I did, but the First Sergeant said it wasn't in his ability, that he'd have to demote me in rank, but since I hadn't done anything wrong, he couldn't. We compromised that I would just give him half my pay, and how it's all cool.
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Apple Bans Developer with 800+ Apps from App Store
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I did, but the First Sergeant said it wasn't in his ability, that he'd have to demote me in rank, but since I hadn't done anything wrong, he couldn't. We compromised that I would just give him half my pay, and how it's all cool.
Funnily enough, it looks like that same developer has reappeared under the name askone. Same type of simple apps (10 at the moment), same price point.
http://ax.search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?media=all&term=askone
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.5; en-gb; HTC Hero Build/CUPCAKE) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)
Late to the thread but well done apple. If the app store is flooded with crap it will only harm the app store
Late to the thread but well done apple. If the app store is flooded with crap it will only harm the app store
your no fun
I LOVE THAT APP !!!
" were he at,.were he at,.were he at,.were he at,..........
Now there he goes,. there he goes,. there he goes,. there he goes,. ..
PEANUT BUTTER JELL -AY "
I LOVE THAT APP !!!
" were he at,.were he at,.were he at,.were he at,..........
Now there he goes,. there he goes,. there he goes,. there he goes,. ..
PEANUT BUTTER JELL -AY "
I remember when the first iPhone "fart" apps caused a scandal. Ever since Apple began relaxing their content standards the app store has continued it's downward spiral into a warehouse of dollar-gimmicks.
There's over 100,000 apps on the App Store now. One Hundred Thousand. How many are even worth waiting for the download to finish, let alone shelling out money for?
There's over 100,000 apps on the App Store now. One Hundred Thousand. How many are even worth waiting for the download to finish, let alone shelling out money for?
spending months of programming...
... just to put a needle into the haystack is not the smartest thing I have done in my life
. 800 seems like a high number to me, lowering it would probably not remove anything of value from the store, it would help the consumers and inspire disillusioned developers to new efforts.
... just to put a needle into the haystack is not the smartest thing I have done in my life
. 800 seems like a high number to me, lowering it would probably not remove anything of value from the store, it would help the consumers and inspire disillusioned developers to new efforts.800+ illegal apps got approved and they cant get off their collective arses and approve Trillian ? If droid becomes as popular a developer platform as the iPhone and they still have a draconian approval process I may just go droid and give my iPhone away.
enjoy your void
I agree that customer satisfaction of users of iOS based products should take priority over third party app distributors because apps are a feature that iOS users can benefit from. But applications can only be as successful as the market.
Developing for smart phones is as practical as relying on Vegas as a retirement plan. In my free time over the last year, I have submitted plenty of apps. I was not able to even break even after paying the tax penalty. In effect, I paid out of pocket to submit these apps. And I'm reminded weekly with customer concerns.
I address every concern. But why? I had prescribed to the vanity of smart phones. After the glamour wore off, I still feel an ethical obligation to take care of the people that I paid to provide apps for. This IS more the norm than the exception.
Here's what it boils down to:
A) When Apple comes up with a profitable model for developers you will see an increase in the quality of applications. This will not happen until Apple releases a product beyond the realm of shiny gadgets that fill the void. In the mean time, you will find me working on innovative technology that will actually solve real world problems.
B) After seeing how most posts indicate iOS users feel they've been taken advantage of, I refuse to continue to support you. If you really need to cast stones, start at the Apple-defined business model that programmers have to work within.
C) I applaud this guy for defining a sustainable business model where he didn't have to win the lottery to be successful.
Enjoy your void.
I agree that customer satisfaction of users of iOS based products should take priority over third party app distributors because apps are a feature that iOS users can benefit from. But applications can only be as successful as the market.
Developing for smart phones is as practical as relying on Vegas as a retirement plan. In my free time over the last year, I have submitted plenty of apps. I was not able to even break even after paying the tax penalty. In effect, I paid out of pocket to submit these apps. And I'm reminded weekly with customer concerns.
I address every concern. But why? I had prescribed to the vanity of smart phones. After the glamour wore off, I still feel an ethical obligation to take care of the people that I paid to provide apps for. This IS more the norm than the exception.
Here's what it boils down to:
A) When Apple comes up with a profitable model for developers you will see an increase in the quality of applications. This will not happen until Apple releases a product beyond the realm of shiny gadgets that fill the void. In the mean time, you will find me working on innovative technology that will actually solve real world problems.
B) After seeing how most posts indicate iOS users feel they've been taken advantage of, I refuse to continue to support you. If you really need to cast stones, start at the Apple-defined business model that programmers have to work within.
C) I applaud this guy for defining a sustainable business model where he didn't have to win the lottery to be successful.
Enjoy your void.
I call B.S. on this ....
iSponge: Developing for smartphones is only as practical as your software concept. THAT is the real problem in almost every case I see where a developer whines and moans about not being able to make a decent profit on the platform! A whole LOT of people went crazy when the hype was at its peak for the iPhone and said, "I gotta get me a piece of THAT action!"
Fact is though, there's not really all THAT much you can create for a given smartphone that isn't just a rehash of stuff that's been done before, or is just plain useless junk for cheap laughs or thrills.
I'm a LONG time computer user and got on board with "smartphones" back when the best you had was a PalmOS based Kyocera phone with a greyscale screen and a stylus that crashed daily, requiring pulling the battery out to reset it.
The single BIGGEST reason the iPhone was successful in the first place was the fact it was finally a STABLE smartphone with a nice multitouch interface that even grandma could manipulate after a little practice. When it first came out, Apple wasn't even really interested in other people writing apps to run on the thing. They were emphasizing "web apps" where you just made an icon on the phone and sent it to some web site that served everything up!
Obviously, they gave in on that idea and slowly came around to an entire app ecosystem, and IMO, it's a pretty good one. Unlike Android, people don't have to worry that much about malware and other nonsense, and Apple rather wisely restricted some of the things you were allowed to access on the phones in your code. (Again, devs whine and moan -- but the iPhone remains the most stable of the smartphones on the market, and this is one reason why!)
If you don't have something that will really "wow" people on a smartphone and make them say, "I can use THAT app every day!", you don't have anything you should count on profiting from. That's just the way it is. The phone already comes with a good email app, a calendar/scheduler, and most importantly, a pretty good web browser. That covers a BIG chunk of what people demand out of a smartphone to begin with. So much other stuff people write is, honestly, useless "fluff". Tons of apps that are just pretty front-ends to the SAME services you can access over the web browser directly. (All fine and good, but not worth PAYING for 99% of the time.)
And if you honestly think what you wrote is "Pretty cool, but not something I might sell a lot of if I don't price it under $5."? Yeah, it's not really that cool after all, ok? It's just ok, and again, you shouldn't expect to make a living off the thing.
iSponge: Developing for smartphones is only as practical as your software concept. THAT is the real problem in almost every case I see where a developer whines and moans about not being able to make a decent profit on the platform! A whole LOT of people went crazy when the hype was at its peak for the iPhone and said, "I gotta get me a piece of THAT action!"
Fact is though, there's not really all THAT much you can create for a given smartphone that isn't just a rehash of stuff that's been done before, or is just plain useless junk for cheap laughs or thrills.
I'm a LONG time computer user and got on board with "smartphones" back when the best you had was a PalmOS based Kyocera phone with a greyscale screen and a stylus that crashed daily, requiring pulling the battery out to reset it.
The single BIGGEST reason the iPhone was successful in the first place was the fact it was finally a STABLE smartphone with a nice multitouch interface that even grandma could manipulate after a little practice. When it first came out, Apple wasn't even really interested in other people writing apps to run on the thing. They were emphasizing "web apps" where you just made an icon on the phone and sent it to some web site that served everything up!
Obviously, they gave in on that idea and slowly came around to an entire app ecosystem, and IMO, it's a pretty good one. Unlike Android, people don't have to worry that much about malware and other nonsense, and Apple rather wisely restricted some of the things you were allowed to access on the phones in your code. (Again, devs whine and moan -- but the iPhone remains the most stable of the smartphones on the market, and this is one reason why!)
If you don't have something that will really "wow" people on a smartphone and make them say, "I can use THAT app every day!", you don't have anything you should count on profiting from. That's just the way it is. The phone already comes with a good email app, a calendar/scheduler, and most importantly, a pretty good web browser. That covers a BIG chunk of what people demand out of a smartphone to begin with. So much other stuff people write is, honestly, useless "fluff". Tons of apps that are just pretty front-ends to the SAME services you can access over the web browser directly. (All fine and good, but not worth PAYING for 99% of the time.)
And if you honestly think what you wrote is "Pretty cool, but not something I might sell a lot of if I don't price it under $5."? Yeah, it's not really that cool after all, ok? It's just ok, and again, you shouldn't expect to make a living off the thing.
kingtj: I agree with all except the necessity of apps. My experience, and my visibility into other companies suggests that users buy just to buy when it comes to apps less than five bucks. I suspect most buyers don't even read the app description if it costs less than five bucks.
Aside from than this, what you say is complimentary to what I wrote, if not redundant. If I came off as some whiny smart phone developer that was upset because I didn't make a profit, I failed to make my point.
The motivation for my post came to be because I've largely read consumer side complaints. I think it's worth considering the developer side, and how Apple's mandates makes it difficult for third party distributors to make a profit. The best way I knew to do this was to tell my story: my lessons learned.
And you have considered it. Thank you.
Apple's developer policies clearly guide development. The only reason to exclude them from this topic is 'in apple we trust'; which is not in my mantra. They do have there benefits, in line with what you stated. But I don't think they were designed to necessarily push developers down the path they want them to follow. Companies will find the path of least resistance towards a profit within the rules of the system. This touches on one aspect of why this thread is in this forum...which I find more interesting than bye bye sexy.
But I can only speculate at this point. It sounds like you have a great deal more insight into this than I. So I'm curious if and how you feel this system could be more intelligently designed, as to make it less appealing for companies like the subject company to operate the way is has.
Aside from than this, what you say is complimentary to what I wrote, if not redundant. If I came off as some whiny smart phone developer that was upset because I didn't make a profit, I failed to make my point.
The motivation for my post came to be because I've largely read consumer side complaints. I think it's worth considering the developer side, and how Apple's mandates makes it difficult for third party distributors to make a profit. The best way I knew to do this was to tell my story: my lessons learned.
And you have considered it. Thank you.
Apple's developer policies clearly guide development. The only reason to exclude them from this topic is 'in apple we trust'; which is not in my mantra. They do have there benefits, in line with what you stated. But I don't think they were designed to necessarily push developers down the path they want them to follow. Companies will find the path of least resistance towards a profit within the rules of the system. This touches on one aspect of why this thread is in this forum...which I find more interesting than bye bye sexy.
But I can only speculate at this point. It sounds like you have a great deal more insight into this than I. So I'm curious if and how you feel this system could be more intelligently designed, as to make it less appealing for companies like the subject company to operate the way is has.
Thanks for the response!
I have to admit that when I read your original post, I hadn't followed back through all of the previous messages in the thread. So I may have misunderstood you as being among those who felt Apple was mishandling the "app store" in some way, causing you to waste time and money developing for the platform.
I think you're probably right, too, that a lot of people will just "impulse buy" apps that have low prices (under $5). But I have to wonder if the money made that way isn't offset with heartache and hassle fielding emails and negative reviews from people who weren't happy with what they got, after the fact? I'd hate to be in the position of being a dev who released several "throw away" apps for $1 each or so, and then wound up fighting a negative perception of my name and my development skills when I worked hard to release a major app, later on.
I think I see what you're saying (and yes, definitely, most users never consider the developer's point of view). But then, can one really blame them? That's how the marketplace always works. How often does a buyer at the grocery store stop and consider the grocery store owner's point of view when he/she is upset about them being out of a product, or deciding not to carry an item anymore, or not honoring a coupon? How often does a new car buyer really concern him/herself with the situation the dealership is in? That's why I think software developers really need to do a lot more Q.A. on the things they release, BEFORE v1.0 leaves the door. That's also why I think some apps just should be reconsidered instead of developed at all. Everyone would really be better off if we had fewer software titles, but more assurance that each one we had really worked solidly, did everything it claimed, and was easy and enjoyable to use. The alternative means consumers will get bitchy and demanding (often over stuff a developer never even made enough money from to be worth supporting!), and they wind up throwing away money to buy more solutions to their same problems, trying to find "better" alternatives. Lose, lose on both sides.
I have to admit that when I read your original post, I hadn't followed back through all of the previous messages in the thread. So I may have misunderstood you as being among those who felt Apple was mishandling the "app store" in some way, causing you to waste time and money developing for the platform.
I think you're probably right, too, that a lot of people will just "impulse buy" apps that have low prices (under $5). But I have to wonder if the money made that way isn't offset with heartache and hassle fielding emails and negative reviews from people who weren't happy with what they got, after the fact? I'd hate to be in the position of being a dev who released several "throw away" apps for $1 each or so, and then wound up fighting a negative perception of my name and my development skills when I worked hard to release a major app, later on.
I think I see what you're saying (and yes, definitely, most users never consider the developer's point of view). But then, can one really blame them? That's how the marketplace always works. How often does a buyer at the grocery store stop and consider the grocery store owner's point of view when he/she is upset about them being out of a product, or deciding not to carry an item anymore, or not honoring a coupon? How often does a new car buyer really concern him/herself with the situation the dealership is in? That's why I think software developers really need to do a lot more Q.A. on the things they release, BEFORE v1.0 leaves the door. That's also why I think some apps just should be reconsidered instead of developed at all. Everyone would really be better off if we had fewer software titles, but more assurance that each one we had really worked solidly, did everything it claimed, and was easy and enjoyable to use. The alternative means consumers will get bitchy and demanding (often over stuff a developer never even made enough money from to be worth supporting!), and they wind up throwing away money to buy more solutions to their same problems, trying to find "better" alternatives. Lose, lose on both sides.
And yet Apple's massive vetting system approved them for their store... hmm...
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And yet Apple's massive vetting system approved them for their store... hmm...