want to know what's up. Let’s not forget customers, fanboys, techblogs, press, and media who are automatically receiving briefs to keep all iPhone mentions focused on the positives and the release of the iPhone 3GS today.

The reality is probably closer to most IT shops (although with cooler work environments, I imagine) where email blasts, manual callouts, and frustrated calls for updates on all sides are taking place. I’d love the opportunity to discuss the established process and post-mortem analysis of one of these events with the Apple team that's responsible for the rollout. Consider it an open offer. Call me, but wait till tomorrow, when hopefully my iPhone is back up and running.