Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Apple is really, really, really not a developer-friendly company

http://www.riverturn.com/blog/?p=455

8 comments:

DzembuGaijin said...

I believe Apple reply "exactly" as was instructed by legal department. Microsoft or ANY other "big" company would treat ANY sensitive issue same way. That is just obvious.

Yes, it sounds nasty. Yes, Apple execute the right to reject application for it own reason.

Yes, it may be because of AT&T that may not be so happy to loose SMS and Voice Mail and get it routed "free" via "unlimited" IP network. Same for a long distance calls.

Now, if you look on

http://www.riverturn.com/iphone/VoiceCentral.php

You will see that, this application, indeed "duplicate" a "phone" features of iPhone: contacts, calls, voice mail, SMS: a lot. Apple been known to shoot application down for much less: for stupid UI candy like "cover flow".

Well, I totally agree that this may suck for some one. I love free staff and I would certainly get and use this application.

So, it is has nothing to do with "developers", duh. This is about Google and AT&T. This is about taking care of your business partners and keeping them happy. :-)

DzembuGaijin said...

Btw, why I personally like a "close system" ?

Because it is not very close.

Because ANYBODY can use a iPhone SDK and make any applications for himself and 99 of his friends (and well, you can have more for +100$ if you need).

Now, if applications goes to customers, company reviews it and control it. It is signed. That why people can install any application with a confidence: unmatched thing for PC or even MAC.

Apple give you access to a new, hot market ( if it was not the case, people was not be even blogging about rejected applications and were not biter: we do not read much about rejected games for Sony PS for example or XBox).

Yes, there are rules and as any rules, they are not to everybody liking.

Tough luck.

Sergey Solyanik said...

Except you've just spent months working on this application, it is very similar to a bunch of stuff that's already there, and then it gets rejected, without any sort of reasonable explanation.

Apple's attitude towards developers is a continuing history of neglect and extreme arrogance. This is not an isolated incident, it's the corporate culture.

I personally dealt with these idiots in the mid-90s, and I will never touch a Mac again. Ever.

Anonymous said...

It's a pity Windows Mobile isn't a decent competitor, otherwise we wouldn't need to bother with iPhones

DzembuGaijin said...

Oh, camon, Serg !

Do not be so naive!

There are 50.000 applications and counting!

Apple shoot p0rn and applications that do some thing they do not see as good for business. ( Apple's or partners).


"Apple's attitude towards developers is a continuing history of neglect and extreme arrogance. This is not an isolated incident, it's the corporate culture."

This is a freaking BS :-) Apple give developers tools for FREE to start with. They handle developers nice.


But your should get it straight:
1) They have their interest first, like ANY company.
2) The resort to legal advice and handle sensitive issues very cold. "We can not tell". and this is EXACTLY how you anybody should do it.

Talking about Google Voice: they give a reasonable explanation: it duplicate phone functions, specifically functions AT&T sell. It backed up by HUGE SHARK: Google. NOUGH SAID :-)

This is STRICTLY BUSNESS , baby, so stop BS around:-)

If you develop a game or cool useful utility, following Apple UI gideline, you will not have an issue.

Now, they do reply to Developers requests: They DELIVER! See how SDK progressed.

Augmented realty? Sure! go get 3.1: check YouTube.

I never saw Microsoft do ANYTHING like this.

Asking "feature" from Microsoft is like , not even funny :-)

Only big OEM can do it and that will be hard: Remember Q?

Sergey Solyanik said...

> It's a pity Windows Mobile isn't a decent competitor, otherwise we wouldn't need to bother with iPhones

True.

Although, when I was on Windows CE, the Pocket PC team (this was in 2000, when the teams were different; they were merged in 2003 when I left) had this t-shirt with a person wearing a Palm t-shirt on a motorcycle and a person behind him wearing a PocketPC shirt, and an inscription "Objects in the rear mirror are closer than they appear" :-)...

DzembuGaijin said...

Btw, talking about Google Voice ;-)

There is some thing nobody mentioned on this noisy blogs.

Google have WEB application that I just tested and it works :-)

Yes, just like with Google Latitude, that have a same fate, it not as good of experience, but...

hell, it is working!

Good job Google, FU ! AT&T !!! He he

So, you can call INTERNATIONAL number for free and can SEND SMS for free ( do not forget to change settings so they arrive to your Google Voice inbox, not to iPhone SMS application )

Show yet another middle finger to m-f-ing AT&T we all love to hate :-)

Google rulez!!!

DzembuGaijin said...

As I mentioned, GV rejection have nothing to do with "developers". It is business and as such, Apple and AT&T got what they asked for : ) FCC. Hope they will kick some one monopolistic ass :-)

""In a letter sent to Apple, the FCC asked the company why it turned down Google Voice for the iPhone and pulled several other Google Voice-related programs from the iPhone's only sanctioned online mart. The FCC also sent similar letters to both AT&T — Apple's exclusive carrier partner in the US — and Google, asking both firms to provide more information on the issue. The FCC's letter asked Apple whether it rejected Google Voice and dumped other applications on its own, or 'in consultation with AT&T,' and if the latter, to describe the conversations the partners had. In other questions, the FCC asked Apple whether AT&T has any role in the approval of iPhone applications, wants the company to explain how Google Voice differs from any other VoIP software that has been approved, and requested a list of all applications that have been rejected and why.""