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With More Than Enough Apps, Apple Pushes for Quality

8 points by credo 17y ago

tel 17y ago
I suppose I'm a minority opinion, especially with the high YC concentration of developers, but I feel pretty personally gratified by Apple's policies. I don't own an iPhone, but I'm more interested in purchasing one who's App Store is full of quality, innovative applications. You can call it stifling free speech or alienating developers, but I feel like there's at least an attempt internally at Apple to follow the rules they set plus the one, unwritten one of "improve our brand, we worked really hard to make it the way it is". I'm not going to agree with every ridiculous decision that's happened so far, but I will say that the removal of crude sexy apps and cookie cutter RSS feeds makes me more interested in poring through the App Store someday. It's, to me, equivalent to pruning out spammy advertisements. I never mind paying, in attention or money, for craft.
- credo 17y ago
  I'm a developer, but I also agree that it makes sense for Apple to ban spam and to ban what they describe as "degarding and objectionable" content. So I agree with your sentiments. imo, the one thing Apple should do is provide more clarity and transparency about the rules for the app store - i.e. what is allowed, what is not allowed, why an app was rejected etc. That will help developers decide whether or not to build any specific app for the app store.
CoryMathews 17y ago
As a developer I don't develop for the iPhone because I am unsure if it will a) be approved b) be rejected for some bs or c) be approved and sell Now with apple being even more of a dictator about which apps are available I would expect more developers to stop developing for it. While I agree there are some really crappy ones out there Simply removing them is not the right choice. What apple needs to do is have apple approved apps. Allow all app to be sold in the app store but have a specific section that is only for these approved ones. Keep these "quality" apps here and everyone sift through the rest in the other sections if they so choose to.
- derefr 17y ago
  The whole App Store is "Apple-approved apps," whether you like it or not, because that's how their agreement with the phone companies requires them to treat it, and that's how the most casual segment of users will think of it (i.e. "my phone [running X 3rd-party app] is broken! [because that 3rd-party app is crap.] Why did Apple screw me over like this?")

8 points by credo 17y ago

tel 17y ago

I suppose I'm a minority opinion, especially with the high YC concentration of developers, but I feel pretty personally gratified by Apple's policies. I don't own an iPhone, but I'm more interested in purchasing one who's App Store is full of quality, innovative applications. You can call it stifling free speech or alienating developers, but I feel like there's at least an attempt internally at Apple to follow the rules they set plus the one, unwritten one of "improve our brand, we worked really hard to make it the way it is". I'm not going to agree with every ridiculous decision that's happened so far, but I will say that the removal of crude sexy apps and cookie cutter RSS feeds makes me more interested in poring through the App Store someday. It's, to me, equivalent to pruning out spammy advertisements. I never mind paying, in attention or money, for craft.

credo 17y ago
I'm a developer, but I also agree that it makes sense for Apple to ban spam and to ban what they describe as "degarding and objectionable" content. So I agree with your sentiments. imo, the one thing Apple should do is provide more clarity and transparency about the rules for the app store - i.e. what is allowed, what is not allowed, why an app was rejected etc. That will help developers decide whether or not to build any specific app for the app store.

CoryMathews 17y ago

As a developer I don't develop for the iPhone because I am unsure if it will a) be approved b) be rejected for some bs or c) be approved and sell Now with apple being even more of a dictator about which apps are available I would expect more developers to stop developing for it. While I agree there are some really crappy ones out there Simply removing them is not the right choice. What apple needs to do is have apple approved apps. Allow all app to be sold in the app store but have a specific section that is only for these approved ones. Keep these "quality" apps here and everyone sift through the rest in the other sections if they so choose to.

derefr 17y ago
The whole App Store is "Apple-approved apps," whether you like it or not, because that's how their agreement with the phone companies requires them to treat it, and that's how the most casual segment of users will think of it (i.e. "my phone [running X 3rd-party app] is broken! [because that 3rd-party app is crap.] Why did Apple screw me over like this?")