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I don't know if I can agree with this essay. I've found the App Store review process has helped me as a software developer, and has helped my customers. I've l
by interpol_p 13y ago
I don't know if I can agree with this essay. I've found the App Store review process has helped me as a software developer, and has helped my customers.
I've learned to take the rejections positively, and in many cases it has improved the quality of my software. Two cases specifically come to mind:
- Apple rejected an app for not putting in battery usage warnings when the app made use of background location
- Apple rejected an app for including placeholder artwork for in-game achievements
In the cases where I felt I was right, I have almost always been able to argue my point with the reviewer and was allowed through. This has been the case both for policy issues and software design.
That said, there have been moments of pain. Like when I was involved in a trademark dispute and was required to rename my app. Apple delayed the process a lot, causing the other party to become concerned (eventually Apple approved the update but it caused some tension). I think Apple has since improved their review mechanism to handle cases like this (e.g., now including the option "Is this update being submitted for legal reasons, such as copyright or trademark infringement?")
It sometimes feels like software developers think they should be above judgment; that they should be treated as first-class citizens and not their customers. I personally prefer Apple's approach. Though I'm glad there are platforms which cater to both sides.
- mikeash 13y agoThe review process can be great. But it can also suck. I'm sure you've read the horror stories. I won't reiterate them, but will say that I've been involved in some personally. I don't think it's worth the tradeoff. I'm glad there are platforms which cater to both sides, but I wish the all did. There is no reason iOS couldn't have the curated, reviewed, controlled App Store and the ability to sideload whatever apps you wanted, for those of us who don't want Apple deciding what we can or cannot run on our own hardware.
- IBM 13y agoThe "those of us" is too small a user base for Apple to make trade-offs for. Most people don't care.
- interpol_p 13y agoI wonder about being able to sideload — because I sell a relatively expensive app on the App Store (at least, expensive in App Store terms: $10). If sideloading were possible I wonder if it would increase the piracy rate for my app, on which I make a living. Personally, I would love to do away with the certificates and signing and be able to run whatever. But I wonder if it would hurt my business. I realise that piracy is already possible, but I suspect any form of sideloading makes it a far more accessible option. Edit: as I said, I'm pretty aware of the sucky bits. My review process (expedited!) went on for months while the trademark dispute played out. It was an incredibly anxious time.
- nkeets 13y agoThere is a 3rd option here: Allow apps to bypass review. These apps will be hosted on Apple and charged the 30% fee, but they will not be indexed and not be displayed in any way on iTunes. You will have to have a direct link to buy them and download them.
- mikeash 13y agoAs is typical with software developers, you ask the wrong question. It doesn't matter if it increases the piracy rate. What matters is whether it decreases your purchase rate. It's possible that sideloading would decrease your purchase rate. I don't think so, but I wouldn't rule it out. Even then, I think people's freedom to do what they want on their own hardware overrules potential harm to your business, to the extent that I find it incredibly weird to propose it.
- philwelch 13y agoThe review process has undoubtedly been refined since 2009, too.
- e28eta 13y agoThe article said 4-8 weeks approval time, that has definitely improved (unless Eddy Cue is blocking approval of your ebook app or something)