Apple Removes Chomp Website and App, Shuts Down Existing App Installs

[sbmhome]

Well observed. Change for the sake of change, as far as I can tell.

I'm an app developer. I sympathize with Apple because I know you can never satisfy 100% of a large audience, and I understand the difficulties of making an interface that is heavily reliant on a speedy internet connection look and feel fluid. Even so, at times I am at ends with their design choices, and this is one of those times.

I think the idea behind iOS has always been accessibility. There's a certain point where you can't add visual flair without sacrificing usability and intuitiveness to some degree, and I think Apple is beginning to find themselves in the difficult position of making that choice. iOS wasn't really designed to be very expandable and future proof. It pretty much did everything it wanted to do perfectly from very early on.

Microsoft has the right idea of combining their mobile and full operating systems into one product - their implementation is just bad. I think the answer to Apple's dilemma is the accessible mobile front end that everyone knows and loves, and an iOSX mode that gives you the full power of a mac by simply pugging your phone into a doc that has a keyboard, mouse, and monitor attached.

I have to agree with both of you on this.

It seems that the changes were just to make it different, but not better. I've always liked how simple it was to find apps in the app store. Lists make more sense to me.

With this new design, it feels like I'm looking at a wall of apps while looking through a small hole with minimal peripheral vision.

I don't mind change, but change needs to be done in thoughtful ways, not 2 steps forward and 1 step back...actually I don't even know how is this 2 steps forward....its just backwards .

 

[macs4nw]

Image

Only an OK button? How about: You're welcome, now give me back the old Chomp.

 

[coffeemadmanUK]

I dislike the new app store, but I understand why some people like it. I wish Apple would allow us to choose between the two views though.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Wow, even Dropbox is difficult for you? Seriously?

Not that it was difficult, just was nowhere near as easy as iCloud. I maybe just had a bad experience.

 

[Varedis]

A better solution for the whole App Store mess would have been to provide the interface in two orientations. Show the list view in Portrait view, and the Chomp style view in Landscape, then let the user decide how to view it.

 

[Sedrick]

Man, seems Apple is all about f.a.i.l. this year. One thing after another. The honeymoon is definately over.

 

[iapplelove]

i prefer the new interface. I get info on the apps I search for.

i tend to like it better as well. it makes more sense to me

 

[Tech198]

Chomp ?? Never heard of them..

From looking at this headline, i don't see what Chomp offers that the App Store does't, apart frim a dfferent UI.

 

[o0jelly0o]

The iPad has that feature.

No, the iPad has four finger swipe up anywhere on the screen to reveal it, which is good, but the smaller iOS devices need it as well, and obviously the best solution there is a single finger swipe up from the bottom.

 

[cmChimera]

That is because you are in the .01% who actually likes the new app store. Of course you don't get it.



Mike

No, you simply misread, posted a sarcastic comment that didn't make sense, and now don't want to just admit you messed up. It's ok.

 

[mtrctyjoe]

Not a fan of the new App Store

The new App Store crashes constantly for me ... especially the Genius feature. Wish they would fix it soon (sigh). This, combined with all of the lost POIs in maps is making iOS 6 a bit of a downer for me. I will say that Safari is actually much faster now on my 4S which is good.

 

[ericinboston]

This is a perfect example of why NOT to store things "in the cloud"...once the company changes its business direction or gets acquired or simply goes out of business, your products/services are HISTORY.

 

[ncaissie]

Apple have become like the Borg.

They assimilate new technologies to add their distinctiveness and erase from existence all traces of the original culture.

Just like Brainiac

 

[frisnit]

I think the new store looks better and I've not found problems finding items, but then most of the things I find come from various app and/or sale finders rather than the app store anyway (hopefully some will stay alive after Apple's recenty announced restrictions on them!). However some interface changes are really bad, very unlike Apple and to the point where you wonder if anyone actually tested them!

With the updates, you now need to click on every single update to see what it is, when before you'd get a short description and you just needed to click on the ones with lengthy descriptions. To compound that mistake, the "what's new" part has a TINY selection area, so often you miss and it opens the app info instead, so you've to go back and try again. I don't even have fat fingers, and it's the same even on the iPad. It's truly terrible UI design if you can't hit a button on a nearly 10 inch screen I'm afraid

I expect Apple will address that properly very soon as it's so bad, but at least you can update apps without a password and exiting the store now, much better.

 

[Perrumpo]

I definitely haven't enjoyed the search results being one at a time.

 

[Tinmania]

No, you simply misread, posted a sarcastic comment that didn't make sense, and now don't want to just admit you messed up. It's ok.

If you didn't understand what I meant.... that is OK . But what I wrote was most certainly intentional and I stand by it.

It's not like I was offended by your comment. I was amused.



Michael

 

[everything-i]

This crap has made a total mess of searches in the app store. Search for Bad Piggies which is top of paid apps at the moment and i get a list with

1.. Three Little Piggies
2.. Type Rush
3.. Bad Piggies (What I was looking for)
4.. Walkthrough for Bad Piggies (I can understand this result too)
5.. Fill It

So out of the top 5 search results only 2 have anything to do with the search criteria. This is as broken as search in Apple Maps. Also the scrolling panel result set where you can only see one result at a time is poor UI design. The scroll functionality is also a bit poor and the scroll gesture doesn't always quite work. This is Android level of crap. If you ask me Scott Forstall needs to sort out his ****** or find a new job because if this is what he thinks is acceptable in an Apple offering he is way off the mark. Stuff like this makes me concerned for the future of Apple, the software quality has started to slip. Steve may have been a bit of a fanatic about these things but he did keep them all on their toes.

 

[cmChimera]

If you didn't understand what I meant.... that is OK . But what I wrote was most certainly intentional and I stand by it.

It's not like I was offended by your comment. I was amused.



Michael

I know it was intentional. However you either don't understand the phrase you used, or can't read my post. Pick your poison I guess.

 

[citi]

Not that it was difficult, just was nowhere near as easy as iCloud. I maybe just had a bad experience.

icloud doesn't work if your family shares 1 apple account. That's where dropbox saves the day

 

[Spacecowboy1]

Maybe I'm the only one but I prefer it... When you're searching for say, a spreadsheet app. You can actually see a screenshot of the app as you scroll past. Pretty useful if you ask me!

What about the poor app developer who's spreadsheet app is number 1000 on the list.......i know for a fact i aint scrolling through 999 other apps to get to it!
they need to sort this out ASAP or developers just wont develop!!

 

[Tinmania]

I know it was intentional. However you either don't understand the phrase you used, or can't read my post. Pick your poison I guess.

Haha.... yea I picked that phrase for no reason. Sorry if I struck a nerve but I'm sure in a day you'll get over it.




Mike

 

[b0dyr0ck2006]

A better solution for the whole App Store mess would have been to provide the interface in two orientations. Show the list view in Portrait view, and the Chomp style view in Landscape, then let the user decide how to view it.

It took 80 posts for someone to point out the obvious. This was exactly what I was about to write.

 

[willcapellaro]

Left --> Right

I can never understand pictures when they are arranged backwards like this.

Chomp came before the app store revamp, so put the picture on the left. Cause first, then effect.

 

[Mal]

What about the poor app developer who's spreadsheet app is number 1000 on the list.......i know for a fact i aint scrolling through 999 other apps to get to it!
they need to sort this out ASAP or developers just wont develop!!

That "poor app developer" needs to get in gear and do some app promotion. Apple isn't responsible for making your app the one that's more visible or the one people download, because they can't do that for every app (it's a logical impossibility). It's up to the developers to increase the visibility of their own app, not Apple and their placement.

jW

 

[Burnt_Toast]

That "poor app developer" needs to get in gear and do some app promotion. Apple isn't responsible for making your app the one that's more visible or the one people download, because they can't do that for every app (it's a logical impossibility). It's up to the developers to increase the visibility of their own app, not Apple and their placement.

jW

I'm a user and I think it stinks not having control over the results. Apple could easily add a setting that allows users to view the catalog as a list or as thumbnails, or to sort/filter by rating or by release date. It's really not all that difficult.

So, rephrasing what you said:

Apple isn't responsible for making your app the one that's more [or less] visible..."

But that's what the current system does. It interferes. It makes results less visible when the user can't sort/filter.

If you were to put the user in control of how he/she is allowed to view the listings, you put all the developers on a level playing field. Not by some seemingly arbitrary sort order that, based on the number of results, diminishes the likelihood that those lower on the list will get seen.*

Choice allows for a freer market. If the developer still can't make sales, then yes indeed, they need to get their act together and promote more effectively (or at all) or make a better app.


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*Even in Apple's own SDK documentation Apple admits that people use mobile devices only for short periods of time. So there's a time limit to peoples' attention span.