Should Apple Get Back into the Rejection Business?

[Michael Essany]

Image via PC World


In the movie "Yes Man," Jim Carrey portrays a character that learns to (and grows quite comfortable with) only saying yes to the often demanding requests and wishes imposed on him.

One has to wonder if "Yes Man" is the movie of the month in the corporate office of Apple, as the App Store has seemingly welcomed with open arms new applications that appear on the surface to not only fail to meet Apple's guidelines, but also violate numerous longstanding company policies.

Since August, Apple has given a green light to apps for Spotify’s streaming music app, the iPhone version of “Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown,” and just this week, the new Vonage app - a VoIP service that, a short while ago, would never seem destined for the App Store. Although the recent rash of rushed approvals isn't a negative thing for Apple customers (in fact, its actually a positive development), the larger issue raised by some is the Apple's App Store is quickly expanding to a "clutter-filled" 50,000 applications - many of which are redundant, duplicate, or just plain nonsensical.

Editor Philip Berne at Info Sync raises this concern in a new editorial:

Search the Apple iPhone App Store for "Flashlight" and you get 94 results. Sure, some of them are flashlights, and most of them will do the job you're looking for, but which is the best one? Who knows. And that's just for an app that turns your screen bright white. Suppose you want a To Do List? A diet management tool? A game of chess? Search for "Chess" on the App Store, and you get 184 listings.

The real issue in question is one I have found myself discussing with friends and colleagues who diversely fall on both sides of the aisle. Is it Apple's responsibility to open the marketplace to as many developers and competing apps as possible, or should Apple be the all-powerful filter in place to sift through the very best of the best so that we don't have to? Is it up to Apple to determine the best "flash-light" app, or should we sort through five dozen different apps to find the one that's "right for us?"

This isn't how a real store works, and it isn't how the iPhone App Store should work, either. At a real store, a buyer or manager picks and chooses the best products, and that's what the store sells. If a product isn't good enough, or if it doesn't sell well, the manager replaces it with something better, or works with manufacturers to improve it. No store manager in her right mind, even at large box retailers and wholesale warehouses, would offer 184 different Chess games. She would offer a few good ones, some variety, and maybe a unique sample here and there. That's how the iPhone App Store should work as well.

There is, indeed, a fundamental difference of opinion about the burgeoning growth of the App Store - a debate that has been heightened in recent days as many Apple fans are growing concerned and weary with the apparent newfound hypocrisy in Apple's approval process.

Perhaps the wave of surprising approvals is just a short-term phenomenon. But if not, some say the App Store could rapidly swell to a new, and much more unwieldy size. Only time will tell. But for now, some Apple fans are concerned.

Are you?

[auburnguy32]

meh, I like choices. That's why you can browse your search by most popular or highest rated. People are just lazy if they want everything precut and sorted for them. I got a video for people who complain about stuff like this....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk]YouTube - Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy[/ame]

[rugbrn]

meh, I like choices. That's why you can browse your search by most popular or highest rated. People are just lazy if they want everything precut and sorted for them. I got a video for people who complain about stuff like this....

YouTube - Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

wow... that video was hilarious! and so true.. everyone wants more these days....

[KoNeko]

meh, I like choices. That's why you can browse your search by most popular or highest rated. People are just lazy if they want everything precut and sorted for them. I got a video for people who complain about stuff like this....

YouTube - Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

I think its ironic that the video didn't allow embedding and wouldn't play xD Either way, I found another one and it was funny lol.

[klouud]

People are just now noticing that the Apple approval process is hypocritical? Wow... late...

I somewhat agree with the massive amount of shovel ware must stop... but at the same time, there are websites to reference for the best apps and games on the App Store.

We still do not have a premium games section Apple! Make one!

tim

[andypropaganda]

I'm not concerned, but I do disapprove of Apple's constant flip-flopping in what they allow in or take out. They suddenly allow VoIP apps? But they take out apps that free up memory, which have been there for quite a while now. What's with that? Did they not pay attention to the first bunch of free memory apps? I just think that Apple is too spotty and not objective enough when they approve apps.

As for the number of apps, I think that it should be up to the customers to search out the best apps. I feel that developers should be allowed the opportunity to place their apps somewhere. Plus, if you can't make the AppStore, you can probably move to Cydia. What I think is this, it should be up to the DEVELOPERS to handle the app problem. If there is already 10 different chess apps, and yours is no different significantly unique in some way, DON'T BE A MONEY HUNGRY MORON! Don't send it in for approval. Be original and different, instead of being a tool.

[GregTheWang]

Quick someone submit a porn app NOW!

[andypropaganda]

Isn't there already talk of one of those like "take the girls clothes off" apps having full nudes?

[HayWire]

I dont have any problem with the app store.. I dont generally get alot of apps untill i read a few reviews/ comments from people I trust on that matter (read modymi)

[aldech]

just get isteamy, a bit slow but good

[vitalizm]

I mean seriously.... weren't we all just complaining on how apple's approval process was super strict and how they are evil, and etc, etc.. ?

Now apple has loosened their belt, and now we complain that the process is too laid back?!

Quit your bitchin!

[Fallguy]

I dont have any problem with the app store.. I dont generally get alot of apps untill i read a few reviews/ comments from people I trust on that matter (read modymi)

Me too , but who do you know that you can trust to give a good review at the app store ? I mean how can you get great reviews of an app and others that are horrible for the same app ? I can only assume some people might not re-spring enough to free their memory and make the apps crash . There have been a number of apps I had that would crash after a while and I would have to re-install them to make things better .

[ddonuts4]

Lol. Apple also needs to fix their search process and you won't find as many "chess" apps with 1 search.

[andypropaganda]

Ya, they supposedly did some updates to help with that, but I personally have not seen much improvement.

[sziklassy]

People are just now noticing that the Apple approval process is hypocritical? Wow... late...

Except that is not at all what this thread is about...

[A_DuB187]

I think there should be some kind of quality control at least when it comes to the App Store I mean there are a LOT of pointless apps taking up space. The more apps Apple approves without altering the App Store itself the harder it will be to browse or navigate through a bunch of pointless apps to find what you're looking for.

[dale1v]

i want Apple to focus its "stringent checks" on quality of both the app and the competence of the reviewers really.
Maybe Apple could do something like measuring the proportion of reported problems/1star reviews to total downloads/reviews in a given period. If the app has been flagged too many times, apple could review the app once again for quality control. If this app fails their investigation, the developer could receive one warning to get their fix or excuse ready for release, and if not, have risk having their app taken down.
There are most likely flaws with my idea (the overwhelming amount of idiot reviewers is one) but I'm just brainstorming.

[TigerShark-DK]

If I go to a store and they for some reason doesn't have what I'm looking for, I go to a different store. I have a choice to go where ever someone sell the product I'm looking for. Now, with the Apple app store I don't have such a choice. If they don't like the product I'm looking for it's just too bad. I have no way of getting the product I'm looking for as Apple didn't approve it. It's both the good, the bad and the ugly. I like the idea of having the illusion of someone better-knowing than me, telling me what's good and hiding the bad. The point is just that I'm now left without any choice. I can't just take my business elsewhere as Apple says that's illigal.
With their sudden change of mindset I now have all the products in one place, in one store, owned by one company. But still I can't go anywhere else if I don't like the manager or the smell in the store. I'm still forced to do my shopping the same place as before.
I guess my main point is that even if I'm left with an illusion of having more choices, how will I ever know that for a fact? Essentially, do we trust Apple to not censor the products?

[rwin84]

we will see what this spawns... could be good or bad.

[Periodic]

I'd hope that the appstore doesn't become just for proffesional established companys in the future . The app store has done wonders for private developers. Look how big tapulous apps have grown. tap tap use to just be a jailbreak app and know they are in apple commercials and making deals with record companies to make apps for artists. I always wondered if life for the "tapulous" developers has completly changed and how much bank they are making from it now.