Some users have discovered an unexpected issue with their shiny new iPhone 5s: a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD). The BSoD is most commonly associated with Windows, where a kernel error would cause the computer to reboot after a message was displayed on a blue background. While less common in the modern versions of Windows, in the early days of Windows NT a BSoD was often seen following the installation of a bad driver.

On the iPhone 5s though, it appears the BSoD is being caused by something a little bit different. When users have been using the free iWork apps included in iOS, and then go to multitask, the device shows a blue screen briefly before it restarts. Other users have been reporting seemingly random reboots in Apple's support forums.

iOS 7.0.2, the latest update designed to fix the security issues with the lockscreen, appears not to have addressed the BSoDs or random reboots. Some users have found that the iWork-related reboots can be stopped through disabling iCloud syncing for the Pages, Keynote and Numbers apps, although this doesn't appear to be solving all issues.

Current reports indicate Apple is working on iOS 7.0.3 to fix issues related to iMessage, and hopefully the update will also address the recently-discovered BSoD issues.

The Blue Screen of Death error hasn't just been discovered in Windows and (now) iOS; game consoles such as Sony's PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's DS have been known to display blue screens when certain errors have occurred. However the distinctive white text on a blue background will still haunt many PC users the most, with it undoubtedly being the cause of much frustration over the years.