Editorial: Apple, if you remove a software update, explain

Yesterday (Wednesday) we covered Apple's removal of the recent iPhoto Update 4.0.2, which had just been released two days earlier (Monday). As of Wednesday afternoon, all mentions of the update had been removed from the Apple website, and links (1, 2) to the update resulted in a "Page Not Found" error. Apple has thus far provided no explanation as to why the update was removed.

This isn't the first time Apple has released a software update only to "recall" it days or weeks later with no explanation. Such actions leave Mac users who have already installed the update wondering what was so wrong with the software that it needed to be pulled from distribution -- and whether or not their newly-installed software is safe to use.

If it's necessary to pull an update from distribution due to problems, Apple should by all means do so as soon as possible. However, instead of removing all traces of the update and acting as if it never existed, Apple should retain the update's Web page and/or Knowledge Base article and use them to provide information on the status of the update. It doesn't matter if the update was pulled for a minor issue (e.g., a cosmetic error in the About box) or a major one (a bug that can result in data loss); users who have already installed the update have a right to know why the software is no longer available, whether or not it's safe to use, and when to expect a "fixed" version.

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