What is it with Samsung and software? I mean, they can crank out some decent hardware, but their software is consistently abysmal. I have a Note 3. Ignore the plasticy and cheesy (fake leather stitching? Really?) exterior, and it's a decent piece of kit. But the included software is consistently crap. I bought the Note for the stylus, but both S Note and Action Memo apps that are to be used with the stylus consistently lost data. I think they fixed it in a later update (haven't lost data lately), but it doesn't inspire confidence.
The prime example is Samsung's new Gear Fit. It just plain doesn't work as advertised, and it's due to unbelievably broken software. The only things that work reliably are the notifications and the pedometer. And though the pedometer works (if a bit inaccurately) the data reporting is broken. I mean so broken that if you want a historical listing of your steps each day, you'll have to write it down because the data reporting is grossly inaccurate. Everything else, including most exercise functionality, just doesn't work. I thought it would be fun (and please pardon the shameless plug) to see if I can post a new bug every day: http://gearfitbugs.tumblr.com (been slacking the last few days for lack of time).
Point is, how do they stay in business? Who buys one Samsung product and then turns around later to buy another one (okay, me, I guess)? For me, they don't get three strikes. Two hardware products with amateur-level software (with apologies to all amateur developers out there; your stuff is likely better than Samsung's) are the only chances Samsung will get with me. And if they think I'm letting one of their Internet-connected TVs (with mic and camera) in my house, they're delusional.
The Gear Fit brought to mind another question that I'll likely never get an answer to: how does this happen? Fine, you made some really bad dev hires. But don't you have a test team? Does the test team suck, or are they just ignored? What about project management? When the test team comes back and says, "the cycling function doesn't work. It will never record a whole workout without stopping mid-way.", does PM just say "ship it anyway"? Come ship date, you just take whatever is sitting at HEAD no matter what shape it's in, build it and call it the RTM build? I would seriously pay a week's wages to spend a week with their product team to get a look from the inside on how not to build software.