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Jobs To Developer: “Not That Big A Deal”

J.R. Bookwalter — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:34:36 -0600

Apple has always been fairly aggressive in protecting their product trademarks and likenesses, as The Little App Factory recently discovered when they received a letter from the law firm of Baker & McKenzie asking them to change the name of their Mac software, iPodRip.

iPodRip, originally written in 2003 at the MacHack developer conference, lets you copy and transfer your songs from iPods/iPhones to your computer, which comes in handy if your hard drive ever dies or you lose songs that you’ve downloaded. According to CrunchGear, iPodRip has been downloaded more than five million times and has helped users transfer over a billion songs back to their computers.

However, including the name of the product in the name of your application has always been a no-no with Apple, as The Little App Factory CEO John Devor found out when he e-mailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs directly about the problem.

Believe it or not, Jobs replied — curtly.

“Change your apps name. Not that big of a deal.”

The missive was signed “Steve” with the customary “Sent from my iPhone” signature attached.

Needless to say, the developer changed the name (now simply iRip) and also removed an iPod icon from their Evom software, which lets you covert and transfer movies from your computer and the web.

Problem solved.

Ravensword and Other Unity Apps Rejected (Updated)

Brian Proffit — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:01:36 -0600

TouchArcade reports that the eagerly awaited RPG Ravensword has been rejected by App Store reviewers, along with several other applications written with the Unity engine. The engine includes API calls which, according to one lawsuit, were used by Storm8 to steal phone numbers of people playing the game and upload them wirelessly.

Unity acknowledges the potential exposure, and said it was a carryover from the fact that the product was based on the Mono runtime from OS X where those calls are used regularly (and user phone information isn’t part of the system environment). They are releasing version 1.5.1 of their development engine to close the security risk.

But from the long string of comments on Unity’s forum, it appears that Apple is rejecting all apps using the earlier Unity engine whether those apps do any networking or not. Meanwhile, developers need to update their development software, regenerate their application, and resubmit their application for approval—at the back of the sometimes lengthy review process.

Neither Unity nor any app developers other than Storm8 have been accused of using the API for illicit purposes. Storm8 has acknowledged the acquisition of user phone numbers, which it described as a "bug."

Editor's note: Jeff Temple of Storm8 let us know that the company has never used the two APIs that allegedly caused Ravensword and/or other Unity apps to be rejected by Apple. Additionally, Storm8 is not based on the Unity game engine and the company updated their applications in August so that current game versions do not download, store or use iPhone telephone numbers when a game is opened. To view a statement to users outlining the proactive Storm8 has taken to prevent this, you can go here.

Facebook Developer Leaves iPhone Scene, Unhappy with Dev Process

Cory Bohon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:06:07 -0600

Joe Hewitt, developer of the popular Facebook iPhone app, has decided to stop iPhone development because of Apples policies.

In a recent interview with TechCrunch, Hewitt said is reason for leaving the iPhone development scene, "had everything to do with Apple’s policies.”

He went on to say, "I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer."

"The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt is among the growing number of iPhone developers who are leaving the platform because of Apples application review process. Many are leaving not because of the great SDK Apple provides to all developers, or the programming language, but because of the long review process, the lack of communication between the reviewers and developers, and also the possibility of getting turned down after spending development time.

Apple's review process has definitely improved over the past year, but more improvements still need to happen. If Apple doesn't take hold of their App Store and review process, it could mean that another phone company could step in and take over the area that Apple pioneered.

The latest Google Android-based phones could prove to be a better development platform because developers have two options: Submit their app to an application store or sell it on their own site and allow the user install it themselves. This model could prove to be better for both the developer and consumer because it can give the developer a no-hassle app distribution place and give the consumer the applications they want.

After all, developers do development for a reason: It's their main job. They have to make a living just like everyone else and they will choose the platform that allows them to do this.

You can read the full interview with Joe Hewitt on TechCrunch.

via The Apple Blog

Free iPhone Apps Get In App Purchasing

Cory Bohon — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:39:33 -0500

When the in app purchasing launched earlier this year, iPhone developers offering up free apps couldn't join in on the fun. But Apple has now made this happen.

According to a recent e-mail circulated by the iPhone Developer Program, Apple informed developers that they could not build free applications that could allow people to purchase something within.

"In App Purchase is being rapidly adopted by developers in their paid apps. Now you can use In App Purchase in your free apps to sell content, subscriptions, and digital services," Apple notes.

This opens the doors for developers to submit one application that acts as a trial version, but can be upgraded after downloading to the full version. Apple says in its e-mail to developers that this could cut down on iPhone app piracy that's been going on since developers can verify that the content has been purchased.

via TUAW

Snow Leopard Still Buggy, Perhaps not Gold Master

Arvind Srinivasan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:47:08 -0500

If you had planned a Snow Leopard party for August 28, you may want to call the clown and cancel. Though it was previously rumored that Snow Leopard had hit Gold Master (final release) with build 10a432 earlier this week, MacNN is now reporting that there are several bugs in the current developer version that probably have to be ironed out before it is released to the general public. Namely, they are reporting instances of freezing applications, scroll bar errors, and Mail instabilities.

Unless Apple is going to release an OS update at release, chances are, they will fix this before they put the discs in the boxes. Releasing buggy software is for Microsoft.

Apple Releases iPhone 3.1 Beta 3, Adds New Video APIs

Cory Bohon — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:24:43 -0500

Today Apple released iPhone 3.1 beta 3 to developers, making it clear that they are now serious about augmented reality on the device. Engadget is reporting that developers now have access to new video APIs that allow applications the ability to use the video camera in the iPhone 3GS.

Augmented reality apps gained traction over the past few months and we can only imagine the types of apps that will now include this. That is if Apple allows them in the App Store. If you have access to the iPhone Dev Center, you can now download and install 3.1 beta 3 on your device.

via Engadget

Apple Irks Some Developers With 17+ App Store Ratings

Cory Bohon — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:26:40 -0500

Over the past year, some iPhone developers have become rather upset with Apple because of their review process for native applications, but could Apple be pushing the envelope a little too much when it comes to ratings? iPhone 3.0 ushered in a new phase in parental controls for iPhone and iTunes -- all applications sold within the App Store must contain a rating. Unfortunately, AppleInsider reports that Apple is making all applications with built-in browsing abilities to be rated mature (17+) with nudity ratings.

As a developer, you are given 50 promotional codes (just like an iTunes credit) that will allow anyone to download your application for free, but developers are also finding out that if their application has a mature rating (17+), the promo codes will not work in iPhone 3.0 or in iTunes. This is a shock for many developers who work hard on their applications, especialy those that add refining touches like web-browsing abilities.

It would, of course, be a little better if Apple could give some insight into how the app review process works, and a few pointers for developers looking to place their next hit on the store. If Apple doesn't do some policy changing, they might begin losing good developers for the platform.

Apple Gives Developers iPhone 3.1 Beta 2

Cory Bohon — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:04:06 -0500

Tonight Apple sent out an iPhone update to developers, giving them access to OS 3.1 beta 2. The first beta version of 3.1 introduced many refinements to the big 3.0 that Apple released last month, including non-destructive editing of videos, and the ability speak voice commands over a bluetooth connection.

In the update documentation, Apple doesn't mention any major changes to the original 3.1 beta, but this secondary release of 3.1 could mean that the consumer update might be nearing.

Via MacRumors