Is macOS now so broken that it's no longer worth fixing bugs?

I now experience daily kernel panics and crashes at every point on Big Sur, Catalina was already bad, but Big Sur has brought out a new quality there. Most of the bugs were in the betas of Big Sur and are still in the "stable" release 11.4 and the latest beta 11.5 beta 1.

Almost all of them have already been included in the Big Sur betas before 11.0 release. The highlight is actually that even with Apple's latest M1 hardware, external displays can't be used without running into problems every day.

What's the reason for that? Does Apple simply not prioritize bug fixing anymore? Are there too many bugs in the meantime, so that only the few zero day exploits are getting fixed?

What's the point of the Feedback Assistant if the response time takes years? Is that to passively teach users that problems don't matter at Apple anymore?

Does anyone at Apple still work with these Macs? Or did someone secretly port Xcode to Linux so they can work with it?

The software quality looks like Apple is about to kill the Mac.

Is no one asking this question because the marketing is so great?

How to approach here?

Just keep wasting time and doing this crap where you disconnect and reconnect monitor cables every day and then experience a kernel panic that doesn't help to get the monitor working again?

And the Support doesn't answer anymore because they know the issues already, but don't fix them. Just closing the tickets after a while without any response.

Isn't that, the quality that was delivered by Apple after Steve Jobs left Apple back in the day? Through which Apple almost went bankrupt?

Let's attach another list here:

First, the Console App seems to use the wrong field for the sorting which is a joke:

After fresh installation, four old friends appears in the crash log again.

First of all, cloudd is crashing in sleeping mode every hour or so with the same issue on M1 (doesn't occur on Intel):

Exception Type:        EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes:       0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Application Specific Information:
dyld3 mode
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'We don't have a database queue yet'
terminating with uncaught exception of type NSException
abort() called

Next is com.apple.Safari.History, crashing daily on both Intel and M1, might be an concurrency issue:

Exception Type:        EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes:       KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Termination Signal:    Segmentation fault: 11
Termination Reason:    Namespace SIGNAL, Code 0xb
Terminating Process:   exc handler [2808]

VM Regions Near 0:
--> 
    __TEXT                      102298000-10229c000    [   16K] r-x/r-x SM=COW  /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SafariShared.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/com.apple.Safari.History.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.Safari.History

Thread 0:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
0   libsystem_kernel.dylib        	0x000000019da8cdd4 mach_msg_trap + 8
1   libsystem_kernel.dylib        	0x000000019da8d184 mach_msg + 76
2   com.apple.CoreFoundation      	0x000000019dbc6d50 __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort + 372
3   com.apple.CoreFoundation      	0x000000019dbc521c __CFRunLoopRun + 1212
4   com.apple.CoreFoundation      	0x000000019dbc45e8 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 600
5   com.apple.Foundation          	0x000000019e96d638 -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) runMode:beforeDate:] + 232
6   com.apple.Foundation          	0x000000019e9ffb20 -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) run] + 92
7   libxpc.dylib                  	0x000000019d83b768 _xpc_objc_main + 900
8   libxpc.dylib                  	0x000000019d83af94 xpc_main + 132
9   com.apple.Foundation          	0x000000019e98e468 -[NSXPCListener resume] + 340
10  com.apple.Safari.Shared       	0x00000001b9fa6494 WBSHistoryServiceMain + 412
11  libdyld.dylib                 	0x000000019dae5450 start + 4

Mainly when using the Feedback Assistant apsd is crashing, but it also happens from time to time without touching Feedback Assistant.

Termination Signal:    Segmentation fault: 11
Termination Reason:    Namespace SIGNAL, Code 0xb
Terminating Process:   exc handler [263]

VM Regions Near 0x18:
--> 
    __TEXT                      100328000-100424000    [ 1008K] r-x/r-x SM=COW  /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ApplePushService.framework/apsd

Application Specific Information:
dyld3 mode

Thread 0 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
0   apsd                          	0x000000010036d8d8 0x100328000 + 284888
1   apsd                          	0x000000010036d8c0 0x100328000 + 284864
2   apsd                          	0x000000010036e474 0x100328000 + 287860
3   apsd                          	0x000000010038f148 0x100328000 + 422216
4   apsd                          	0x00000001003973a8 0x100328000 + 455592
5   apsd                          	0x00000001003970fc 0x100328000 + 454908
6   apsd                          	0x000000010039b3fc 0x100328000 + 472060
7   apsd                          	0x00000001003908a0 0x100328000 + 428192

Let's go over to some kernel panics:

panic(cpu 0 caller 0xfffffe0011e3d798): "dart-dispext0 (0xfffffe2333948000): SMMU(SMMU) error: SID 0 PTE invalid exception on read with DVA 0x12800 (TTBR 0 SEG 0 PTE 0x4) ERROR_STATUS 0x80000004 TIME 0x1b6fc3ba3222 TTE 0 AXI_ID 0)"
Debugger message: panic
Memory ID: 0xff
OS release type: User
OS version: 20F71
Kernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 20.5.0: Sat May  8 05:10:31 PDT 2021; root:xnu-7195.121.3~9/RELEASE_ARM64_T8101
Fileset Kernelcache UUID: FB10CC0AB8BAC020BC47A50D64476F11
Kernel UUID: 07259C53-9EF7-32FF-821D-8F28A5985DFA
iBoot version: iBoot-6723.120.36
secure boot?: YES
Paniclog version: 13
KernelCache slide: 0x0000000008c64000
KernelCache base:  0xfffffe000fc68000
Kernel slide:      0x00000000097ac000
Kernel text base:  0xfffffe00107b0000
Kernel text exec base:  0xfffffe001087c000
mach_absolute_time: 0xa89209f0fc

I just started Slack as everyday last time when this one occurs.

Let's go back to external Display support, since 11.3 there is a new bug with HDR content on external displays, which also affects play videos via Photos made by the iPhone, it renders a broken white window:

Let's go ahead to another kernel panic which happens daily:

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff801de9f846): [vm objects]: element modified after free (off:208, val:0x0000000000000010, sz:256, ptr:0xffffff804ee92900, prot:zero)
  208: 0x0000000000000010
Backtrace (CPU 2), Frame : Return Address
0xffffffb0d1aab330 : 0xffffff801d68e0dd 
0xffffffb0d1aab380 : 0xffffff801d7d4f33 
0xffffffb0d1aab3c0 : 0xffffff801d7c552a 
0xffffffb0d1aab410 : 0xffffff801d632a2f 
0xffffffb0d1aab430 : 0xffffff801d68d8fd 
0xffffffb0d1aab550 : 0xffffff801d68dbf3 
0xffffffb0d1aab5c0 : 0xffffff801de9d81a 
0xffffffb0d1aab630 : 0xffffff801de9f846 
0xffffffb0d1aabab0 : 0xffffff801d6ecad6 
0xffffffb0d1aabb20 : 0xffffff801d7476c3 
0xffffffb0d1aabb50 : 0xffffff801d7372ed 
0xffffffb0d1aabc90 : 0xffffff801d724d8c 
0xffffffb0d1aabf00 : 0xffffff801d7c5b40 
0xffffffb0d1aabfa0 : 0xffffff801d63291f 

Often the system does not switch to dark mode or back, also normal by now. Simply everything is broken.

Or the dock hangs along with the tooltip.

Also a bug that has been around since the Big Sur betas and is still in 11.5 beta 1.

Let's go to the weather App on iPadOS and macOS: the link is broken for me. Also not fixed in 11.5 Beta 1.

I can't use my Intel 2018 MacBook Pro 13" either I can't install it without tricks and hacks because of "An error occurred loading the update.".

Let's go back to newest Apple M1 hardware and external display support, see some new green pixels from time to time.

Uh, AirPods are disconnecting all the time, when being in a pairing session, Bluetooth also doesn't work.

And then in the middle of the day, WLAN stopped working. Had to reboot again. Oh, external display doesn't work then.

Another kernel panic happens. Good night.

Waiting for the next macOS release with hope, but after downloading 4 GB and installing it, seems nothing was fixed.

Just a little daily journal now using Apple Hardware and Software.

APPLE AFTER STEVE JOBS

I feel the same about apple treatment on consumer support. Yesterday i called a Advanced Advisor to talk about options for the issues on my macbook pro 2011. They told me that they are not aware about macbook pro 2011 issues on logic board. The fact is that they dont care about the hidden addiction on these 2011 macs, and they repeat like a machine that it is a obsolate mac, nothing can do to save its life, even though i just realize it has a fabric vicius last year, at the begging of the covid pandemic…after a replacement of logic board on 2015 and it continues having problems. I upgraded it expecting to have a resonable performance, put 960ssd and 2 slots of 4 gb. Then I followed the support advise and installed high sierra but nothing changed. I agree with you, Apple has changed and the consumer is no longer important. When i buy a apple product i by first of all a conscious care and attention, and the a propoer product. Its was the big difference between Apple and others. This was a Steve Jobs leagership style. What was left behind was just a line products that early becomes vitage, then obsolete and then trash. Apple’s Enviromental policy is a marketing aprroach to become more cool with new generation. Its a shame!**

Just give you an update here, tried 11.5 beta 2, none bugs are fixed. M1 still can't use with external displays without kernel panics, disconnects etc.

I have to work... Just tried to send 5 mails via Mail, just simple text mails, but then Mail is crashing:

Crashed Thread:        13  Dispatch queue: com.apple.email.EDPETInteractionEventLog.workQueue

Exception Type:        EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes:       0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Application Specific Information:
dyld3 mode
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSGenericException', reason: '*** Collection <__NSArrayM: 0x6000007b5e60> was mutated while being enumerated.'
terminating with uncaught exception of type NSException
abort() called

Application Specific Backtrace 1:
0   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff2049283b __exceptionPreprocess + 242
1   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff201cad92 objc_exception_throw + 48
2   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff2050e933 __NSFastEnumerationMutationHandler + 151
3   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff203d5d06 -[NSArray containsObject:] + 206
4   MailCore                            0x00007fff5195dfbc -[MCMutableMessageHeaders _firstAddressForKey:sender:] + 107
5   MailCore                            0x00007fff519574a3 -[MCMessageHeaders firstAddressForKey:] + 113
6   MailCore                            0x00007fff5194fc2f -[MCMessage loadCachedHeaderValuesFromHeaders:type:] + 336
7   MailCore                            0x00007fff5194f5f3 -[MCMessage sender] + 139
8   MailCore                            0x00007fff5195f5f4 -[MCMessage senders] + 38
9   EmailDaemon                         0x00007fff4b229fb8 -[EDPETInteractionEventLog hashedMessageHeadersForMessage:] + 201
10  EmailDaemon                         0x00007fff4b2c2422 -[EDPBInteractionEventMessageSent(EDPBGeneratedExtensions) withHasher:setDataFromMessage:account:] + 140
11  CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff203fbd7c __invoking___ + 140
12  CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff203fbc1d -[NSInvocation invoke] + 305
13  CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff2042b775 -[NSInvocation invokeWithTarget:] + 70

Might be, that Mail isn't any longer usable to just send mails out.

Started the nice Feedback Assistant again to just report it, but then, the apsd crash are coming up again and the display starts to flickering:

Crashed Thread:        0  Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

Exception Type:        EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes:       KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000018
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Termination Signal:    Segmentation fault: 11
Termination Reason:    Namespace SIGNAL, Code 0xb
Terminating Process:   exc handler [112]

VM Regions Near 0x18:
--> 
    __TEXT                      106511000-106631000    [ 1152K] r-x/r-x SM=COW  /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ApplePushService.framework/apsd

Application Specific Information:
dyld3 mode

Thread 0 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
0   apsd                          	0x0000000106554247 0x106511000 + 275015
1   apsd                          	0x0000000106555015 0x106511000 + 278549
2   apsd                          	0x00000001065767bf 0x106511000 + 415679
3   apsd                          	0x000000010657f0bb 0x106511000 + 450747
4   apsd                          	0x000000010657edc2 0x106511000 + 449986
5   apsd                          	0x0000000106583e31 0x106511000 + 470577
6   apsd                          	0x0000000106577e23 0x106511000 + 421411
7   libxpc.dylib                  	0x00007fff20065c24 _xpc_connection_call_event_handler + 56
8   libxpc.dylib                  	0x00007fff20064a9b _xpc_connection_mach_event + 938
9   libdispatch.dylib             	0x00007fff201758a6 _dispatch_client_callout4 + 9
10  libdispatch.dylib             	0x00007fff2018caa0 _dispatch_mach_msg_invoke + 444
11  libdispatch.dylib             	0x00007fff2017b493 _dispatch_lane_serial_drain + 263
12  libdispatch.dylib             	0x00007fff2018d5e2 _dispatch_mach_invoke + 484
13  libdispatch.dylib             	0x00007fff20181a08 _dispatch_main_queue_callback_4CF + 613
14  com.apple.CoreFoundation      	0x00007fff204555a8 __CFRUNLOOP_IS_SERVICING_THE_MAIN_DISPATCH_QUEUE__ + 9
15  com.apple.CoreFoundation      	0x00007fff204177a2 __CFRunLoopRun + 2755
16  com.apple.CoreFoundation      	0x00007fff2041661c CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 563
17  com.apple.Foundation          	0x00007fff211a5607 -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) runMode:beforeDate:] + 212
18  com.apple.Foundation          	0x00007fff212334d1 -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) run] + 76
19  apsd                          	0x00000001065abb00 0x106511000 + 633600
20  libdyld.dylib                 	0x00007fff2033af5d start + 1

You're not alone... I spent weeks troubleshooting a kernel panic on my brand new top-of-the-line 16" MacBook Pro and eventually figured it was caused by connecting an external monitor via DisplayPort. The crash report looks similar to one of your issues: element modified after free. Apple support is truly infuriating. After a million useless steps they won't accept the blame and just point fingers at "third-party" devices... I mean, hello??? It's just a bloody monitor! As it turned out, I found two workarounds that may help you: 1) use HDMI instead of DisplayPort, or 2) disable DisplayPort 1.2 support on your monitor if possible. Both aren't great options of course as your max resolution may be limited, but it may be better than multiple crashes a day.

See this other thread: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/678644

Is macOS now so broken that it's no longer worth fixing bugs?
 
 
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