I'm baffled Apple's iPhone software is still missing this one basic feature

It's easy to imagine Apple engineers using their iPhones for just about everything, to test and note the limits of both the hardware and software.

But does anyone currently working in Cupertino use their iPhone as an alarm clock, as I do?

Like many others, I'm guilty of snoozing my alarm clock in the morning, at least once or twice, just to get one last relaxing moment with my bed before starting a long day of work.

And yet, there's still no function to control how long the "snooze" lasts.

For some unexplained reason, Apple's snooze alarm lasts exactly nine minutes. No more, no less.

Suffice it to say, everyone is different. Nine minutes might be perfect for some people, but it isn't for me. I imagine many others feel the same way.

Apple's strict nine-minute snooze policy is personally annoying: It gives me just enough time to fall asleep again for a few minutes, which doesn't help me wake up. Ideally I'd change my snooze settings to just three or four minutes, but for some reason, Apple won't let me.

Many people I've discussed this issue with agree with me. Others have asked, "Dave, why don't you just buy an alarm clock?" My answer is because I don't need to buy a physical alarm clock, I have an iPhone. And my iPhone can do pretty much everything except brush my teeth. Are snooze controls really too much to ask?

Almost every alarm clock app in its own App Store offers snooze controls. And that functionality also comes standard in Google's Android software.

We've reached out to Apple to explain this phenomenon. We'll update this story if we learn more.