5 ms·

Show HN: Open-sourcing my rejected iOS app, In-Stock

60 points by aabalkan 13y ago

captainmuon 13y ago
Nice! I've been thinking, if there were more open-source apps for iOS, then the developer account could become the new (albeit pricey) jailbreak. Maybe someone could even build a nice installer or wrapper around Xcode so that non-technical people can install such apps (and pretend to the phone they were developing them). (Disclaimer: I'm more familiar with Android than with iOS development, don't know for sure this would work)
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- chrisballinger 13y ago
  Unfortunately you still aren't able to use your own hardware how you'd like on iOS, even with a developer account. Certain private APIs (like the VPN one)[1] require an "Entitlements" file linked to a provisioning profile that is difficult or impossible to forge. 1. https://github.com/chrisballinger/openvpn-server-ios#openvpn-server-ios https://github.com/chrisballinger/openvpn-server-ios#openvpn...
rajbala 13y ago
"I'm a software engineer @ Microsoft's cloud computing service, Windows Azure." Props to Ahmet for being open about building products and using tools from competitors rather than denying they exist.
- coob 13y ago
  …iMessage hosts content on Azure.
  - rajbala 13y ago
    True. Apple uses a number of cloud services including Azure, AWS, etc.
    - batuhanicoz 13y ago
      I've heard Apple using Azure but never heard of their use of AWS. How come this isn't advertised on AWS's or Azure's related page(s)[1]? [1] Case study pages can be an example for "related page(s)" for AWS: http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/ http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/ for Azure: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/overview/case-studies/archive/ http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/overview/case-studies/arch... But "for some reason" I can't think Apple sharing their experience with a platform online. It's not in their DNA, I think.
      - coob 13y ago
        Because Apple's agreements with these companies will include a clause stating that they cannot publicly acknowledge they supply Apple.
yanivs 13y ago
Well, if you think there's a demand for it just do a mobile html version. It's not a super complicated app to implement with html.
- aabalkan 13y ago
  Not at all, but I won't be doing it I guess. If you'd like to pick this up, logic is out there. It has a bit of manual work for getting SKU numbers of products but I'm pretty sure it is doable.
jyap 13y ago
On a related note, Apple also sent a DMCA take down notice to a site which did something similar for iPhone 5S availability: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6680716 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6680716 Site in question: http://www.apple-tracker.com http://www.apple-tracker.com
- aabalkan 13y ago
  Wow, that's big. Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't know what could be the potential consequences of releasing this app. Apple really does not care if you are making things easier for people as well as them.
batuhanicoz 13y ago
Although it's not much of a use for me since I'm not in the U.S., looks nice, polished, dead-simple. Ability to open store locations in Google Maps (in addition to stock Maps.app) and remembering last chosen items are nice features too. Too bad Apple is not very open to this kind of things. By the way, does Apple's official Apple Store application has this feature?
coob 13y ago
This is why you should read the App review guidelines [1] before you start. It's right there in black and white: 12.1 Apps that scrape any information from Apple sites (for example from apple.com, iTunes Store, App Store, iTunes Connect, Apple Developer Programs, etc.) or create rankings using content from Apple sites and services will be rejected [1] https://developer.apple.com/appstore/guidelines.html https://developer.apple.com/appstore/guidelines.html
cygwin98 13y ago
Nice app. It reminds me of http://www.refurb.me http://www.refurb.me, which is to track the stock of refurbished Apple devices.
CSDude 13y ago
This is why HN should also display subdomains in submissions. This is a blog of a random guy, which redirects to another domain, but gets most of the attention because of heroku.com at the end. There are many apps being rejected by Apple each day because of violating their ToS, and I fail to see why this story would be more relevant than others.
- batuhanicoz 13y ago
  It's a bit different rejection story from the most (but certainly not different from all), that difference being Ahmet open-sourced his app, rather then just whining about rejection and burying the code. And, IMHO, if it wasn't relevant to the community, they wouldn't up-voted it to the homepage. Also, I agree HN should show subdomains for this kind[1] of sites. [1] This kind being websites offering subdomains for user-genarated content that is not related to the company which owns the domain.
- megablast 13y ago
  Well, he did release his code, although it is a very simple app.
whalesalad 13y ago
Have you tried writing your own very thin wrapper for scraping Apple instead of doing it directly inside of the actual application? I like the app... It's clean and simple. I had this problem the other night. I wanted to see stock of phones and unless you begin the process of upgrading your line, you can't do that on mobile. Anyway, seems like there might be a creative solution here if you run your own lightweight proxy-like API so that on the surface it appears like you're not scraping Apple. It also opens the door for repeating the experience of your native app as a mobile friendly website.
- aabalkan 13y ago
  They asked me how I find out exactly how many iPhones left in a Store and I tell them I am using their AJAX call on mobile clients. Even though I create a proxy, they had to validate how accurate my data is and how I get it. So building a proxy won't help either I suppose. See other comments here regarding a DCMA takedown happened yesterday for a website launched very recently doing the same thing. This is just scary.
newrenowhore 13y ago
I feel like Apple's rejection of this app / DMCA shutdown of apple-tracker supports its brilliantly annoying marketing - scarcity creates mystery. The fact that you might not be able to get it makes you want it more; not knowing what iPhones they have in stock adds a weird level of excitement to the process of purchasing one. Apple could make this app in a second, but they don't because they want you to wonder, they want you to fret, and they want to make it that much more satisfying when you actually get it.

60 points by aabalkan 13y ago

Nice! I've been thinking, if there were more open-source apps for iOS, then the developer account could become the new (albeit pricey) jailbreak. Maybe someone could even build a nice installer or wrapper around Xcode so that non-technical people can install such apps (and pretend to the phone they were developing them). (Disclaimer: I'm more familiar with Android than with iOS development, don't know for sure this would work)

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
chrisballinger 13y ago
Unfortunately you still aren't able to use your own hardware how you'd like on iOS, even with a developer account. Certain private APIs (like the VPN one)[1] require an "Entitlements" file linked to a provisioning profile that is difficult or impossible to forge. 1. https://github.com/chrisballinger/openvpn-server-ios#openvpn-server-ios https://github.com/chrisballinger/openvpn-server-ios#openvpn...

rajbala 13y ago

"I'm a software engineer @ Microsoft's cloud computing service, Windows Azure." Props to Ahmet for being open about building products and using tools from competitors rather than denying they exist.

coob 13y ago
…iMessage hosts content on Azure.
- rajbala 13y ago
  True. Apple uses a number of cloud services including Azure, AWS, etc.
  - batuhanicoz 13y ago
    I've heard Apple using Azure but never heard of their use of AWS. How come this isn't advertised on AWS's or Azure's related page(s)[1]? [1] Case study pages can be an example for "related page(s)" for AWS: http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/ http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/ for Azure: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/overview/case-studies/archive/ http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/overview/case-studies/arch... But "for some reason" I can't think Apple sharing their experience with a platform online. It's not in their DNA, I think.
    - coob 13y ago
      Because Apple's agreements with these companies will include a clause stating that they cannot publicly acknowledge they supply Apple.

yanivs 13y ago

Well, if you think there's a demand for it just do a mobile html version. It's not a super complicated app to implement with html.

aabalkan 13y ago
Not at all, but I won't be doing it I guess. If you'd like to pick this up, logic is out there. It has a bit of manual work for getting SKU numbers of products but I'm pretty sure it is doable.

jyap 13y ago

On a related note, Apple also sent a DMCA take down notice to a site which did something similar for iPhone 5S availability: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6680716 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6680716 Site in question: http://www.apple-tracker.com http://www.apple-tracker.com

aabalkan 13y ago
Wow, that's big. Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't know what could be the potential consequences of releasing this app. Apple really does not care if you are making things easier for people as well as them.

batuhanicoz 13y ago

Although it's not much of a use for me since I'm not in the U.S., looks nice, polished, dead-simple. Ability to open store locations in Google Maps (in addition to stock Maps.app) and remembering last chosen items are nice features too. Too bad Apple is not very open to this kind of things. By the way, does Apple's official Apple Store application has this feature?

coob 13y ago

This is why you should read the App review guidelines [1] before you start. It's right there in black and white: 12.1 Apps that scrape any information from Apple sites (for example from apple.com, iTunes Store, App Store, iTunes Connect, Apple Developer Programs, etc.) or create rankings using content from Apple sites and services will be rejected [1] https://developer.apple.com/appstore/guidelines.html https://developer.apple.com/appstore/guidelines.html

cygwin98 13y ago

Nice app. It reminds me of http://www.refurb.me http://www.refurb.me, which is to track the stock of refurbished Apple devices.

CSDude 13y ago

This is why HN should also display subdomains in submissions. This is a blog of a random guy, which redirects to another domain, but gets most of the attention because of heroku.com at the end. There are many apps being rejected by Apple each day because of violating their ToS, and I fail to see why this story would be more relevant than others.

batuhanicoz 13y ago
It's a bit different rejection story from the most (but certainly not different from all), that difference being Ahmet open-sourced his app, rather then just whining about rejection and burying the code. And, IMHO, if it wasn't relevant to the community, they wouldn't up-voted it to the homepage. Also, I agree HN should show subdomains for this kind[1] of sites. [1] This kind being websites offering subdomains for user-genarated content that is not related to the company which owns the domain.
megablast 13y ago
Well, he did release his code, although it is a very simple app.

whalesalad 13y ago

Have you tried writing your own very thin wrapper for scraping Apple instead of doing it directly inside of the actual application? I like the app... It's clean and simple. I had this problem the other night. I wanted to see stock of phones and unless you begin the process of upgrading your line, you can't do that on mobile. Anyway, seems like there might be a creative solution here if you run your own lightweight proxy-like API so that on the surface it appears like you're not scraping Apple. It also opens the door for repeating the experience of your native app as a mobile friendly website.

aabalkan 13y ago
They asked me how I find out exactly how many iPhones left in a Store and I tell them I am using their AJAX call on mobile clients. Even though I create a proxy, they had to validate how accurate my data is and how I get it. So building a proxy won't help either I suppose. See other comments here regarding a DCMA takedown happened yesterday for a website launched very recently doing the same thing. This is just scary.

newrenowhore 13y ago

I feel like Apple's rejection of this app / DMCA shutdown of apple-tracker supports its brilliantly annoying marketing - scarcity creates mystery. The fact that you might not be able to get it makes you want it more; not knowing what iPhones they have in stock adds a weird level of excitement to the process of purchasing one. Apple could make this app in a second, but they don't because they want you to wonder, they want you to fret, and they want to make it that much more satisfying when you actually get it.