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Sep 24, 08 - 09:55 am Comment from: Jimbo von Winskinheimer

Wow, what a waste of bits. This is a lame attempt at humor - LAME!

Define "rejects."

Jimbo,

You've either got an extra chromosome or this one just whooshed right over your head.

It's making a sharp point and is excellent, concise commentary that clearly points out the inconsistency in Apple's position App Store rejections.

Please think before you post next time.

I agree with Jimbo... This is a real waste of bits. Must be a real lack of news day...

Sep 24, 08 - 10:00 am Comment from: Luke Skywalker

Long Live Pwnage.

Applesoft is just getting worse and worse...

Sep 24, 08 - 10:01 am Comment from: iestynw

Give me a break.

It's like going to Burger King and asking for a Big Mac...

It's a valid point. Apple's NDA move made matter worse too.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:04 am Comment from: Jimbo von Winskinheimer

Begging to differ. Went over my head?!?! Missing chromosome? Really, what part of right field did that come from. I know exactly what the original poster is talking about. My statement is that it's just not even funny.

Apple is determining what will and will not come out of their store. As I've stated many times before, if you don't like it - tough. It's their store and they make the rules. They are fully within their rights to change the rules at any time.

The App store is still in its infancy. Apple has decided they can't give everyone full reign of the store, so they are limiting it to what is best in their opinion. Again, they are fully within their rights.

Maybe they will let these apps through later. Who knows. If you don't like it, go buy a Blackberry or a Google phone. But don't act like I don't know what's going on.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:07 am Comment from: silverwarloc

@I beg to differ:

I am disinclined to acquiesce to your statement. The desktop version of iWork is like any suite application. You can pretty much do anything you want in it. However, for the iPhone, you can only view it. You can't do a cut and paste. You can't edit. Pretty much, the only thing you can do with it is to look at it.

While MDN's take is succint and to the point. It is a bit misleading. It fails to mention the platform utilized, given the circumstances.

This will end up in court some time in the future.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:12 am Comment from: DRM sucks

I'm with Jimbo. What are the actual parameters of rejection here? Not sold in store? I'm not a software developer, so I don't know if/how Apple could "reject" a developer from making software. This seems bogus.

Still, if true, iWork is not a sufficient substitute for Excel or Word yet. So, lame.

Apple *is* in their full right to reject apps, but the reasoning has to be legitimate. Apps that compete with Apple apps should be allowed, period.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:20 am Comment from: Forrest, Forrest Gump

@all who like a non-restrictive App Store:

Do you like to live in a world without restrictions? Can you turn to see what happened to the economy?

nuf said.

they have to be so in control of everything on their machine its ridiculous... how about letting the consumer make a decision on what they want to use... Apple inc... is becoming a monopoly 100x worse than windows ever was

I feel like a reject because I actually clicked on the link and read the blog...

Apple IS Apple because quality IS issue.

Witness Apple h/w, s/w, market/w.

I'm not Ferrari. But, I trust that, if Ferrari will not allow a brown tint glove box lid, it's probably a good idea. I'm too busy otherwise.

I trust my quality makers because of their quality reputation.

Once again this misplaced sarcasm is missed by most readers.

Let it be said again. The iPhone, like the XBox, is a closed system.

If you don't like it, get over yourselves and vote with your wallets.

You will not be missed.

Use NeoOffice for the Mac

Free/donationware, duplicates most of OfficeMac, reads and writes to it's files, cross platform/OS, many national languages etc.

In other words it's the $%^*#!!!

Stick it to Microsoft and their crappy software!!

I can see their point and think that it's wrong, but at the same time I do appreciate what Apple is trying to do with the App Store. I think that restricting it to iTunes with the install mechanisms they have is good because it gives a uniformity to the process, you're not actually having to install anything since it's all automated. If an app somehow hijacked system integration with core Apple apps - such as Contacts - I can see how they would be concerned because it potentially introduces issues for other apps across the board. Managing podcasts, or browsing the net are different though.

I understand the desire to provide some sort of across the board level of quality, or at least a uniform quality, but this will get out of hand - if it hasn't already. It's a tricky issue for Apple.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:33 am Comment from: Forrest, Forrest Gump

@Apple sucks

Yeah, yup.
And that is relly easy in the computer world.
You know exactly what an application do and that it will never treatens your privacy or installs viruses, trojan horses, worms, etc.

Shit happens. And because of it, someone has to try that the crap doesn't hit users.

iPhone is a special platform Apple takes a lot of care of.

Peace.

Mac != iPhone

Interesting Considering that the iWork suite is good if you don't need to share files with MS Office users. Because if you do - iWork is terrible!!!!!

Sep 24, 08 - 10:36 am Comment from: Tommy Boy

@Jimbo von Winskinheimer: You have obviously had too much Cupertino Kool-Aid™ this morning. Methinks that you should reduce your intake. Apple is great company, with great products, but it is not immune to legitimate criticism.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:45 am Comment from: Predrag

For all those who didin't quite get the humour in the original post, it was a joke. The person was trying to imply how this would look if Apple were to control what applications could or could not be installed on a Mac.

Now, this reasoning is obviously very flawed. Desktop computing has been in existence for about 30 years or so. Users' expectations for desktop performance has been rather consistend throughout those years.

IPhone, on the other hand, has been out for about a year. It has build a specific user expectations with respect to reliability, performance, consistency of user interface and such. However, the number of actual people who have experienced this is rather small. In order to solidify this user expectation and broaden it, they need to maintain firm control over how iPhone will perform in the coming year or two.

iPhone needs to become as ubiquitous as the iPod before any possibility of deterioration of user experience is allowed. All the noise about apps being arbitrarily rejected would be negligible compared to the bad publicity and deterioration of that user experience which could come from the use of problematic applications.

Let's not forget the perspective here: out of more than 3000 apps, less than a dozen were banned so far -- way below 1%. This is totally inconsequential. Not to mention that out of the remaining 2,982 (or more), large percentage are paid apps, for which developers are making solid chunk of change.

The joke quoted in the article is indeed lame and misses the point. In a way, it's a hit whore.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:50 am Comment from: Think

Once again I will repeat what someone else said weeks ago:

Yea, Windows has tens of thousands of software products to run on it, but how much is that crapware?

How many people download something and it just ruins their user experience?

Apple owns the App Store. They can sell whatever THEY want.

Go to Walmart and demand they sell "Hustler" or "Penthouse" magazines and see how far you get.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:55 am Comment from: Think

Grab your Verizon phone and complain that you want to load your own apps for texting or e-mail. Oh yeah, if it's not a Palm you can't.

Verizon controls their products and user experience. Not that I like their menus and choices.

Sep 24, 08 - 10:56 am Comment from: Jimbo von Winskinheimer

@Tommy boy, I agree. Criticism might help Apple to change their ways. I don't agree with Apple on restricting apps that might compete with their own, as they did with that mail app the other day. However, I am in favor of Apple reviewing the apps and blocking those that they don't think should be sold by them. So, I agree with the policy, but I don't agree with their decision on some apps.

I think there's one thing people seem to be missing. Apple is making these decision AFTER a developer invests time and resources into it. That is not right. And since the App Store is the ONLY way to distribute your software, you're SOL. That's just not right.

Whew! I too fell for this at first.

Peace.

Sep 24, 08 - 11:04 am Comment from: Demon

The Mac is different then the iPhone.
Apple is currently with the iPhone acting as a very protective new Parent, If their is software that could effect the phone's image or cause a roue with any of the carrier partners Apple is choosing to error on the side of caution. The Podcaster software, NetShare and the software of poor or questionable taste are all examples of Apple being protective of the new platforms image and attempting to be conservative and helping the customers stay within the rules of their contracts with the various carriers. While yes, it means so Apps may not be approved because they potentially would cause a customers in country x to be in violation of their contract, while it would not customers in countries a, b, c, h, f, y, and z Apple is going the safe route and just rejecting the application. While this may ruffle feathers of some developers, punters and gawkers. You must keep in mind that the App Store on the iPhone is, in most cases, the first time these carriers have not totally controlled the software that the network users were allowed to install or even have on their phones. Apple broke and flushed the model that the cell carriers had been holding on too, 100% control of what the cell phone manufacture could put on the phone, 100% control of what the user could put and run on the phone and use to communicate with. The iPhone has caused a major shift for manufactures, for customers and for carriers, the whole industry is now opening up to whole new shift were the customer has much more freedom. As the carriers relax their restrictions and Apple is not longer the protective new parent the current very tight restrictions Apple has on software such the rejections of Netshare and Podcaster.

As for Apple's NDA. Developers have wanted better answers from Apple when their Apps are rejected. All I can say is keep you trap shut and Apple will answer your question. Squawk and Squeal and you'll only be greeted with silence from Apple.
Be professional, upfront, and honor all your contracts and agreements with Apple and you can get good full and up front information. Make a news or blog entry out of it and you'll be lucky to get any reply.

wow, that is a great opening for lawyers

The online so-called news/blogs scene is making the National Enquire looks more and more legit and trust-worthy.

My, there certainly are a lot of parody-challenged people out there...

For the record, parody opinion pieces don't have to be humorous, but it does help sometimes.

I wish we didn't link to the onion.

stupid

man

stupid

Sep 24, 08 - 11:30 am Comment from: iWill

Apple, Inc.'s iPhone and App Store are closed systems, by design. That is their prerogative. What more is there to say?

Sep 24, 08 - 11:30 am Comment from: alansky

@Jimbo von Winskinheimer:

Take a valium, dude, before you blow a gasket!

Damn headline nearly gave me a heart attack

Sep 24, 08 - 11:45 am Comment from: Tommy Boy

@Jimbo von Winskinheimer: I am in 100% agreement with your last post. Glad to see the Kool-Aid™ is wearing off.

Sep 24, 08 - 11:55 am Comment from: The Dude

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29130

People... get out of defense mode and take it for whatever enjoyment you can find. A friend sent me the link above many years ago and I went off the deep end not realizing it was a joke. Since then I have learned to take a moment and try to enjoy the humor in this world.... it is all around us too.

Stop trying to be "Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog" and poop on everything.

The Dude abides.

"they have to be so in control of everything on their machine its ridiculous... how about letting the consumer make a decision on what they want to use... Apple inc... is becoming a monopoly 100x worse than windows ever was"

Apple is the success it is today BECAUSE it controls these things! It's this control over the "whole widget" that makes Apple products so outstanding. If you "let consumers make a decision on what they want to use," you get....the Hell that is known as Windows!

Heaven forbid the day Apple goes down that path!!!!!

I see it's still easier to accuse people of drinking Kool-Aid than debate the actual issues at hand.

I second the "Mac != iPhone" post above. Where Microsoft and Google are lazily using pretty much the exact same approach to their phone OS as they would for a desktop OS, Apple is actually attempting to rethink a number of those foundational assumptions with the iPhone. They're changing their approach to fit the product, rather than the other way around.

I'm not 100% comfortable with everything they've been doing in their efforts to pursue their new paradigm, but everyone needs to calm down and realize that we're still in the infancy stages of this thing here. Things will no doubt change over time. But nobody today wants to have any patience.

Apple is still feeling their way through the new realities needed for their iPhone platform, and it's annoying to continually read small-minded critics snipping at Apple for actually trying something different and more secure than what we've come to know and accept on the desktop.

The marketplace is large enough for everyone. Let Apple do their thing with the iPhone, and let Google do their thing with Android. We'll find out what works best as we go forward.

Apple is attempting to think different with the iPhone. Clearly, not everybody gets that.

Sep 24, 08 - 12:53 pm Comment from: MacintoshSoftwareList.com

every company makes mistakes

Sep 24, 08 - 03:37 pm Comment from: TheConfuzed1

To everyone who says that it's Apple's game, and they're within their rights to set the rules however they want it to be played:

You're right. It's also my right to disagree.

Sep 24, 08 - 03:56 pm Comment from: Connor MacBook

He's not really comparing app(le)s with app(le)s. OS X iPhone has always been a more locked down, tightly controlled experience compared to OS X Tiger/Leopard.

Sep 24, 08 - 04:55 pm Comment from: Connor MacBook

Oh, and Apple is within its rights to do whatever the hell it wants, and live or die by those decisions. Somehow I don't think this will impact the iPhone's success.

That's it Apple, I want my records back. I'll leave the key under the mat...

Hey, you guys here at MDN.com - you are propagating the rumormill by your choice of headline here, where lots of folks simply won't read the story, get the satire, but just get out there and repeat the rumor over and over again. Why stoke the fire of misinformation? Sure, satire is satire, but even when reading satire many more folks than most of us realize just don't get that they're reading satire.

Put the disclaimer <~satire 'warning'~> right there in the headline, so the dummies can 'get it.'

Sep 25, 08 - 01:26 am Comment from: iDon't

OK, I'm confused.

"Maybe they will let these apps through later. Who knows. If you don't like it, go buy a Blackberry or a Google phone."

It's not driving away end users that's the problem, it's driving away developers that is. Its a BIG problem that you only get to know if you can sell your application after you develop it and submit it to Apple.

And lets face it, nothing they're doing with the app store is actually filtering out bad or unstable apps. it's just a method to exert control and stop competition.

What you're saying (Quite rightly) if You don't like the risk that you may sink millions (yes, apps more sophisticated than games to tip calcualtors will cost that to build). into iPhone development then get told your app breaks some secret Apple rule and you can't ship it, then go to a platform where that risk does not exist.

It's a pity. It's Mac vs Windows all over again with Apple coming up with a good platform then thinking of ways to drive people away from it.

"You must keep in mind that the App Store on the iPhone is, in most cases, the first time these carriers have not totally controlled the software that the network users were allowed to install or even have on their phones"

Not so. That may be true for feature phones but not smart phones. Windows Mobile and blackberry have allowed people to install arbitrary apps for years.

"Somehow I don't think this will impact the iPhone's success."

If you never want more than tip calculators on your phone, that's probably right. Apple will own the most successful proprietary locked down application starved platform in the phone world (Just like the Pre Intel Mac world). And 5 years from now, with Apple having created consumer interest in smartphones and woken Microsoft, Google and RIM up and forced them to improve thier products, Apple will own 3% of the worldwide smartphone market. There will be a winner in this market, but with current policies, it won't be Apple.

"Apple is attempting to think different with the iPhone. Clearly, not everybody gets that."

And the point is, for the future of the platform it doesn't matter what a bunch of whiny "Apple is Always right" fanboys think about the platform.

It matters what a relatively small group of people prepared to commit significant dollars to phone application development think about Apple's policies.

I can tell you what they think, it makes them very nervous.