Phil Schiller Addresses More App Store Concerns

Interesting, I would like to see all this mystery clear up. But then again look at the company we're talking about...;)

Apple is pretty darn good at not changing what they are doing, but making you think they are right.

-Omi

I too got sick of it, and changed to a rival (as you may see in my sig). I like Apple products, I own a few, but the iPhone is not for me anymore.

I am not a developer but I get the impression from reading around that no one outside the app store knows the criteria by which apps are assessed, or how long processing an application takes, or indeed much at all. Can that really be true? If so, more transparency is definitely needed, with full explanations of any app rejection.

And the 17+ ratings on any app that has web access, or is a dictionary, or a few other things, seems a little over the top - why does a Wikipedia accessing application have a 17+ rating? The thing about "duplicating functionality" also seems very odd. As the app store matures, I hope that things change for the better.

Keep it up, Frank! I support you! Thanks for taking a stand!

More important than the specifics, for me, is the fact that Phil Schiller has now twice personally responded to critics.

I wonder if this suggests that he is taking more and more of the day-to-day running of Apple. Also, I wonder if this is a subtle indication that they will be a little more open under his watch.

I believe that what we see is the result of a business trying to be a business to everyone and thus at times are making decisions that, while not be good for some, may be better overall. It would be nice if there was more feedback but I have to say, they have their strategic plan and appear to be executing it. I am also under the strong belief that there is more going on then we know, and that many of the decisions being made may not be their choice.

Example could be the eBook that was pulled. The claim is that it was pulled because it allowed sharing of potentially copyrighted books. Fair enough, but potential is the key word, it doesn't mean it has happened. But maybe Apple has already been hit by an injunction by the book publisher association stating that if they release any apps that bypass the security of the copyrighted books, they would be sued and / or have charges brought against them. Thus instead of going after the developer / thief directly, they have shallow pockets, they go after someone who may have deeper pockets but isn't directly associated with it. This is just and example, it could be even more nefarious and based off the RIAA issues, or more; we don't know. But one bad apple (err lawyer) could be ruining it for everyone.

Now that Schiller has personally responded to at least two app store rejections, I am certain that he will be "head honcho" of Apple when Steve leaves.

Back to the main topic. This is becoming a pattern, and a bad one. If Schiller keeps responding to these and nothing is done to the App Store policy, I expect bigger headlines in the tech world. That would be putting an even larger spotlight on the already hit-or-miss policy for app approval, prompting Apple to do something about it.

I have a feeling that Apple tells employees to just not approve anything they find objectionable in any way, shape, or form, or seems to duplicate functionality.

It certainly helps get the SVP's ear when you make some damn good OS X software like Panic does.

Apple has been getting hammered lately, and not by the usual fools. It's for good reason. The app store is brilliant, but there need to be steps taken to improve communication with devs.

The app store is brilliant, but there need to be steps taken to improve communication with devs.

With Steve still at the helm, that is unlikely to happen. When Steve no longer works at Apple, I could see that happening.