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NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

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Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#31

Post by tlrobinson »

axod wrote: post #29
tlrobinson wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I don't think it's a major reason not buy an iPhone, it is actually a fairly big problem. I know of at least 3 high profile apps that have been rejected due to "objectionable content" which was nothing more than a few swear words on content loaded from the web. My problem, aside from the censorship in the first place, is that they don't follow the same standards in their own apps. Search the YouTube app for any…

The web browser is un-censored. That's pretty much all that matters in this day+age.

Yes, but there's the argument that the browser doesn't directly help you discover content, whereas YouTube app does.

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#33

Post by hboon »

mseebach wrote: post #25
hboon wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It claims to be a completely open-source system. Wasn't there a case where a tethering app was pulled out by Google from Market due to telco pressure? Of course being Android, with a few more steps, you can add an alternative "market place". But that's besides the point, it is not completely open even though it claims to be. At the moment, no, experience-wise for the consumer , it is almost always worse than the iPho…

> Wasn't there a case where a tethering app was pulled out by Google from Market due to telco pressure? I own neither an iPhone or a G1, so can someone clarify this for me: On the iPhone, you can't get an app on there, except through the App store or jail-breaking? On Andriod, you can do both? So even if your app isn't in the market, you can distribute it separately, which you can't for the iPhone?

That's right. And jail-breaking is not officially supported (that's an understatement) but it works pretty well. So it's a minus for the iPhone.

But then, that's why I said for most consumers, the iPhone is much better. Because for them, the official distribution mechanism is what matters.

The reason why I mentioned the tethering app is that it is not totally open as advertised, although there's more than 1 valid way to work around it.

(You can still distribute apps to the iPhone via ad-hoc or enterprise distribution, but those don't matter here since we are talking about the mass market).

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#34

Post by dinkumthinkum »

pj wrote: post #4

I don't think this is so bad really. Apple's brand is affected by the kind of material it sells and it wants to protect its brand. It's just like Facebook has porn patrol. Being a vendor of a product isn't just about moving product, it's about moving product in a direction that you believe makes the world a better place for you to live. Apple has the right to choose how to let people use their platform. Imagine a wor…

What if Apple did this for it's PCs and laptops? It's just making the world a better place right?

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#35

Post by dinkumthinkum »

pj wrote: post #4

I don't think this is so bad really. Apple's brand is affected by the kind of material it sells and it wants to protect its brand. It's just like Facebook has porn patrol. Being a vendor of a product isn't just about moving product, it's about moving product in a direction that you believe makes the world a better place for you to live. Apple has the right to choose how to let people use their platform. Imagine a wor…

Also, do you really weep for those poor shop owners that can't refuse service to black people and gays anymore?

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#36

Post by ice5nake »

pj wrote: post #4

I don't think this is so bad really. Apple's brand is affected by the kind of material it sells and it wants to protect its brand. It's just like Facebook has porn patrol. Being a vendor of a product isn't just about moving product, it's about moving product in a direction that you believe makes the world a better place for you to live. Apple has the right to choose how to let people use their platform. Imagine a wor…

Huh? Are you serious? The cellphone is the new PC. Let me run whatever applications I want on my computer. Can you imagine in Microsoft said you can only buy software for your computer via our App Store and oh we are going to take a cut of all Windows software.

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#37

Post by philh »

blgraves wrote: post #26
joecode wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the reason for the apparent contradiction is this: Apple acts as a publicizer for the apps in the app store by letting them into the top-N lists and recent releases. When an "objectionable" app becomes popular, users hold Apple to account. They don't do this with the music store. As the app store gets more and more crowded, Apple will most likely loosen up. Or maybe they will do the really intelligent thing…

Apple has a top-N list for songs, albums, audiobooks, movies, tv shows, etc. on the front page of the itunes store. How is advertising questionable material in those lists any different than advertising apps with questionable content?

With iTunes, Apple is a distributor. With the app store, it's a publisher. It's reasonable to assume that most people who are likely to get angry about content in a song/app recognise and understand the difference. And perhaps many of them don't understand that Apple is merely a publisher, and don't actually create most of the apps.

Creators and publishers are (usually) considered to have more responsibility than distributors when it comes to objectionable content. I think that's an important difference for Apple's image.

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#38

Post by ice5nake »

axod wrote: post #23
sadfsa wrote: post #7

I'm never, ever getting an iPhone.

I'm sure Apple will miss you terribly. An app was denied. Big deal. No great loss. If you really want to run the app, jailbreak your phone and run it.

Apple wants to make it illegal for you to jailbreak "your" iPhone.

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#39

Post by biafra »

hboon wrote: post #33
mseebach wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Wasn't there a case where a tethering app was pulled out by Google from Market due to telco pressure? I own neither an iPhone or a G1, so can someone clarify this for me: On the iPhone, you can't get an app on there, except through the App store or jail-breaking? On Andriod, you can do both? So even if your app isn't in the market, you can distribute it separately, which you can't for the iPhone?

That's right. And jail-breaking is not officially supported (that's an understatement) but it works pretty well. So it's a minus for the iPhone. But then, that's why I said for most consumers, the iPhone is much better. Because for them, the official distribution mechanism is what matters. The reason why I mentioned the tethering app is that it is not totally open as advertised, although there's more than 1 valid way…

Yes, the Android Market is not open. But the Android OS nonetheless is. If you buy the Android Dev Phone 1, you can modify and compile the source as you wish and flash it onto that phone. No "hacking" necessary.

If you buy a locked-in version from t-mobile you kinda have to "hack" it to flash what you want.

But either way you can install apps without the Android Market.

You can get that tethering app here: http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/

Re: NIN Reaction to iPhone App Store Rejection

#40

Post by jcl »

hboon wrote: post #20
stanleydrew wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The g1 running android is pretty great. I've been using it for four months and have very few complaints, plus it's a completely open-source system. The new software update provides an onscreen keyboard if you don't like to type on real keys, but I think having the choice to use a tactile keyboard is really nice. I'll also never own an iphone.

It claims to be a completely open-source system. Wasn't there a case where a tethering app was pulled out by Google from Market due to telco pressure? Of course being Android, with a few more steps, you can add an alternative "market place". But that's besides the point, it is not completely open even though it claims to be. At the moment, no, experience-wise for the consumer , it is almost always worse than the iPho…

For what it's worth, if NIN submitted the same thing to the Android Market and someone complained, Google could pull it just like Apple did. While I don't think there's anyone actively reviewing the Android apps, there is a wonderfully vague clause in the Android market agreement that says you can't display (or link to!) content unsuitable for people under 18. (Anyone under 18? Everyone under 18? Is Alien Bloodbath really suitable for 3-year-olds? etc.)

http://www.android.com/market/terms/developer-content-policy...

But at least with Android you can still serve the app on your own server.

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