App Store Director Revealed to Be Former Fart App Developer

[MacRumors]

Shoemaker's "iWiz" (left) and "Animal Farts" (right) App Store applications

Wired has discovered that Phillip Shoemaker, Apple's Director of Applications Technology for the App Store, is a former App Store developer himself who has a handful of applications, several of which fall into the category of low-brow fart and urination humor, still available for sale. Shoemaker's App Store development work was handled under the name GrayNoodle LLC.

"Simulate the experience of urinating for a long time," iWiz's app description reads in iTunes. "Convince your friends that you'll never stop. iWiz allows you to simulate urination: faster, slower, or just a trickle."

The game Animal Farts features various cartoon images of animals with their buttocks facing forward, giving users buttons to trigger "Fart," "Poot," "Drop" or "Wiz" sounds accompanied with animations illustrating said emissions.

According to an Apple spokeswoman, all of Shoemaker's applications had been approved prior to his employment with Apple.

"Phillip's apps were written, submitted and approved before he became an Apple employee," an Apple spokeswoman said in a statement. "His experience and perspective as a developer is one of the valuable things he brings to Apple’s developer relations team. Apple's policy allows for employees to have apps on the App Store if they're developed and published prior to their start at Apple."

Apple's statement is apparently contradicted, however, by App Store data showing that three of his applications debuted in the App Store up to six weeks after Shoemaker had tweeted that he was working for Apple in early March 2009.

Shoemaker's LinkedIn profile prior to removal of GrayNoodle reference

Since the publication of Wired's article, Shoemaker has deleted his Twitter accounts and updated his LinkedIn page to remove mention of his connection to GrayNoodle and the apps in question.

Article Link: App Store Director Revealed to Be Former Fart App Developer

 

[harmelion]

Stay classy, Apple.

 

[badcrumble]

Er... maybe they should've gotten someone a bit more qualified to run that department and have a sense of what application developers need in order to succeed. I'm hoping he has a lot of other virtues that we just don't know about.

 

[vorbb]

Ridiculous.

 

[GoCubsGo]

iConflictOfInterest

Nice one.

 

[skeep5]

what does this have to do with the price of rice in china

 

[GoCubsGo]

what does this have to do with the price of rice in china

Someone high up in the App store is currently selling apps for profit. Maybe not a huge deal but are there controls in place to ensure his apps aren't immediately approved without any review? Is he tied to the same rules all developers are tied to? Do his apps get reviewed right away or do they sit in the queue like all apps should? There are too many questions and him being in a position to really become unjustly enriched by his position is unsettling or should be unsettling to developers.

 

[Terminal.app]

I lol'd hard.

 

[FFArchitect]

Wow.

 

[Mexbearpig]

I'm guessing he wears a business suit to work. Wait...

 

[617arg]

the future of the app store looks................

 

[DTphonehome]

I'm sorry, but anyone who buys these apps isn't cool enough to have Apple stuff.

 

[Peterson8765]

Good to know.

 

[wattsin]

Well that stinks

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

What makes this guy so special, I know better qualified people. Hell I am not that stupid pick me apple!

 

[WilliamG]

Well that stinks

I see what you did there...

 

[SerenityInt]

Someone high up in the App store is currently selling apps for profit. Maybe not a huge deal but are there controls in place to ensure his apps aren't immediately approved without any review? Is he tied to the same rules all developers are tied to? Do his apps get reviewed right away or do they sit in the queue like all apps should? There are too many questions and him being in a position to really become unjustly enriched by his position is unsettling or should be unsettling to developers.

I seriously doubt these apps are getting downloaded in huge numbers. They stink.

 

[GoCubsGo]

What makes this guy so special, I know better qualified people. Hell I am not that stupid pick me apple!

It's not about being smart or dumb. It's about a potential conflict of interest. Of course being the developer of the fart and piss apps is like your boss finding your drunk sex tape video on your facebook page Monday morning ... oh wait wut.

I seriously doubt these apps are getting downloaded in huge numbers. They stink.

They were and profit is profit. Homeboy is working both ends of the line.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

What makes this guy so special, I know better qualified people. Hell I am not that stupid pick me apple!

Then sell yourself. It does help to have contacts who will endorse you as well.

 

[DesmoPilot]

I seriously doubt these apps are getting downloaded in huge numbers. They stink.

Doesn't matter in a court case.

 

[nfl46]

SMH! How immature!

 

[Nebulance]

hahaha, awesome.

 

[Peterson8765]

I seriously doubt these apps are getting downloaded in huge numbers. They stink.

Thats the glory of the app store. Most of these apps coming out are pointless.

 

[LagunaSol]

Not only should this guy be canned for conflict of interest, he should be canned for horrifically-designed apps.

Hey Phillip, there's a better place for crappy apps like yours: Android.

 

[Full of Win]

I wonder if he had that on his CV?

2008: Developed a Flatulence Simulation Application for the iPhone/iPod Touch
2008: Developed a Bladder Evacuation Simulation Application for the iPhone/iPod Touch