Steve Jobs Reportedly Intervenes in iPhone Application Approval

You know what would solve this in more than half the cases? Apple could have an API approval process since some functionality can only be added with customized API's. Apple's concern for security and platform stability and resource usage is real and actually justifiable. Some API's have resource hog potential that even wit it on the list specific applications might still need case by case approval with guidance provided by Apple what likely approaches would result in non-approval. The main thing developers object to is laboring only to be rejected on release.

The procedures they have put in place since iPhone deployment have resulted in a diverse and robust initial ecosystem. It's time to expand the pool a bit, carefully yes, but even a few API additions will greatly widen the scope of applications iPhone OS can perform at little cost to Apple. Some provision for API cross-licensing may be needed as well, in the stock developer contract.

Steve, put your toe in the water on this slowly but you will be rewarded with the loyalty and innovation of your developers. iPhone OS has legs.

Rocketman

So, use of private APIs is fair-game now? If you get rejected, you can just get Steve Jobs to step in on your behalf?

dejo said:

If you get rejected, you can just get Steve Jobs to step in on your behalf?

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Sounds about right...not sure how I feel about this...

Have to admit, I'm surprised that an email to Steve Jobs would even be looked at! You don't usually find CEOs or executives at that level worrying or concerned about developers at all.

nwcs said:

Have to admit, I'm surprised that an email to Steve Jobs would even be looked at! You don't usually find CEOs or executives at that level worrying or concerned about developers at all.

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They get 30% of App profits (mind you, this does not apply here, seeing as it is a free app), so naturally Apple and Steve care. But this level of caring, over a free app, is interesting.

Cool for him, crappy for all other developers who stay within the rules that they agreed to when signing up for the SDK.

If they are just going to circumvent the rules, then what's the point.

Can I ask Steve to approve background execution for music applications like Spotify? I have no use whatever for the iPod applicatiion on my iPhone so what do you think Steve, can I run Spotify in the background instead of the useless built-in app?

nwcs said:

Have to admit, I'm surprised that an email to Steve Jobs would even be looked at! You don't usually find CEOs or executives at that level worrying or concerned about developers at all.

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It’s well known that Jobs reads his e-mail. In some cases, he even personally replies. I’ve personally had three separate problems addressed successfully by e-mailing Jobs. Although I would only recommend it for the most desperate of cases.

My cases were fairly desperate.

- The first issue was my account was corrupted on .Mac’s servers (MobileMe has since replaced .Mac). At the time, you only could interface with .Mac support through web forms and e-mail (similar to the iTunes Store now). I exchanged roughly 20 e-mails with different .Mac representatives with the vast majority of their replies being copied directly from the Apple knowledge base. Very frustrating. I e-mailed Jobs and a .Mac engineer had my account restored and working properly within just a few hours after two weeks of hassling back and forth with Web support.

- The second issue was the iPod replacement part web page was down for a week before anyone noticed. It was an obscure certificate error when you tried to checkout. I tried e-mailing webmaster@apple.com and even called AppleCare to alert them. However, no one bothered to fix it. I e-mailed Jobs and it was fixed within 24 hours and I received a phone call from an corporate relations representative thanking me for letting them know.

- The third issue was with the Apple Store. I pre-ordered 10.5 Leopard only to have the disc arrive scratched and unusable. I called the Apple Store six times trying to get a return/replacement order created. Each time, I was assured a replacement order would be sent via USPS. After a month, I e-mailed Jobs and I had Leopard the next day. They also refunded me the $129+ for my 10.5 order and sent me a $100 gift card.

So needless to say, it works.

nwcs said:

Have to admit, I'm surprised that an email to Steve Jobs would even be looked at! You don't usually find CEOs or executives at that level worrying or concerned about developers at all.

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Actually, Steve Jobs replied to one of my emails once with one of his famously short replies. It wasn't sent from his iPhone though. It was after 2.0 came out and the apps / media were disappearing. I was one of the more vocal members of the forum at the time who had this problem. He put me in touch with the manager of iTunes Customer Experience Daniel Erlewine and they ended up discovering a bug in iTunes that was corrupting something on my iPhone when new apps were installed. After they updated iTunes everything was fine.

Where in this does it say that 'Old Jobs personally got involved?

"From the top" could just mean what ever manager is overseeing the shambles of the approval team.

Next time my and app needs to be force-quited or the beacjh ball spinns a little long, I'll call up Steve to pop around to my place and sort of the problem.

prepare for your inbox to be flooded steve

dejo said:

So, use of private APIs is fair-game now? If you get rejected, you can just get Steve Jobs to step in on your behalf?

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What could you _possibly_ mean?!?!

As so many will tell you the App Approval Process is a clear set of rules and regulations that even a 3rd grader should be able to understand...

"From the top" - it is more likely to be Phil Schiller than Steve Jobs..

wackymacky said:

Where in this does it say that 'Old Jobs personally got involved?

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Isn't it obvious Phil Schiller comes across as a complete doofus regarding App store approvals.

dejo said:

So, use of private APIs is fair-game now? If you get rejected, you can just get Steve Jobs to step in on your behalf?

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only if youre lucky enough to get a audience with His Holiness.

I emailed Jobs with my frustration when they took firewire off the macbook - it affected the non-profit I work at (who use cheap FW cameras for working with deaf people and sign language).

I'm sure I was just one of many many people who also did the same thing. I got no reply, but a few weeks later, firewire was back on the macbook, in the form of the new 13'' MBP model. FW800 no less. This was after he said "FW is dead. It ain't coming back."

RedTomato said:

This was after he said "FW is dead. It ain't coming back."

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He said that, did he?

Jobs says a lot of crap that doesn't have any basis in reality. After all, Woz actually did something, Jobs just said whatever people wanted to hear to make them buy what Woz did. This is pretty funny tho. I didn't really think the app "process" could get any less consistent and any more full of s**t and yet it seems that it can.

Here's one for Steve from a frustrated developer ( me )

How about allowing access the User's iTunes library to manipulate?

I would be wiling to submit to a more stringent review process even if I could do this. I know you want to protect your lifeblood, but there are plenty of legitimate apps out there that could use this.

dejo said:

So, use of private APIs is fair-game now? If you get rejected, you can just get Steve Jobs to step in on your behalf?

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I have a feeling Steve Jobs is about to get more mail than Santa Claus. The U.S. Post Office will soon pull up to Apple with an entire 18-wheel truck full of letters addressed to "Steve Jobs. Private. Confidential."
Enjoy.

dejo said:

He said that, did he?

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More or less, and I'm sure you know the exact words. If not, why not email him and ask

RedTomato said:

More or less, and I'm sure you know the exact words. If not, why not email him and ask

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He didn’t say anything like that. All he said was:

"Actually, all of the new HD camcorders of the past few years use USB 2."

jaw04005 said:

He didn’t say anything like that. All he said was:

"Actually, all of the new HD camcorders of the past few years use USB 2."

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Well, he was right. Most new "consumer" HD camcorder do use USB 2. There is a lot less need for Firewire on the "Macbook" line. They brought back Firewire on the 13" "Macbook Pro" to differentiate it from the Macbook line.

here we go again

It's perhaps wise to 'assume' that "from the top", would most likely mean

The top of my dept.
the top floor in my building.
some guy who I admire.
"the suits"

Mind you, the minion who made the call was probably so in the dark as to be privy to exactly nada.