The Keys To The Kingdom

Sep 6, 07:30 AM  

Terrible news. This week, Apple rejected an application to turn iPhones into Whoopie Cushions:

We’ve reviewed your application Pull My Finger. We have determined that this application is of limited utility to the broad iPhone and iPod touch user community, and will not be published to the App Store.

The thing is, I’m not joking. This really is terrible news for the iPhone.

By rejecting applications based on whim instead of policy, Apple has brought every developer’s fear to pass — that they can invest time working on an application, only to have it arbitrarily never make it to market. This in turn drives developers to other platforms, and encourages those who stay on it to take fewer risks. And that leads to fewer truly great applications on the iPhone.

This is already happening. John Gruber writes:

I’ve already heard from a top-tier developer this morning who, in response to this story, is dropping an idea for a very cool iPhone app out of fear that the work to create it would be for naught as Apple might reject it.

Steven Frank of Panic also writes:

I’m telling you, the App Store continues to give me the heebie-jeebies. I do not like the future it portends.

There are hundreds of bad applications in the App Store. I don’t even know where to start criticizing them. Do I pick on the copies of Apple’s sample applications in the SDK, or the ones that display a single image? Or the electronic books of public domain works available on Project Gutenberg? There’s so much crap in the App Store right now that the great applications are hard to find.

This was only acceptable as long as Apple stuck to their stated guidelines:

  • No VoIP over EDGE
  • No driving assistants
  • No plug-ins
  • No background processes
  • Sandboxed
  • Official APIs only
  • Must adhere to Apple’s HIG
  • No porn

Pull My Finger adhered to all of those restrictions. Watching the developer’s video, it looks polished, full-featured, and adheres to more of the HIG than many other apps I’ve seen. It may not be in the best taste, but that’s not a stated policy. Apple’s claim that an application must have more than ‘limited utility’ introduces a new, arbitrary standard that seriously harms the platform.

It doesn’t matter how popular the iPhone is. It doesn’t matter how good the iPhone is. If you’re running a software development shop, you are going to hedge your development investment. The risk is too great to do otherwise.

And you know the worst part about all this?

It shows that Apple can’t take a fucking joke.