'Convertbot' App Update Rejected Over Too-Similar Time Icon

[leandromp]

While it is good that Apple keeps the App Store secure by checking what goes up on there, it's mad the stupid things they reject apps for, and this is a good example of that.

In what way would having a clock icon like Apple's one for the phone history icon equate to the converter app being malware, or equate to people on the forum thinking it was?

Yes they may have copied where Apple put the hands of the clock, but Apple didn't say it was a infringement issue, they said the issue was people might get confused by the fact the icon was similar, which is just utterly stupid.

No, you misunderstood me. I said that people dislike the approval process of the app store and if the employees weren't there and apps just appear like on the G1, it would be mess and a lot of viruses and bad stuff, which is not a good thing neither for the iPhone or the customers.

People don't like to follow the rules. They want everything their way.

I love the app store and looking for new apps. The only complain that i have is waiting more then 2 weeks for a single update. If the app is launching for the first time is understandable... it takes a lot of testing, but waiting almost 2 weeks for the facebook update? that's ridiculous, but i understand the fact that there's only 40 people behind the approval/testing process and is not an easy thing to do.

 

[macduke]

AAHHHHH!!

I'm so frustrated. Every time I try to use the compass on my iPhone 3GS it opens up the internet. Then I tried the other (ugly brown) compass icon and it kept trying to get me to turn on my GPS location services. Why is the blue compass for internet and the brown compass for GPS?

I think the FCC and AT&T should reject the iPhone OS 3.0. I also think they should take 6-8 weeks to do so and not tell them why their phone isn't allowed to operate in the United States or what changes would grant them a license.

 

[Eso]

The icon means "recent".

The icon does not mean "recent". Icons don't mean anything - they simply represent something. Believe it or not, users can actually learn that similar icons represent different things in a different context.

 

[lowbatteries]

The icon does not mean "recent". Icons don't mean anything - they simply represent something. Believe it or not, users can actually learn that similar icons represent different things in a different context.

Well then I guess this icon "represents" a list of recent activity. That is the lexicon of this particular operating system. It is a well-defined and old OS X lexicon that predates even the iPhone.

This exact icon is in Apple's HIG and how it is to be used is clearly outlined:
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/l...html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40006556-CH15-SW14

The docs say the icon is to be used to "Show the items accessed by the user within an application-defined period" or "Show history of user actions". The button in Convertbot does neither of these things, so they need to design their own icon instead of using Apple's.

 

[Spades]

There are people that really think users are incapable of understanding that an icon can have two different meanings in two different contexts? Do you also think that the average iPhone user is incapable of communicating with other human beings? After all, context-free natural languages aren't exactly common.

 

[zacheryjensen]

I'm seriously very bored of all the app store approval whining. There's no unexpected magical conspiracies here, it's a private garden. Get over it!

And besides, this is a perfect example of exactly what I want filtered out. Keep my UI consistent, keep the Apple experience. So what if it took a few updates for them to notice the problem? Doesn't mean it's not a problem.

 

[mavis]

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I'm seriously very bored of all the app store approval whining. There's no unexpected magical conspiracies here, it's a private garden. Get over it!

And besides, this is a perfect example of exactly what I want filtered out. Keep my UI consistent, keep the Apple experience. So what if it took a few updates for them to notice the problem? Doesn't mean it's not a problem.

A "private garden," huh?Wasn't it Steve Jobs who was whining about mobile carriers' "walled gardens" just a few years ago? I guess it's bad unless it's Apple being the control freak.

 

[Bubba Satori]

I'm seriously very bored of all the app store approval whining. There's no unexpected magical conspiracies here, it's a private garden.

Private garden ? Wow ! I guess every cult needs one.

 

[Andy-V]

If I see a clock icon with no lable I instantly think of 'time' or anything related to that area. And if someone presses that button and it's not what they expected, why is that an issue? Oh no I pressed that button and it didn't do what I thought it would! Precious seconds of my life have been wasted!

It's not an issue. And it's without a doubt not worthy of app-store rejection.

 

[cdinca]

When did everyone become such whiners!!!??? I blame Twitter for creating a generation of narcissistic cry babies.

 

[mavis]

When did everyone become such whiners!!!??? I blame Twitter for creating a generation of narcissistic cry babies.

Would you be referring to Apple's whining (OMGWTFLOLZ, that generic clock glyph shouldn't mean "time" on the iPhone, it should mean "history/recent" ONLY, newbz.) or to the whining from iPhone owners who wish Apple wasn't so domineering, especially with utterly trivial matters like this? Either way, I don't blame twitter. Generation Me has been around much longer than that.

 

[simsandwhich]

This is just ridiculous. Apple has no right whatsoever to 12:00 analogue clock face. It's such a basic, staple design.

The whole point of the SDK is to make Apps that work 100% with the iPhone platform, and a part of that is having the same basic UI across all apps wherever possible. Apple is working part way against this with their "approval" team.

 

[simsandwhich]

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A "private garden," huh?Wasn't it Steve Jobs who was whining about mobile carriers' "walled gardens" just a few years ago? I guess it's bad unless it's Apple being the control freak.

Case in point. Apple is thinking only of Apple here, not the 50 million users of the iPhone OS platform.

It may only be a little, tiny image, but it's just another ridiculous action from Apple with their notorious App "Approval" system.

 

[SpaceJello]

Design, User Interfaces, Consistencies and Branding

iPhone's application approval process has been a bit convoluted at times.

However, having read the iPhone Human Interface Guideline, anyone who has ever taken a course in marketing, worked in design, ergonomics, user inferface, or branding knows the importance of consistencies.

Think of this situation as "brand" policing.

Whether you agree or not, the clock icon has been explicitly stated as a iPhone systems icon developers should respect. Just as Starbucks headquarters would prevent any of its store managers from adding a extra starfishes in its mermaid logo, similarly, this is an act of Apple telling a developer to stay within its interface guidelines.

Its a case of "These are the guidelines, don't violate them."

 

[lowbatteries]

iPhone's application approval process has been a bit convoluted at times.

However, having read the iPhone Human Interface Guideline, anyone who has ever taken a course in marketing, worked in design, ergonomics, user inferface, or branding knows the importance of consistencies.

Think of this situation as "brand" policing.

Whether you agree or not, the clock icon has been explicitly stated as a iPhone systems icon developers should respect. Just as Starbucks headquarters would prevent any of its store managers from adding a extra starfishes in its mermaid logo, similarly, this is an act of Apple telling a developer to stay within its interface guidelines.

Its a case of "These are the guidelines, don't violate them."

You put this better than I could have. Apple let the ecosystem for the iPhone grow fast and crazy, and they are trying to reign it in a bit to create a better user experience.

The Apple HIG and the fact that developers actually follow it are what gives Macs such a wonderful software ecosystem - random freeware for the Mac just has higher quality than random freeware for Windows, for example. A huge part of this is consistency. Icons and shortcuts across apps and in different contexts still work the same.

This wouldn't be the case with the iPhone if Apple didn't have a little bit of a heavy hand.

Sure, users could learn that different icons and actions mean different things in different apps - but why should they have to?

That said: a stamp of approval for this app update and a side note telling them to update the icon for the next release would have been much nicer all around.

 

[netdoc66]

Frapple

Apple's fracking up bad.

 

[agkm800]

Apple really is starting to sound and act more like an authoritarian government.

 

[SpaceJello]

You put this better than I could have. Apple let the ecosystem for the iPhone grow fast and crazy, and they are trying to reign it in a bit to create a better user experience.

The Apple HIG and the fact that developers actually follow it are what gives Macs such a wonderful software ecosystem - random freeware for the Mac just has higher quality than random freeware for Windows, for example. A huge part of this is consistency. Icons and shortcuts across apps and in different contexts still work the same.

This wouldn't be the case with the iPhone if Apple didn't have a little bit of a heavy hand.

Sure, users could learn that different icons and actions mean different things in different apps - but why should they have to?

That said: a stamp of approval for this app update and a side note telling them to update the icon for the next release would have been much nicer all around.

I definitely agree Apple could have been a bit more transparent in their app rejections.

But many users are quick to cry foul over these app rejections by Apple too unfortunately.

The iPhone is attracting MANY first time mac/cocoa developers and they haven't got the slightest clue to the beauty/bareness/strict/simple Apple design philosophy.

Just take a look at the iPhone finance apps offering. I can't help but to cry seeing some of them... definitely something from the PC world.

 

[WilliamG]

Covertbot sucks anyway. Everyone should switch to "Convert," (pun intended) for a real experience. I don't know how anyone finds the Convertbot interface intuitive...

 

[Eraserhead]

There are people that really think users are incapable of understanding that an icon can have two different meanings in two different contexts? Do you also think that the average iPhone user is incapable of communicating with other human beings? After all, context-free natural languages aren't exactly common.

Its part of ease of use that the same icon should mean the same thing in different applications.

Imagine if I used + to mean delete in an application, two different meanings is OK after all (I admit this is an extreme example).

 

[Spades]

Its part of ease of use that the same icon should mean the same thing in different applications.

If this icon is only allowed to have one meaning, then it should mean "time", not "history". Clock = time to everybody but Apple it seems.

 

[lowbatteries]

If this icon is only allowed to have one meaning, then it should mean "time", not "history". Clock = time to everybody but Apple it seems.

Funny - Microsoft, Opera, and Mozilla all use a clock for the history icon. So it seems clock = history to everyone but knee-jerk-reaction MacRumors posters.

 

[kornyboy]

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I think that a lot of these request from Apple recently are a bit silly. It almost seems like they are throwing their weight around just because they can.

 

[leonstafford]

I just got hungry and licked the little apple on the back of my iPhone.

It didn't really taste as much of apple as I had hoped...

I wish Apple would put a little ass icon on the back of the iPhone because that's what it tasted more like...

Dudes, this company with the convertbot app have been selling plenty of copies for long enough. Apple and MR just gave them oodles of new customers through publicity and all their business partner, the big A, is asking is to modify an icon...

If they don't like it FO to Android and see how much money their freedom is worth

I just hope they don't start censoring fart apps to make the sounds more wet and juicy....

 

[mavis]

Funny - Microsoft, Opera, and Mozilla all use a clock for the history icon. So it seems clock = history to everyone but knee-jerk-reaction MacRumors posters.

I guess you should let Apple know about this, because there's a clock icon right on my springboard that doesn't have anything to do with history.