Actually I think that usability of the app store is one of the biggest issues at the moment. I hate to agree with Microsoft, but the fact remains, it's difficult to sort through the apps. At over 100,000 apps and only a few categories -- it's extremely difficult to browse through the apps effectively. Unless you know the exact name of an app it can be very hard to find what you want. Fortunately this is a relatively simple problem to solve and one that Apple is more than capable of addressing. Put the fricking power of the web behind it, for God's sake! Users need to be able to sort by just about any metric, content (age appropriateness,etc.,) cost, recentness, ratings, etc.
And that comes to the second thing. Stop with the censorship of dictionaries and what not! For Pete's sake just put in an effective content control, Let the parents decide for their kids, and be done with it. I don't really care to see pornography on the iPhone (just use Safari if you're into that) and I'm sure Apple doesn't want that stain on their brand (since effectively, they are the vendor of all apps on the iPhone) but stop with the prudish, petty, silly censorship of books, reference materials, etc. If it's in the public library, it should not (or only mildly) be controlled.
Additionally, the user review system needs to come into play. This might be a bit difficult (gaming of the system, etc.) Possibly wheighting or otherwise differentiating trusted/expert reviews might help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon T
Funny thing is, I have NEVER heard any iPhone user complain about this process. Or the lack of apps. Or how their phone can't do this or the other.
In fact you can hear the Microsofties with their doubletalk saying there are already too many apps for the iPhone and how confusing it is... How's about that for irony!
While Apple is making you developers shedloads of $$$, you would be well advised NOT to kill the goose that lays your golden egg.
The sad part of this review process is that those that end up waiting 13 weeks to be told their app was rejected are probably not going to put up with this shit. They'll pack their bags and move to another platform. I think only a few masochists will actually try to modify their apps and wait another 13 weeks to be told again that it has been rejected.
For people praising Apple's review process because "2000 apps a week are being approved": eat shit.
The sad part of this review process is that those that end up waiting 13 weeks to be told their app was rejected are probably not going to put up with this shit. They'll pack their bags and move to another platform. I think only a few masochists will actually try to modify their apps and wait another 13 weeks to be told again that it has been rejected.
For people praising Apple's review process because "2000 apps a week are being approved": eat shit.
I gather that comment was directed towards me.
Quote:
Abster2core:
At more than 2,000 apps being approved weekly now, it is amazing how well the process is working.
Interesting.
Just got back from 10 days in Beijing. A virtual rush hour. Even the University is packed. The Square must have had 50,000 plus the day I was there. And then on the subway, particularly after a soccer tournament ended, I was thankful that a local team had won.
On our return, our plane landed an hour and twenty minutes ahead of schedule. So I gathered had a number of other flights coming in from the orient at the time. Immigration was so swamped, it took over an hour and a half to be processed and get our baggage through.
In the line, there was one individual on our flight who had sat across from me in business class that just couldn't stop harping and complaining 'how disorganised' it was, and that they should have had more custom agents to handle the large crowd. The longer it took, the louder he got.
Well, just before we exited, another passenger sided up to our vocalist and commonly pointed out the fact that the area was virtually empty and that if we had come in on schedule, we wouldn't have been backed up as such. So if there was anybody to blame, perhaps it was Mother Nature. Unfortunately, this did not appease the disgruntled passenger and he continued his harangue.
Suddenly, the second passenger stopped and comely stated, "When the Good Lord pisses down on me I take out an umbrella. But when an representative of my company pisses me off, I leave it at home. You're fired!" And comely left the terminal.
I completely agree with all you say here. Yes the process can (and should) be improved, just like the app store itself, but boy am I happy the store does a basic review before they start selling it, so us customers can trust on a basic level of safety and decent coding with all we buy.
That's fair request, understand your reasoning. It would make sense..except for those users who want to use some application which fails the review. If iPhone has (legal) option to install applications from other sources than AppStore (in the same way it is implemented on Android, average BFU probably never gets there), nobody would complain.
Apple needs to do still more work to make approval easier for developers, most of whom are small outfits. I recently heard from Second Gear Software about adapting their Check Off app for the iPhone. The response was "There are no plans to do an iPhone version at this time as Apple's restrictive and developer hostile AppStore is not something I'm interested in investing in."
Comments
Totally agree and folks should read the url you posted:
http://counternotions.com/2009/08/26/pre-iphone/
As part of that community, it is not developers who are whining.
At more than 2,000 apps being approved weekly now, it is amazing how well the process is working.
I wonder how many remember what it was like, "Before Apple introduced the iPhone?" [url]http://counternotions.com/2009/08/26/pre-iphone/[/url
And that comes to the second thing. Stop with the censorship of dictionaries and what not! For Pete's sake just put in an effective content control, Let the parents decide for their kids, and be done with it. I don't really care to see pornography on the iPhone (just use Safari if you're into that) and I'm sure Apple doesn't want that stain on their brand (since effectively, they are the vendor of all apps on the iPhone) but stop with the prudish, petty, silly censorship of books, reference materials, etc. If it's in the public library, it should not (or only mildly) be controlled.
Additionally, the user review system needs to come into play. This might be a bit difficult (gaming of the system, etc.) Possibly wheighting or otherwise differentiating trusted/expert reviews might help.
Funny thing is, I have NEVER heard any iPhone user complain about this process. Or the lack of apps. Or how their phone can't do this or the other.
In fact you can hear the Microsofties with their doubletalk saying there are already too many apps for the iPhone and how confusing it is... How's about that for irony!
While Apple is making you developers shedloads of $$$, you would be well advised NOT to kill the goose that lays your golden egg.
What is your current status level?
I'm still In Review. Nothing has changed. Thanks to the supporters out there.
http://www.osnews.com/story/22458
For people praising Apple's review process because "2000 apps a week are being approved": eat shit.
The sad part of this review process is that those that end up waiting 13 weeks to be told their app was rejected are probably not going to put up with this shit. They'll pack their bags and move to another platform. I think only a few masochists will actually try to modify their apps and wait another 13 weeks to be told again that it has been rejected.
For people praising Apple's review process because "2000 apps a week are being approved": eat shit.
I gather that comment was directed towards me.
Abster2core:
At more than 2,000 apps being approved weekly now, it is amazing how well the process is working.
Interesting.
Just got back from 10 days in Beijing. A virtual rush hour. Even the University is packed. The Square must have had 50,000 plus the day I was there. And then on the subway, particularly after a soccer tournament ended, I was thankful that a local team had won.
On our return, our plane landed an hour and twenty minutes ahead of schedule. So I gathered had a number of other flights coming in from the orient at the time. Immigration was so swamped, it took over an hour and a half to be processed and get our baggage through.
In the line, there was one individual on our flight who had sat across from me in business class that just couldn't stop harping and complaining 'how disorganised' it was, and that they should have had more custom agents to handle the large crowd. The longer it took, the louder he got.
Well, just before we exited, another passenger sided up to our vocalist and commonly pointed out the fact that the area was virtually empty and that if we had come in on schedule, we wouldn't have been backed up as such. So if there was anybody to blame, perhaps it was Mother Nature. Unfortunately, this did not appease the disgruntled passenger and he continued his harangue.
Suddenly, the second passenger stopped and comely stated, "When the Good Lord pisses down on me I take out an umbrella. But when an representative of my company pisses me off, I leave it at home. You're fired!" And comely left the terminal.
I completely agree with all you say here. Yes the process can (and should) be improved, just like the app store itself, but boy am I happy the store does a basic review before they start selling it, so us customers can trust on a basic level of safety and decent coding with all we buy.
That's fair request, understand your reasoning. It would make sense..except for those users who want to use some application which fails the review. If iPhone has (legal) option to install applications from other sources than AppStore (in the same way it is implemented on Android, average BFU probably never gets there), nobody would complain.