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NEW YORK (AFP) – The bells weren't ringing for many iPhone users this New Year's weekend, when thanks to a glitch the alarms on Apple's iconic mobile phones failed to go off, causing many to oversleep.

It was the second time in just a few months that the alarm function on the phone failed to activate correctly, prompting an avalanche of complaints on the social networking micro-blog Twitter.

"Dear iPhone, why didn't your alarm go off this morning? I set six of them. I've now missed church. Thanks for nothing," said one user Sunday morning.

"Some sort of digital iPhone pandemic is going on. Alarm clock failure reports are pouring in from all sources around the globe," said another Twitter user.

Apple said in a message sent to Macworld magazine that the California-based company was aware of the problem. "We're aware of an issue related to non-repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2," spokeswoman Natalie Harrison said.

"Customers can set recurring alarms for those dates and all alarms will work properly beginning January 3."

The problem seemed to be affecting Apple's most recent versions of iPhones and iPods launched in November, but website Engadget suggested that it may also have hit earlier versions.

The problem first occurred when the clocks went back at the end of October and early November when Australian and British iPhone owners complained of being late for work because their alarms had not switched over to the new time.

Apple did not immediately respond to a query from AFP on Sunday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110102/tc ... 0102181735

This is pathetic, Apple knew about this problem for quite some time and they didn't even bother to publicly notify their consumers?

So that's why I didn't hear my alarm two days ago?

Weak.

Y2K10 !

Seriously, what kind of programming fuck up can cause alarms to fail specifically on Jan 2, 2011. That date should have no signficance in advance to be checked intentionally in code...

Pffft, who sets non-repeating alarms?

Phantasee wrote:Pffft, who sets non-repeating alarms?

People with lives?

Spoonist wrote:

Phantasee wrote:Pffft, who sets non-repeating alarms?

People with lives?

Are you implying that people that get up for work in the morning don't have lives?

"Having a life" usually involves "having a job", which typically means "waking up on time", which means that yeah, people with a life usually have their morning alarms set to repeat monday-friday

I find relying on your phone to act as an alarm somewhat baffling. It kinda makes sense if you're traveling but if you're at home why wouldn't you just use a regular alarm clock?

Because your phone has that function already,it's easier to set, and you can specify alarm sounds, days in which it goes off and doesn't, set multiple alarms and reminders, etc

So why spend extra money on an alarm clock with inferior functionality? I don't even have a clock at home. It would be just downright wasteful to buy one.

PeZook wrote:Because your phone has that function already,it's easier to set, and you can specify alarm sounds, days in which it goes off and doesn't, set multiple alarms and reminders, etc

So why spend extra money on an alarm clock with inferior functionality? I don't even have a clock at home. It would be just downright wasteful to buy one.

I don't have to worry about an alarm clock's battery dying because I forget to plug it in, and it's inherently louder.

Same here. I've managed to combine a LOT of little appliances into my phone. The downside of course is then it's a point source failure; my fiancee goes into hysterics if she loses hers.

Another advantage of a phone is that other people can call to wake you if it is important.

Phantasee wrote:Pffft, who sets non-repeating alarms?

It happened on a Sunday, so I can see people setting an alarm for just that day.

There are weekends where you don't care and sleep in, but also weekends where you want to get up at a certain time. Since it's not a nice schedule like the usual M-F, I can totally see them setting non-repeating alarms.

(Also, my phone doesn't do "repeat one day only" and I can only choose between Once, Daily, Mon-Fri and Weekends; but I also don't have an iPhone so maybe they have that capability)

EDIT: And I don't see how "lol silly people with their non-repeating alarms" really excuses a glitch like this anyway. Especially if they've known about it.

Losonti Tokash wrote:

Spoonist wrote:

Phantasee wrote:Pffft, who sets non-repeating alarms?

People with lives?

Are you implying that people that get up for work in the morning don't have lives?

As a working individual, that implication isn't without merit!

One of my subordinates was late for work yesterday for precisely this reason.

This is what you get for trusting an object to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Sorry, but this is your own damn fault. Get alarm clocks people.

That's a pretty bold claim when it's such a specific problem (ie a single date with a single app with a single device). It's not like phone alarms are notoriously unreliable or anything.

Here's my question: Why is this still happening? It's 2011, for deity's sake. People have been writing alarm clock code since, what, the dawn of computing? This seems trivial to either implement or license a known-good implementation from someone else. Sure, a little more work for optimization so it's not checking every nanosecond and draining battery, but still...

Stark wrote:That's a pretty bold claim when it's such a specific problem (ie a single date with a single app with a single device). It's not like phone alarms are notoriously unreliable or anything.

It's not so much the app or the device, it's the people whining about it, cursing Apple and freaking out because their phone didn't wake them up. I mean a computer program having a problem?! Unheard of!!

If it is that important, get an alarm clock.

Havok wrote:This is what you get for trusting an object to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Sorry, but this is your own damn fault. Get alarm clocks people.

Because we all know alarm clocks never fail, right?

Do you also carry an electronic organizer around? Surely, it must be superior to mere cell phone apps as it is a specialized device!

This reminds me of people deriding PCs back in the day for being so generalistic that surely they'd never be able to do anything well!

Dave wrote:Here's my question: Why is this still happening? It's 2011, for deity's sake. People have been writing alarm clock code since, what, the dawn of computing? This seems trivial to either implement or license a known-good implementation from someone else. Sure, a little more work for optimization so it's not checking every nanosecond and draining battery, but still...

*shrugs*

People get simple things wrong all the time for all sorts of reasons, either through incompetence or absurd, unforeseeable interactions between various elements of the software and operating system. I've seen too many such things to be moved by them

General Zod wrote:I don't have to worry about an alarm clock's battery dying because I forget to plug it in, and it's inherently louder.

Well, since your phone is a phone, it's likely to stay charged because I assume you'd like to use it to call people, so that's a pretty tiny consideration. As for volume, I guess it can be important, but only if you're an absurdly hard sleeper.

Havok wrote:It's not so much the app or the device, it's the people whining about it, cursing Apple and freaking out because their phone didn't wake them up. I mean a computer program having a problem?! Unheard of!!

If it is that important, get an alarm clock.

Oh yeah, everyone that diversified their wakeup risk into multiple alarm systems would have been fine.

PeZook wrote:Because your phone has that function already,it's easier to set, and you can specify alarm sounds, days in which it goes off and doesn't, set multiple alarms and reminders, etc

So why spend extra money on an alarm clock with inferior functionality? I don't even have a clock at home. It would be just downright wasteful to buy one.

Huh?

Of course, I'm an old fart who already owns a bunch of clocks, many of them probably older than many members of this forum. I have used my phone as an alarm clock while traveling, but being old fashioned (and already having clocks) I do like having a few clocks around the house.

Actually, some of us have variable work schedules and thus may not always get up at the same time even on a work day - my work hours have started anywhere between 7 am and 1 pm, so it's not exactly what I'd call "regular". I've also set alarms not to wake me up but to remind me to stop doing one thing and start doing another.

Broomstick wrote: Huh?

Of course, I'm an old fart who already owns a bunch of clocks, many of them probably older than many members of this forum. I have used my phone as an alarm clock while traveling, but being old fashioned (and already having clocks) I do like having a few clocks around the house.

Well technically I do have clocks: they're just integrated into everything.

I have moved into a new home in 2007, and thus all my appliances are new-ish. Thus, I have an integrated digital clock in: my fridge, my oven, my TV descrambler, my DVD player, all my computers and of course every cell phone.

The only clock in the house is gathering dust in the attic and wasn't even connected when I moved, since anywhere I am, I always have time displayed within sight. So, no clock, definitely no dedicated alarm clock.

I do have a watch, though, since it's hard to beat the ergonomics of a watch when out of the house (fishing out a cell phone in gloves = asking for a dropped phone)

Broomstick wrote:Actually, some of us have variable work schedules and thus may not always get up at the same time even on a work day - my work hours have started anywhere between 7 am and 1 pm, so it's not exactly what I'd call "regular". I've also set alarms not to wake me up but to remind me to stop doing one thing and start doing another.

Another advantage of a cell phone: mine can run twenty alarms at once with different settings (for example: a regular one for work at 7 A.M. monday to friday, every day at 9 P.M. for my allergy meds, a custom one set to remind me of things I can't forget), and that's separate from the organizer function which can store literally hundreds of appointments with notes and reminders a week, a day and an hour before the start date.

An alarm clock simply won't beat that. Any one that tried would be inherently vulnerable to the same sort of glitch that plagued iPhone users, but also not portable

Anyway, what I'm trying to say isn't that cell phones are the only way to go an people should just dump their alarm clocks: but when someone has a cell phone with a perfectly functional alarm clock function, telling them they should shell out the cash for a device duplicating the functionality (just in case there's a freaky software bug somewhere!) is ridiculous.

PeZook wrote: Well, since your phone is a phone, it's likely to stay charged because I assume you'd like to use it to call people, so that's a pretty tiny consideration. As for volume, I guess it can be important, but only if you're an absurdly hard sleeper.

I actually don't like calling people very much and only carry a cell because it's unfortunately essential for some things. As it is some nights I just forget to charge my phone.

karma's a bitch, ain't it.

I don't rely on a smartphone for an alarm, in large part because nothing short of 100db can wake me up, so I use a standalone trucker's alarm that would rouse a hibernating bear.