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Avoid the Apple App Store

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Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#171

Post by lern_too_spel »

ninth_ant wrote: post #87
eps wrote: post #5

Well, this does look like a straight Wordle copy. It is also disingenious to say that's a copy of Lingo, when it's bloody obvious it's a Wordle clone. The fact that other clones were approved by Apple points at another issue.

Banning low-effort clones would make the App Store a better experience for me as a consumer. So the fact that Apple rejected this wordle clone makes me like the App Store more, not less. Obviously Apple isn’t 100% successful given the screenshot of other clones allowed in, but I hope they improve — not weaken — that process of weeding them out.

Giving users no option to play Wordle-alikes in their native language is a better experience? I don't see how that's possible. Apple could easily fix app discovery to surface high quality apps that are more relevant to the user, but instead, they take this route.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#172

Post by somebodythere »

scarface74 wrote: post #92
aaomidi wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I on the other hand really am excited. Apple devices turn into expensive ewaste when a country gets sanctioned by the US. There are millions of apple phones in Iran, that can't do anything other than browse the web. There are millions of talented developers in the world that have to avoid iOS because of the $100 fee. Anyway I'm really really really excited for being able to use a general computer as a general compute…

So it’s the $100 a year fee that stops “talented developers” who would also have to have a phone that costs at least $400 and a computer that costs at least $700?

The $700 computer is a big barrier for a lot of people actually!

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#173

Post by pmarreck »

jillesvangurp wrote: post #160
mrtranscendence wrote: post #107

Unlike many people here, I'm not ideologically opposed to the idea of a walled-garden phone (though my preference would be to have the ability to sideload). But it kills me just how poorly Apple is behaving here. It's like they don't care at all about pissing off the developers that help make their platform attractive, and they'll belligerently go on not caring even as government agencies around the world gear up to…

Apple deserves the inevitable government intervention that it seems to be begging for with its arbitrariness and blatant anti competitive behavior.

> blatant anti competitive behavior

apple acting self-interested (which it’s entirely justified in doing, IMHO; this is the same company that almost had a tragic death in the 90’s) just opens up more competition IMHO. it’s too bad that true open-source phones are still crap, that android gave too much power to the cell network providers and became bloatware vehicles, and that microsoft completely abandoned its phone efforts even though its OS on there had a promising GUI.

Maybe what we’re seeing is more a symptom of that.

Also blue texts, because Google can’t get its head out of its ass long enough to actually summon and stick with a real iMessage competitor

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#174

Post by Humdeee »

dcow wrote: post #166

This is frankly racist and it really pisses me off. The fact is, despite everything else and even in face of wanting to keep a storefront free of low value clones and fads, which is understandable, Swedish people cannot play Wordle and this derivative work brings that experience to people who don’t have it. It’s NOT a copycat for them. Apple needs a policy revision and consistent guidelines for applying the copycat r…

How do you know there aren't already a hundred copycat apps that already support Swedish?

Even if OP is first and only (very unlikely), this isn't what racist means btw...

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#175

Post by dcow »

Apple: “sorry Sweeden, you can’t play this game because someone already made one recently for english speakers and published it on a website. It’s kinda popular and having derivatives pop up would lower the appeal of our platform for our english speaking customers.”

If you don't see the problem with this you are the damn problem.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#176

Post by imoverclocked »

_fat_santa wrote: post #123
JKCalhoun wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It points out to me another issue with the App Store though. While the author's "Wordle" was Swedish and different in other regards, why would you even want to submit a Wordle-like app into that fray? I think it's almost a given that you cannot charge for your app. A neighbor's adult daughter down the street told me (and this was perhaps eight years ago), "No one wants to even pay 99 cents for an app." In-App purchas…

Apple needs to reign in subscriptions. I was looking for a "photo vault" app the other day, basically a place to store photos that is password protected. I didn't need cloud storage, no fancy features, just a place to store photos with a passcode lock. So I went looking for an app and I must have reviewed close to 50, every single one had a "subscription". Now I get it, apps aren't easy to make and aren't free either…

> But to charge for a subscription to just use an offline app?

So, if they make you sign in to their service to use the app, you would be ok with a subscription? Do you want/expect that app to be updated/supported over time?

As someone who grew up with purchased box software followed by the pervasive availability of open source software, I severely dislike subscriptions for software products. In fact, auto-renew subscriptions in general are often a dark pattern IMHO. OTOH, I have to imagine that as a developer, if an app I produce is going to be used by 100 people, I can't financially sustain it by selling it for $2 one time. Also, if it's niche enough or novel enough to be difficult to reproduce, I can get away with a subscription.

I think you hit the nail on the head with "But in every case those apps are providing me with a great value." Each developer is effectively a small business trying to create a product in exchange for money. If they price it too high or have unlikeable terms, they lose customers.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#177

Post by stackedinserter »

I left iOS/MacOS development a few years ago for the same reasons. It was never ending soul sucking battle with AppStore reviewers' bs, bureaucracy, everbroken tools (in order to develop for new iOS you have to update xcode, which requires updating macos, go buy a new macbook that supports it), total absence of CI/CD, troubles with testing, the list goes on, and on, and on.

I hated it, eventually moved to backend development and never looked back.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#178

Post by bitwize »

If you make a "clone" of a popular game, you may be infringing on the original developer's copyright under U.S. law (which jurisdiction Apple is bound to). See Atari v. Philips. It doesn't matter that you used different code, different assets, or changed small things about your game. The relevant criteria are "access" and "substantial similarity" (as an audiovisual work).

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#179

Post by Apocryphon »

sleepybrett wrote: post #155
amelius wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm not ideologically opposed to the idea of a walled-garden phone (though my preference would be to have the ability to sideload). The App-Store is, in this context, merely a Content Filter. So why not allow multiple content filters?

Because it creates customer confusion and anger when they hit the genius bar with a phone that is bricked because the customer used a non-apple appstore to install software that resulted in a bricked phone. It further causes apple support increased support costs when they have to prove that it wasn't their fault. Perhaps if apple had approval on those third-party appstores and held them to a standard and charged push…

Apple can just very publicly and visibly issue disclaimers that it is not responsible for the after effects of users installing non-App Store content. Just as it does not offer coverage for water damage to MacBooks. Then the boundaries are made clear, and user anger will be directed at whatever malicious third party instead of Apple itself.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#180

Post by Humdeee »

dcow wrote: post #168
Humdeee wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, they're obviously not distinct enough in Apple's eyes. Also, Swedish or any nationality is not a race, I would drop that train of thought altogether. We have no indication of the many, many other copycat apps that were let through may also already support Swedish. So if that low hanging fruit is covered, scratch that as a distinct feature...

That’s why I put it in quotes. Point is you cannot categorically exclude an entire population of people from an experience. I don't care what Apple or you think. I’m calling both you out for being insensitive or at best oblivious douchbags and telling you you’re wrong. You are free to disagree but your comment is going dangerously grey so citation needed on your assumption about how many others agree with you.

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