They signed an NDA that explicitly stated that they could not distribute any app they developed with the iPhone SDK outside the Apple iTunes store, let alone develop an app that circumvented in acquiring video..
I know. But what I mean is if you want to break the contract then break it in a away that keep you away from Apple reach (not legally though). I am not supporting what they did either way.
I always wonder what happened to taking contracts seriously! Why would anyone sign a contract and then whine about the terms? If you don't like it then don't sign it.
Along these lines, yesterday MochaSofts RDP Lite and RDP full version were removed from the Apps store. Too bad because they were cheaper and worked much more reliably than WinAdmin for remote desktop. I don't know reason why but we are left with still quirky WinAdmin as the only Windows Remote Desktop application for iPhone.
In may years of dealing with Apple on many issues, it has always been my experience that if you go about making your case in a civil verifiable manner and genuinely are reasonable, Apple will do the right thing. I have had countless customer satisfaction and technical issues satisfied.
You may have a point. I will say that Apple rejecting apps because they compete with Apple's own is anticompetitive. Apple is taking quite a chance being so stubborn and uncommunicative about this policy.
The only reason I can see them justifying it is if they have future plans they have yet to reveal to us.
1- Apple hosts your app for free if you are willing to offer it for free, and that is very generous, because you don't have to pay for maintaing a website or try to generate traffic to your site.
2- If you decide to charge money for the app then Apple keeps 30% of that price. Which is also very generous because you don't have to maintain an ecommerce website or spend lots of time, energy, and money advertising, and if you spoke with anyone who worked on Google Click Ads they'll tell you "IT'S NOT CHEAP".
Well... Almerica attempted to circumvent Apple's 30% slice by pretending that the app is for FREE to get the free hosting, then the app would request you to make a payment on Almerica's website.
I don't know about you, but that is anything but right.
Apple is doing a TERRIBLE job handling the roll out of the iPhone SDK. The NDA clauses are ridiculous. Yet Apple's discussion boards are filled with people talking about iPhone development. If Apple took the NDA seriously, they would shut down every developer account of everyone who posts iPhone development discussions. The NDA just gives them a big stick they can wield as selectively as they choose. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Ban a few people. Feeling good? Let some crappy apps into the store.
I hope they create some "sanctioned" way for devs to distribute their own apps. If you want something that's been blessed by the Big A, the shop at the App Store. If you're more daring then download direct from the dev - with no need for jailbreaking!
I was excited about the iPhone as a platform, but Apple keeps curbing my enthusiasm.
You can argue whether or not Apple should have approved Podcaster or not, or even whether Apple should be allowed to approve apps at all if you like ... however, it's pretty hard to argue that Apple should have allowed one developer to use an ad hoc distribution system, and not everybody else. The guy signed a developer agreement, submitted an app, had it refused, publicized that refusal, set up ad hoc distribution to sell his app and then complained about that when that door was closed.
Hundreds of other developers have submitted thousands of apps and managed to play by the rules - whether the rules are good or bad, they are clearly listed and should be enforced fairly for all developers.
We in the USA are used to such tactics and have become almost immune to them.
I'll be curious to see what the European Union has to say about such policies after cracking down on MS so hard.
Apple, you?ve bit off more than you can chew on this one.
Apple has clearly made their stance and IMHO it's as anti completive as it gets.
EU come to the rescue of developers all over the world to stop this.
If not the developer community for the iPhone will turn and run as it's doing.
There has to be some jurisdiction that does not allow this type of control.
Remember, where not just dealing with the USA now the iPhone is a Global Phone and along with that comes Global Responsibility.
Kind of sounds like the stock market doesn't it. The US is writing a blank check and Apple is writing its own policies and changing them when it doesn't meet their criteria of a qualified Application.
Someone has got to step in from a higher level than this board and stop this.
Want to know the most frustrating thing about being an iPhone developer? People who review your app saying it should be cheaper/free. Next most frustrating is people reviewing your app suggesting features the app already has or otherwise saying things that make it obvious they didn't even buy it.
Apple's review policies are way, way down on the list of frustrating things about iPhone development.
The good part is handing off the app to Apple and have them take care of all the work for you, selling your app around the world in all sorts of currencies and distributing it to all localities without needing to monitor any bandwidth, security, credit card clearances, etc. Seriously, at the risk of being called a troll, there are a lot of whiners around...
Want to know the most frustrating thing about being an iPhone developer? People who review your app saying it should be cheaper/free. Next most frustrating is people reviewing your app suggesting features the app already has or otherwise saying things that make it obvious they didn't even buy it.
Apple's review policies are way, way down on the list of frustrating things about iPhone development.
The good part is handing off the app to Apple and have them take care of all the work for you, selling your app around the world in all sorts of currencies and distributing it to all localities without needing to monitor any bandwidth, security, credit card clearances, etc. Seriously, at the risk of being called a troll, there are a lot of whiners around...
Are you a developer? If not than you speak with no experience.
Either way it's wrong & this room has a right to be "whiners" if that's what you want to call them (me).
I hope you speak for a very few devolopers if you are one. If not then PISS off you have nothing to say.
I still respect Apple's right to reject apps from the app store. However, not telling developers why the app was rejected is troubling. Whats REALLY EXTREMELY HORRIFYINGLY TROUBLING is Apple taking the extra step and telling developers who were rejected that being notified of rejection falls under the NDA.
So they are taking away developers rights of complaining or asking why the app was rejected in the first place.
Apple wants a walled garden to keep the iphone's quality 2nd to none...fine. But they are simply NOT doing what they need to do to develop the STILL fledgling iphone dev community into something thriving and growing.
They should be laying the groundwork for the building of relationships. Yes, the average developer who just wants to make a buck will churn out cute little apps that have some utility. But Apple is keeping the REALLY INNOVATIVE apps from being born and thus stifling innovation.
This is NOT GOOD.....not not good.
You know what the really disgustingly sad thing about this is? After all this Apple is still the best tech company out there.
That means all in all this planet on a whole is pathetically primitive despite what us trained monkeys have been taught is "innovation".
They signed an NDA that explicitly stated that they could not distribute any app they developed with the iPhone SDK outside the Apple iTunes store, let alone develop an app that circumvented in acquiring video..
Are you a developer? If not than you speak with no experience.
Either way it's wrong & this room has a right to be "whiners" if that's what you want to call them (me).
I hope you speak for a very few devolopers if you are one. If not then PISS off you have nothing to say.
This is wrong and needs to be stopped.
I'm an iPhone developer and I disagree with you. It's too easy to cry "anti-competitive", "fascist", "disrespectful to developers" because of policies and rules that you don't care for.
Please explain how Apple is being "anti-competitive". In your opinion, what is Apple doing wrong? How would you run the process?
1- Apple hosts your app for free if you are willing to offer it for free, and that is very generous, because you don't have to pay for maintaing a website or try to generate traffic to your site.
2- If you decide to charge money for the app then Apple keeps 30% of that price. Which is also very generous because you don't have to maintain an ecommerce website or spend lots of time, energy, and money advertising, and if you spoke with anyone who worked on Google Click Ads they'll tell you "IT'S NOT CHEAP".
Well... Almerica attempted to circumvent Apple's 30% slice by pretending that the app is for FREE to get the free hosting, then the app would request you to make a payment on Almerica's website.
I don't know about you, but that is anything but right.
The point is that, as an iPhone developer, you have no choice but to depend on the AppStore
May be they took the time to steal all the ideas and will soon add such an application... if they do so, they are the worst
Don't get bent out of shape. The way the article was written it was intended to inflame the passions of developers. That isn't the whole story, obviously.
There's an effort to bring Frodo, the Commodore 64 emulator, to the iPhone. I have pointed out several times that such a port would violate Apple's developer terms, as Frodo would enable folks to run interpreted third-party code -- a big no-no.
You do realize that reading and interpreting virtually any data feed: HTML, XML, or any other formatted data file is effectively running interpreted third-party code?
Just yet another area where Apple's terms are less than clear.
A recent rejection notice reported at Mac Rumors came with a non-disclosure agreement that prevents discussion of the reasons behind the rejection and so doesn't let this developer or others voice public opposition to their exclusion from the App Store.
There is an easy way to complain: Bring your notice of rejection to the antitrust authorities and ask them to investigate whether Apple is breaching the provisions of the Sherman Act or any other provisions of the consumer protection laws.
This should keep Apple busy for a while, and all the work (and expense) is done by government authorities. For good measure, notify your antitrust complaint to business journalists for them to report it to the general public.
After a while, Apple will realize that it is easier and cheaper to obey the law and not screw up independent developpers.
Comments
They signed an NDA that explicitly stated that they could not distribute any app they developed with the iPhone SDK outside the Apple iTunes store, let alone develop an app that circumvented in acquiring video..
I know. But what I mean is if you want to break the contract then break it in a away that keep you away from Apple reach (not legally though). I am not supporting what they did either way.
I always wonder what happened to taking contracts seriously! Why would anyone sign a contract and then whine about the terms? If you don't like it then don't sign it.
no other word to describe their action !
May be they took the time to steal all the ideas and will soon add such an application... if they do so, they are the worst
In may years of dealing with Apple on many issues, it has always been my experience that if you go about making your case in a civil verifiable manner and genuinely are reasonable, Apple will do the right thing. I have had countless customer satisfaction and technical issues satisfied.
You may have a point. I will say that Apple rejecting apps because they compete with Apple's own is anticompetitive. Apple is taking quite a chance being so stubborn and uncommunicative about this policy.
The only reason I can see them justifying it is if they have future plans they have yet to reveal to us.
1- Apple hosts your app for free if you are willing to offer it for free, and that is very generous, because you don't have to pay for maintaing a website or try to generate traffic to your site.
2- If you decide to charge money for the app then Apple keeps 30% of that price. Which is also very generous because you don't have to maintain an ecommerce website or spend lots of time, energy, and money advertising, and if you spoke with anyone who worked on Google Click Ads they'll tell you "IT'S NOT CHEAP".
Well... Almerica attempted to circumvent Apple's 30% slice by pretending that the app is for FREE to get the free hosting, then the app would request you to make a payment on Almerica's website.
I don't know about you, but that is anything but right.
I hope they create some "sanctioned" way for devs to distribute their own apps. If you want something that's been blessed by the Big A, the shop at the App Store. If you're more daring then download direct from the dev - with no need for jailbreaking!
I was excited about the iPhone as a platform, but Apple keeps curbing my enthusiasm.
- Jasen.
Hey Apple, I hope you're listening:
Fuck you.
Please stop screwing your developers.
Once again, fuck you.
Wow, tell us how you really feel!
Hundreds of other developers have submitted thousands of apps and managed to play by the rules - whether the rules are good or bad, they are clearly listed and should be enforced fairly for all developers.
I'll be curious to see what the European Union has to say about such policies after cracking down on MS so hard.
Apple, you?ve bit off more than you can chew on this one.
Apple has clearly made their stance and IMHO it's as anti completive as it gets.
EU come to the rescue of developers all over the world to stop this.
If not the developer community for the iPhone will turn and run as it's doing.
There has to be some jurisdiction that does not allow this type of control.
Remember, where not just dealing with the USA now the iPhone is a Global Phone and along with that comes Global Responsibility.
Kind of sounds like the stock market doesn't it. The US is writing a blank check and Apple is writing its own policies and changing them when it doesn't meet their criteria of a qualified Application.
Someone has got to step in from a higher level than this board and stop this.
Apple's review policies are way, way down on the list of frustrating things about iPhone development.
The good part is handing off the app to Apple and have them take care of all the work for you, selling your app around the world in all sorts of currencies and distributing it to all localities without needing to monitor any bandwidth, security, credit card clearances, etc. Seriously, at the risk of being called a troll, there are a lot of whiners around...
Want to know the most frustrating thing about being an iPhone developer? People who review your app saying it should be cheaper/free. Next most frustrating is people reviewing your app suggesting features the app already has or otherwise saying things that make it obvious they didn't even buy it.
Apple's review policies are way, way down on the list of frustrating things about iPhone development.
The good part is handing off the app to Apple and have them take care of all the work for you, selling your app around the world in all sorts of currencies and distributing it to all localities without needing to monitor any bandwidth, security, credit card clearances, etc. Seriously, at the risk of being called a troll, there are a lot of whiners around...
Are you a developer? If not than you speak with no experience.
Either way it's wrong & this room has a right to be "whiners" if that's what you want to call them (me).
I hope you speak for a very few devolopers if you are one. If not then PISS off you have nothing to say.
This is wrong and needs to be stopped.
So they are taking away developers rights of complaining or asking why the app was rejected in the first place.
Apple wants a walled garden to keep the iphone's quality 2nd to none...fine. But they are simply NOT doing what they need to do to develop the STILL fledgling iphone dev community into something thriving and growing.
They should be laying the groundwork for the building of relationships. Yes, the average developer who just wants to make a buck will churn out cute little apps that have some utility. But Apple is keeping the REALLY INNOVATIVE apps from being born and thus stifling innovation.
This is NOT GOOD.....not not good.
You know what the really disgustingly sad thing about this is? After all this Apple is still the best tech company out there.
That means all in all this planet on a whole is pathetically primitive despite what us trained monkeys have been taught is "innovation".
Gawd I'm depressed now.
They signed an NDA that explicitly stated that they could not distribute any app they developed with the iPhone SDK outside the Apple iTunes store, let alone develop an app that circumvented in acquiring video..
Some mofos are always trying to ice-skate uphill.
Are you a developer? If not than you speak with no experience.
Either way it's wrong & this room has a right to be "whiners" if that's what you want to call them (me).
I hope you speak for a very few devolopers if you are one. If not then PISS off you have nothing to say.
This is wrong and needs to be stopped.
I'm an iPhone developer and I disagree with you. It's too easy to cry "anti-competitive", "fascist", "disrespectful to developers" because of policies and rules that you don't care for.
Please explain how Apple is being "anti-competitive". In your opinion, what is Apple doing wrong? How would you run the process?
I don't see Apple doing anything wrong here. Why?
1- Apple hosts your app for free if you are willing to offer it for free, and that is very generous, because you don't have to pay for maintaing a website or try to generate traffic to your site.
2- If you decide to charge money for the app then Apple keeps 30% of that price. Which is also very generous because you don't have to maintain an ecommerce website or spend lots of time, energy, and money advertising, and if you spoke with anyone who worked on Google Click Ads they'll tell you "IT'S NOT CHEAP".
Well... Almerica attempted to circumvent Apple's 30% slice by pretending that the app is for FREE to get the free hosting, then the app would request you to make a payment on Almerica's website.
I don't know about you, but that is anything but right.
The point is that, as an iPhone developer, you have no choice but to depend on the AppStore
Apple's DICTATORSHIP !
no other word to describe their action !
May be they took the time to steal all the ideas and will soon add such an application... if they do so, they are the worst
Don't get bent out of shape. The way the article was written it was intended to inflame the passions of developers. That isn't the whole story, obviously.
There's an effort to bring Frodo, the Commodore 64 emulator, to the iPhone. I have pointed out several times that such a port would violate Apple's developer terms, as Frodo would enable folks to run interpreted third-party code -- a big no-no.
You do realize that reading and interpreting virtually any data feed: HTML, XML, or any other formatted data file is effectively running interpreted third-party code?
Just yet another area where Apple's terms are less than clear.
A recent rejection notice reported at Mac Rumors came with a non-disclosure agreement that prevents discussion of the reasons behind the rejection and so doesn't let this developer or others voice public opposition to their exclusion from the App Store.
There is an easy way to complain: Bring your notice of rejection to the antitrust authorities and ask them to investigate whether Apple is breaching the provisions of the Sherman Act or any other provisions of the consumer protection laws.
This should keep Apple busy for a while, and all the work (and expense) is done by government authorities. For good measure, notify your antitrust complaint to business journalists for them to report it to the general public.
After a while, Apple will realize that it is easier and cheaper to obey the law and not screw up independent developpers.
The point is that, as an iPhone developer, you have no choice but to depend on the AppStore
You have the choice not being an iPhone developer.