A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone • Hacker News Board

Re: A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone

#51

Post by alex_c » Tue, Oct 20, 2009, 4:18 AM UTC

NathanKP wrote: post #47

alex_c wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turning down apps to maintain quality, I'll give you that (even though there's a lot of room to argue the specifics). Turning down bug fixes for stupid reasons, though? How does that maintain quality, if it takes over a month to push a fix to an app? Eventually devs get sick of it (especially if their apps are closer to the hobby end of the spectrum) and stop maintaining them. Can't blame them.

I agree with you on that. It doesn't make sense to turn down an App for "stupid reasons." Its just that Apples concept of a valid reason for turning down an app is obviously much broader than most people like. However, I have to wonder if it was perhaps the other way around whether we would have people complaining about how trashy the app store was and how their decent app was buried under loads of other spammy/trash…

However, I have to wonder if it was perhaps the other way around whether we would have people complaining about how trashy the app store was and how their decent app was buried under loads of other spammy/trashy apps.

Yup - that would be Facebook.

Re: A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone

#52

Post by awolf » Tue, Oct 20, 2009, 4:59 AM UTC

mrkurt wrote: post #46

awolf wrote: post #21

Apple rejected the app because the developer sought to use another company's product name and game title to bolster their own sales. Seems reasonable to me- at least as far as App Store rejections go.

If that's all you got out of it, you seriously need to read the article again. These flippant non-responses to Apple related problems are useless and displace actual useful contributions. As someone who enjoys useful contributions... I disapprove!

Granted- apple made thier usual poor developer-relations moves that they normally do- but a rejection is still justified in this case.

I'm surpirsed that the developers feel justified in making a public complaint out of this.

Re: A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone

#53

Post by tici_88 » Tue, Oct 20, 2009, 6:28 AM UTC

jimboyoungblood wrote: post #22

tici_88 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Contrary to popular opinion, using copyrighted terms is not against the law. For example, you shouldn't feel threatened that the black helicopters are going to swarm overhead if you are using copyrighted words like Apple, iPhone, Wii etc. in ordinary conversations. Using copyrighted terms is questionable for products if those terms (a) are in the same category as the copyrighted term (in the case of Wii, I am assumin…

Apple makes it pretty clear to developers that trademarked terms are not to be used in keywords. It's not illegal to smoke indoors. But if you smoke inside my house, I will ask you to leave. Do you have a problem with that?

You can ban smoking in your house all your want, but once you sell it is up to the next owner to decide the smoking policy.

Apple doesn't own your iPhone - it is the user who does. Neither does Apple own the app made by the developer. Neither is Apple a part of the US court system. Then what's their job in meddling with all of the above?

It should not be legal for Apple to control a device that you fully paid for and own any more than Microsoft gets to decide what applications you should run on your PC.

Re: A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone

#54

Post by hboon » Tue, Oct 20, 2009, 7:01 AM UTC

jimboyoungblood wrote: post #23

My personal favorite reason for rejection is "Your big icon doesn't match the little icon". I've gotten that twice so far.

But I remember they were explicit in saying it has to be similar/same in the guidelines.

Re: A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone

#55

Post by known » Tue, Oct 20, 2009, 7:34 AM UTC

"Although Apple now encourages developers to create applications for the iPhone, the company still doesn't let any outside application access background processes. That means you have to run a program actively to take advantage of it. If you switch to a different program, all activity on the first program will stop. Apple may support third party background applications in the future."

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/iphone.htm/printable

Re: A Story of Why Devs Should Think Twice about Developing for the iPhone

#56

Post by yardie » Tue, Oct 20, 2009, 9:45 AM UTC

ellyagg wrote: post #9

stcredzero wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even though the binary submission was not altered, we were forced to re-upload the binary and wait an additional >2 weeks for the next round of review feedback for removing ONE sentence from the description. This smacks of the sort of bureaucratic mediocrity which Steve Jobs should hate and have hunted down, quickly and without mercy. It's exactly the sort of big company rot that slows a big company down.

Unfortunately, like google, apple has never been big on customer service, of which this is a sort.

I believe just about every newspaper, rating agency, and practically everyone else who uses an Apple product would disagree with you.

I will agree with you that Apple is not big on customer service. But, when the bar is set so low, they are the tallest dwarf in the room.