Apple Responds to Dash Controversy • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#11

Post by forgottenpass » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:29 PM UTC

App Store fraud cannot be tolerated.

Really? The integrity of user feedback data, inside a tool for loading software onto a toy (that functions as a tool just often enough for users to convince themselves it's not a toy) is that sacrosanct? What is that data used for? Surely something more important to the world than helping people get find their next fix fastest?

Seems kinda myopic on a grand scale. Has Apple has never done anything cheeky to help their business get ahead? They have a $1.8mm manipulation budget. But they know which toes not to step on, and which toes nobody will hear a scream from. So my use of "manipulation" instead of "marketing" sounds childish.

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#12

Post by rythie » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:30 PM UTC

What if the fake reviews were paid for by a competitor, so they would get banned?

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#13

Post by mmel » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:30 PM UTC

So there's an incentive to write fraudulent, positive reviews for your competitors apps. Noted.

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#14

Post by newsat13 » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:30 PM UTC

Didn't the dash author say that it was inexplicably removed with no warning. Now this press release says otherwise...

For people saying this was already in top of app store, well, there was rating manipulation. That's why it was on the top (?)

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#15

Post by andrewflnr » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:31 PM UTC

daeken wrote: post #3

There's proof, but we're not going to link it because ... reasons. Why would they not include any proof that might exist?

The actual proof might be subtle statistical analysis on customer data, or something else difficult to present.

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#16

Post by mhandley » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

So if you want to get your competitor banned from the App store, just post lots of spammy positive reviews for their product? How would you defend your app against such an attack?

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#17

Post by ben174 » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:34 PM UTC

So if I want to remove a competing app from the app store, all I have to do is buy them a bunch of fake reviews and Apple will ban them?

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#18

Post by jwilcoxson » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:36 PM UTC

Lazare wrote: post #4

This is a very weird definition of "proof". A much more accurate headline might be "Apple responds to Dash controversy by insisting they were right all along and refusing to provide proof." Edit: The tone of the entire article rubs me the wrong way; it reads like a press release that nobody could be bothered to re-write. > The integrity of the App Store is as important to Apple as it is to consumers. Citation needed?…

Unfortunately The Loop isn't much of a news site, more of a controlled Apple leak blog. Dalrymple has gotten to the point of being a complete Apple shill.

Edit: Compare the tone of the Loop article to Daring Fireballs:

http://daringfireball.net/2016/10/apple_dash_controversy

Gruber takes a much more unbiased approach, supported well. The Loop article reads like a statement from the Principal read by your teacher.

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#19

Post by buckbova » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:43 PM UTC

> Almost 1,000 fraudulent reviews were detected across two accounts and 25 apps for this developer so we removed their apps and accounts from the App Store

Sounds damning. Was this a paid app? How many downloads did it have?

Re: Apple Responds to Dash Controversy

#20

Post by yladiz » Mon, Oct 10, 2016, 10:45 PM UTC

I'm willing to give Apple the benefit of the doubt here, because they are unlikely to release information as specific as this to the press unless it's been checked and vetted, even if they don't release the proof to the public. And without the proof, it's really their word against the developer's. Does Apple have a bad reputation when it comes to this kind of thing? If not, why are people so strongly on the developer's side?