As a technician, we talk to people with computer and iOS device problems all day long. One frequently asked question is, “Why did my [insert device here] fail?” Generally, we find that after we explain a little further, customers better understand why an electronic device might have issues. However, I have long thought that if people really understood how these things work, they would be amazed they actually work at all (like a lot of things, I guess)!
Modern processors and hard drives are at the cutting edge of human technological accomplishment, and they continually push that edge. They use nano-scale robotic manufacturing, quantum physics, and some of the best minds on the planet to create them. For example, chips with a billion or two transistors (really), or hard drives that get divided into billions of tiny segments are possible thanks to humanity’s best and brightest (plus thousands of years of human scientific development).
Any scientist worth his or her salt is going to admit that we only have a vague understanding of what is really going on at the quantum level. Think about it: Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer and Richard Feynman, if they were alive, would not be able to tell you exactly how or why an iPod works.
We are poking around inside a watch with a chopstick while blindfolded, so to speak, though somehow we’re able to produce an iPad from the pieces! With that being said, don’t be surprised if occasionally a support person hesitates when you ask why your Mac or iOS device doesn’t work — the answer may not be as simple as it seems!