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"HD" is out of control, has to stop

T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
Hello, developers.

5jcFZ.png


I know it's hard not to throw a badge on your icon and label your app "HD". Everyone's doing it. You want to fit in.

JUST STOP AND THINK FOR A FEW MINUTES.

HD has a pretty accepted definition (pun intended). For television, it's one or two million pixels per frame. For digital video, it's 1280x720 or higher. The iPad display is 1024x768. It does not have a million pixels. No one would have called the 12" iBooks and Powerbooks "HD", so why would they call the iPad "HD"? Because it's a bit higher than the iPhone? What happens when the next generation iPhone comes out and it has more pixels? Are all of my iPhone apps going to get "HD" badges too?

Badges in icons as a whole are entirely pointless. Maybe they have a place in the App Store, as packaging for a product in a brick and mortar store would have badges. But when I take my 100% recyclable paper plates out of their packaging, they are just paper plates.

Once applications are installed, especially if you've paid for them, all this branding stuff needs to go. Imaging how annoying it would be to have "AS SEEN ON TV" printed on your Snuggie, or "BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED" on your Fisher Price keyboard. It would be completely unacceptable.

I mean, look at this:

YHZ12.jpg


Just stop, will you? It's getting old. Yeah, we get it. There's a new iPhone OS device that has more pixels than 320x480. We bought them and we bought your "HD" version of the same thing we bought on our iPhone. We found it in the iPad section of the App Store. We know what we're getting. Now will you please stop making my iPad ugly with your disgusting icon badges?

Thank you.
 
sassenach74

sassenach74

macrumors 65816
May 3, 2008
1,171
28
Spain
Here's what I replied in that other thread you was complaining in:

Actually, having a 'HD' in the title often helps in identifying it within iTunes for syncing to your device. If you own both an iPhone and an iPad version of an app, it's not apparent which is which before you sync it over, unless the name suggests it. Just my 2p worth.

Granted, it doesn't have to be 'HD' but it's as good as any until Apple sorts out iTunes for identification before you sync, instead of one long messy list of apps. I suppose 'for iPad' also works, but that is also in your complaint, how do devs win?
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
sassenach74 said:
Here's what I replied in that other thread you was complaining in:

Actually, having a 'HD' in the title often helps in identifying it within iTunes for syncing to your device. If you own both an iPhone and an iPad version of an app, it's not apparent which is which before you sync it over, unless the name suggests it. Just my 2p worth.

Granted, it doesn't have to be 'HD' but it's as good as any until Apple sorts out iTunes for identification before you sync, instead of one long messy list of apps. I suppose 'for iPad' also works, but that is also in your complaint, how do devs win?
Click to expand...

if the developer has two of the same thing in the app store, one for ipad and one for iphone/ipod touch then they are doing it wrong.

there are plenty of universal applications on the app store. do that.
 
D

Demarca

macrumors member
Oct 2, 2009
36
0
Poland
Yes, it does look messy.
But almost every developer is doing this "HD" labeling. Now it became sort of industry-standard, I think.

My iPad app must be distinguished from iPhone version, because it is different. Different graphics, different A.I. algorithms (because of more processing power). So I've added "HD" to the app's name. Not to the icon, to keep it simple and clear.

Sorry for my English, I'm far from being fluent...

Regards,
Marek
 
sassenach74

sassenach74

macrumors 65816
May 3, 2008
1,171
28
Spain
The General said:
if the developer has two of the same thing in the app store, one for ipad and one for iphone/ipod touch then they are doing it wrong.

there are plenty of universal applications on the app store. do that.
Click to expand...

You can't make a blanket statement like that. Not all apps warrant being a universal app. Are you also suggesting people who do not own an iPad should tolerate bloated apps on their iPhone?
You're also suggesting that devs should not make any extra money for making an iPad version of an app.
What do YOU suggest devs do to remedy this and still be fair to everyone?
To me, the simplest thing is exactly what most devs are doing.......creating a universal app for the apps that can't justify an extra cost/small file size or creating an iPad version, with a cost to the buyer and identifying that it is an iPad app within the name.
 
doug in albq

doug in albq

Suspended
Oct 12, 2007
1,449
246
Agree with the OP, some other solution is needed.


Same could be said for all the games with that green icon (feint sp?) that signifies that game data can be uploaded to that game server...Get rid of the green icon, it makes all game logos/icons look too similar.

the icon is not the spot to be advertising features.
 
I

iVoid

macrumors 65816
Jan 9, 2007
1,145
190
I wonder if this use of HD is partly because of Apple's prohibition of using iPad or pad in app names.

But I agree that HD isn't appropriate since it isn't HD resolution.
 
PsyD4Me

PsyD4Me

macrumors 6502a
Mar 11, 2009
778
0
under your bed
The General said:
Hello, developers.

I know it's hard not to throw a badge on your icon and label your app "HD". Everyone's doing it. You want to fit in.

JUST STOP AND THINK FOR A FEW MINUTES.

HD has a pretty accepted definition (pun intended). For television, it's one or two million pixels per frame. For digital video, it's 1280x720 or higher. The iPad display is 1024x768. It does not have a million pixels. No one would have called the 12" iBooks and Powerbooks "HD", so why would they call the iPad "HD"? Because it's a bit higher than the iPhone? What happens when the next generation iPhone comes out and it has more pixels? Are all of my iPhone apps going to get "HD" badges too?

Badges in icons as a whole are entirely pointless. Maybe they have a place in the App Store, as packaging for a product in a brick and mortar store would have badges. But when I take my 100% recyclable paper plates out of their packaging, they are just paper plates.

Once applications are installed, especially if you've paid for them, all this branding stuff needs to go. Imaging how annoying it would be to have "AS SEEN ON TV" printed on your Snuggie, or "BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED" on your Fisher Price keyboard. It would be completely unacceptable.

I mean, look at this:



Just stop, will you? It's getting old. Yeah, we get it. There's a new iPhone OS device that has more pixels than 320x480. We bought them and we bought your "HD" version of the same thing we bought on our iPhone. We found it in the iPad section of the App Store. We know what we're getting. Now will you please stop making my iPad ugly with your disgusting icon badges?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Well, you should blame the first few developers really, the followers had no choice, because otherwise their non HD products would look strange to a consumer browsing through
 
Warbrain

Warbrain

macrumors 603
Jun 28, 2004
5,702
293
Chicago, IL
I'm in agreement with the OP.

For the most part these "HD" apps are nothing more than full-screen versions of the iPhone apps. They offer no new features, no new functionality...just adapted to a bigger screen.

The HD classification is nothing more than a way to weasel more money out of consumers.

Universal apps are possible. Do it over separate versions. Having two versions and having to pay twice makes a developer look even more like an *******.
 
M

moynihan123

macrumors member
Apr 27, 2010
34
0
The General is absolutely, 100% correct in this.

sassenach74 said:
Here's what I replied in that other thread you was complaining in:

Actually, having a 'HD' in the title often helps in identifying it within iTunes for syncing to your device. If you own both an iPhone and an iPad version of an app, it's not apparent which is which before you sync it over, unless the name suggests it. Just my 2p worth.

Granted, it doesn't have to be 'HD' but it's as good as any until Apple sorts out iTunes for identification before you sync, instead of one long messy list of apps. I suppose 'for iPad' also works, but that is also in your complaint, how do devs win?
Click to expand...

Fail.

You are entirely missing the point of the post. Well, it actually seems like you understand but then you go on and lose it.

Nobody's objecting to distinguishing apps. We are all objecting to the label 'HD'. It worsens the HD label to put it on an iPad app.
 
Whorehay

Whorehay

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2008
631
1
Warbrain said:
Welcome, person who thinks all people who jailbreak pirate apps!
Click to expand...

A little birdie came by my window and hinted at it ;)

The General said:
Find the version of the app you want and install it with install0us. Then the App Store will not look for updates for it. If you don't want to do that, you could crack the one you own and install it with install0us.

Or just ignore the update.
Click to expand...
 
sassenach74

sassenach74

macrumors 65816
May 3, 2008
1,171
28
Spain
moynihan123 said:
The General is absolutely, 100% correct in this.



Fail.

You are entirely missing the point of the post. Well, it actually seems like you understand but then you go on and lose it.

Nobody's objecting to distinguishing apps. We are all objecting to the label 'HD'. It worsens the HD label to put it on an iPad app.
Click to expand...

How do you figure I had the point then lost it? The OP stated that there is no need to distinguish an iPad app to an iPhone app:

"Once applications are installed, especially if you've paid for them, all this branding stuff needs to go"
"We found it in the iPad section of the App Store. We know what we're getting"

My post was entirely saying that there is a need, but not necessarily with the use of 'HD'. Since Apple has claimed the word 'Pad' as all of their own when it comes to apps, devs aren't left with an awful lot of choice. I'm not in the least bit objecting to change, or to the fact that the use of HD is incorrect, but iTunes does not differentiate between an iPhone app and an iPad app in the apps section for syncing. I have read quite a few complaints about this exact thing here on these forums. Let's face it though, the use of HD in a title is nothing new. Wonder whether the next iPhone will actually be called iPhone HD.....what then??

Edit: Just to clarify, I do agree that there isn't really a need to add 'HD' or similar to the actual app icon.
 
A

admanimal

macrumors 68040
Apr 22, 2005
3,531
2
One thing to note is that the name that appears in iTunes/the App Store and the name that appears once the app is installed don't have to match. So developers could continue to use HD in the App Store names but leave it off of the actual app bundle name on the device, where having it is pretty pointless. For example, my iPad app appears as "Expense Tablet for iPad" on the App Store, but just says "Expenses" once it is installed on the device.
 
Fireproof!

Fireproof!

macrumors 6502a
Dec 1, 2008
966
276
Frisco, TX
admanimal said:
One thing to note is that the name that appears in iTunes/the App Store and the name that appears once the app is installed don't have to match. So developers could continue to use HD in the App Store names but leave it off of the actual app bundle name on the device, where having it is pretty pointless. For example, my iPad app appears as "Expense Tablet for iPad" on the App Store, but just says "Expenses" once it is installed on the device.
Click to expand...

That would be great if most would do that.
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
admanimal said:
One thing to note is that the name that appears in iTunes/the App Store and the name that appears once the app is installed don't have to match. So developers could continue to use HD in the App Store names but leave it off of the actual app bundle name on the device, where having it is pretty pointless. For example, my iPad app appears as "Expense Tablet for iPad" on the App Store, but just says "Expenses" once it is installed on the device.
Click to expand...

Can they do the same thing for the icons? Could they put the badge in the icon that shows in the app store and then have a normal icon once installed on the device?
 
T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
Compile 'em all said:
HD and for iPad are actually both recommended by Apple to indicate an iPad-only app.
Click to expand...

Link? I find the HD part hard to believe. Anyway, even if Apple did suggest is sort of thing, surely they don't mean putting an HD badge in the application's icon or putting it in the name once installed on the device.
 
A

admanimal

macrumors 68040
Apr 22, 2005
3,531
2
The General said:
Can they do the same thing for the icons? Could they put the badge in the icon that shows in the app store and then have a normal icon once installed on the device?
Click to expand...

I can't remember if Apple has a policy about this but in general yes, it is possible.
 
Warbrain

Warbrain

macrumors 603
Jun 28, 2004
5,702
293
Chicago, IL
The General said:
Can they do the same thing for the icons? Could they put the badge in the icon that shows in the app store and then have a normal icon once installed on the device?
Click to expand...

They do all the time. So many icons that you download are not what shows up on the icon, especially with sales and updates.

Compile 'em all said:
HD and for iPad are actually both recommended by Apple to indicate an iPad-only app.
Click to expand...

I have not seen anything saying that apps could include the HD tag that came directly from Apple. I think some devs did it and everyone ran with it. It's a silly tag to use.
 
Moonjumper

Moonjumper

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2009
2,740
2,908
Lincoln, UK
The General said:
HD has a pretty accepted definition (pun intended). For television, it's one or two million pixels per frame. For digital video, it's 1280x720 or higher. The iPad display is 1024x768. It does not have a million pixels. No one would have called the 12" iBooks and Powerbooks "HD", so why would they call the iPad "HD"? Because it's a bit higher than the iPhone? What happens when the next generation iPhone comes out and it has more pixels? Are all of my iPhone apps going to get "HD" badges too?
Click to expand...

Many early Plasma TVs with HD badging were 1024x768 with oblong pixels to make them appear widescreen. They did some scaling to display 720p. It was a bit of a cheat, but they were still allowed to use the HD Ready logos.

HD is being banded around a lot in advertising to denote a higher definition than standard. Apple apps are not alone in doing this.

However, I think XL would be more appropriate.
 
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