So let’s say you’re a crazy ex-boyfriend, ex-husband, stalker, etc. who just can’t let go there’s an app for you.
You can totally imagine the number of whack-jobs (very technical term) out there who are salivating over this app and wishing it was real. {shakes head and points finger}
In theory, the Apple APP store seems simple. Someone creates an app, submits the app for approval, Apple approves the app, and the money starts rolling in as people download the app. Like I said, in theory. I’m not the only person to poke at Apple’s policies. Engadget did a great job or articulating the limitations and frustrations.
One of my favorite apps is called TwitterFon. It let’s you interact with Twitter via the iPhone. Here’s a screen grab of the application:
Well a problem showed up in TwitterFon recently. As the makers of TwitterFon indicated:
Some users have been reporting me that TwitterFon crashes on launch. This has been happening since this afternoon. The root cause is that twitter has changed their JSON response which favorite status value is null instead of bool unexpectedly and randomly.
TwitterFon was on top of the problem. Within hours of the issue, they had diagnosed the problem and had started working with Twitter to address it. Ultimately, they decided the best way to fix the problem was to provide an update to the application. On 12/3 they submitted an update to the Apple APP store. It took Apple 7 days to respond to the makers of the TwitterFon with an approval. On 12/10 they finally deployed a new version of TwitterFon. You can see the full timeline of events here.
The web is supposed to make things fast. Apple is supposed to have great customer service. The APP store should make it easy to update applications quickly. It should make it easier to bring joy to consumers. As a TwitterFon user, I was seriously bumming when I couldn’t use it for 7 days.
If Apple’s process takes 7 days to make updates to pre-approved applications, there is seriously something wrong with the process, no? We’re always in beta on the web. The web isn’t a print ad. We should be able to make changes quickly, easily, and cheaply. If the Apple APP store, can’t figure out a way to provide updates quickly, easily, and cheaply then isn’t it doing the customers and developers a massive disservice? If this is seriously how Apple manages updates to the APP store, then this is a major flaw in their approach to the iTunes Store model for applications.
UPDATE
I just love it when I write something and have another larger more influential blog write something similar. This great post by VentureBeat exposes the same flaw with the Apple APP store. Apparently, Apple has finally decided to communicate with developers who have submitted apps. Unfortunately the communication is all bad news. There is going to be a majro back log in getting apps approved for the holidays. Tsk Tsk.
Thoughts?
Literally blogging right now from my iPhone. Downloaded the WordPress application from the iTunes App store. It took about 2 minutes to configure. As cool as the app is, it still doesn’t make typing on iPhone any easier.
This is so damn cool. According to ECO-SAFE ”The Merit Badge is a symbol of hope & love for the world we all live in. It allows all of us with a website or blog to make a positive impact on the environment by simply placing it on our websites. The Merit Badge offers website guests alternatives to printing pages. The number of web pages printer per day are staggering.”
It’s a cool idea, a great concept, and you get FREE music from iTunes for participating.
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
