Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Bad Apple, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
TUAW has covered the fine iPhone apps from Tapbots more than once. ConvertBot is a beautifully-designed and functional app to do a myriad of unit conversion calculations, while WeightBot is my personal favorite app for keeping track of my incredible ballooning body.
Tapbots posted an entry on their blog today stating that the most recent version of ConvertBot (1.4) had been rejected by Apple. What was Apple’s reason for the rejection? As you can see in the graphic at the top of the page, the ConvertBot icon for time conversions looks very similar to the Phone app icon for recent calls. This is the same icon that has passed Apple’s scrutiny in previous versions, so it is ridiculous for the company’s eagle-eyed app inspectors to suddenly decide that the icon is unfit for iPhone consumption.
Mark Jardine of Tapbots noted “So what’s the plan? I need to redo the icon, I suppose. But Convertbot icons were meant to use as little lines/shapes as possible to identify the category. I feel that our current icon represents time as simply as possible. So how can we make Time different? What if it’s set at 9 o’clock instead of 3? Is that acceptable? The big problem here is the only way I can get that answer is by making the change, resubmitting the app, and waiting another week or 2 for Apple’s verdict.”
What gives, Apple? You release a couple of amazing apps to the world this week (Facebook, Spotify, TUAW, and Yelp), but you hold up the next release of an established app over an icon. I’m giving the App Store approval people the “idiots” tag on this post.
Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Blast From the Past, iPhone
In a surprise move after years of breathless anticipation by users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, Now Software released Now X Client for Mac on Thursday, August 27, 2009. In case you’re wondering, yes, this was the calendar and contact app formerly known as Nighthawk.
Why the snarky tone? Well, Nighthawk Now X has been one of the biggest examples of vaporware in the Mac community for at least two or three years. Many users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, which was a relatively powerful set of applications for managing calendars and contacts, have waited patiently for the promised app, only to have their hopes dashed year after year. All of my clients who used NUDC have moved on to other Mac / iPhone or cloud apps.
Even this announcement is somewhat tainted. There’s no Windows version of Now X for people in multi-platform offices, the much-touted server module isn’t done, and the FAQ page states that “Now X runs on both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.” Uh, guys, while you were developing this application, Apple came out with something called Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Now Software also states that Now X syncs to iPhone, but there’s no iPhone client — it simply syncs Up-To-Date info to Calendar and Contact to Contacts. Most other apps of this type, including Marketcircle Daylite, have an accompanying iPhone app. The company says that the app “is being designed.” From past experience, Now X users looking for an iPhone version may have a very long wait ahead of them.
A TUAW First Look of the Now X Client for Mac will be posted soon.
Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple, China Unicom strike 3-year deal
Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPhone
It looks like Daily Finance guessed correctly. Early on Friday, Apple and China Unicom Ltd (CHU) announced a 3-year partnership to officially bring the iPhone to China. CHU will buy the handsets from Apple on a wholesale basis and will not participate in revenue sharing. CHU is the 2nd largest carrier in China, while China Mobile is first with 498 million users. In fact, China Mobile is the largest carrier in the world and China is the largest market. CHU hopes to get a competitive boost with the iPhone.
As we noted in July, the iPhone will be sold with Wi-Fi disabled in China, in accordance with Chinese regulations (the so-called “Great Firewall of China).
If you’re in China or plan to travel there, let us know if and when you begin seeing iPhones for sale.
[Via AppleInsider]
Apple, China Unicom strike 3-year deal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple, China Unicom strike 3-year deal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Want to read TUAW on your iPhone? There’s an app for that.
Filed under: TUAW Business, iPhone, iPod touch
I’m not talking about i.tuaw.com, although it still exists (and will continue to evolve — we hear you!). In fact, I am talking about the TUAW native iPhone app [iTunes link]. It works on iPod touch as well. For a full list of features you can check our TUAW app page here. Or, take a quick tour in the video below.
Thanks to everyone at AOL who made this happen!
Want to read TUAW on your iPhone? There’s an app for that. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Want to read TUAW on your iPhone? There’s an app for that. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Analysis: Mobile games aren’t worth $5.4 billion
Filed under: Gaming, Apple, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK
Jeremy Laws at Cabana Mobile has an interesting little analysis up about mobile gaming that claims it may not be as big as it’s cracked up to be. Laws says there’s no way the mobile gaming market can hold up $5.4 billion, as was reported earlier this year by Juniper Research. Laws looks at the top 10 companies releasing mobile games (at retail — that will become important in a minute), and claims that even if those companies make up 70% of total mobile games, the total amount of mobile game sales only comes up near $1.7 billion, far short of the Juniper number.
So where’s the discrepancy? It’s almost certain to lie in the App Store, where Juniper says growth more than made up for the dropoff of sales in other areas, like Java-based games. Laws does list companies like EA Mobile and Gameloft, whose games are selling on the App Store, but almost all of Laws’ companies are old-school mobile developers, who created games for mobile phones before the App Store was ever open for business. Plus, his “retail” mention might mean the App Store isn’t included in his calculations at all — can you call the App Store “retail”? In fact, if any mobile games marketplace is going to make up over $3 billion in the mobile games market, it’s got to be the App Store, right?
So this means a couple of different things: one, the App Store very well could be remaking the face of mobile gaming, to the point where old-school numbers are just plain insufficient to compare to modern App Store sales. Second, if there is a bubble, it’ll likely be in the App Store: another recent report says that if you spend more than $40k on a 99 cent game, you’re losing money. Laws may be underestimating the long tail of the App Store — certainly no single developer has pulled in billions, but there are a lot of developers out there. Still, at the same time, $5.4 billion does seem high. And if games companies are convinced there’s gold in the App Store hills, that’s where the bubble will eventually burst.
Analysis: Mobile games aren’t worth $5.4 billion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Analysis: Mobile games aren’t worth $5.4 billion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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FCC makes it official: Cellular carriers policies getting a closer look
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone
Maybe the submissions by Apple, Google and AT&T helped, or maybe they hurt, but the FCC is going to take a closer look at the U.S. cellphone industry and if competition is helping consumers. [Link to FCC announcement in PDF format]
Today the Commission said:
As communications technologies and services become more essential, and the communications market more complex, information is key to consumer protection and empowerment. The Commission seeks comment from communications service providers, academic researchers, consumer groups and third-party analysts on how best to ensure consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions in the communications marketplace.
The FCC has been particularly interested in the Google Voice app for the iPhone, which Apple has said is still undergoing scrutiny. The FCC has questioned AT&T about whether or not it advised Apple to not approve the app. AT&T has denied it had any say.
AT&T has admitted it is wary of apps like Slingbox Mobile, and that app was rejected by Apple, then allowed back in for sale, but without access to the 3G network.
It’s pretty clear that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski thinks there is more to be done to get consumers the best deal, and he’s putting the cellular carriers on notice that they will be closely looked at.
Readers: Are you happy with cellular service as it stands today? Do our friends in Europe get a better deal?
FCC makes it official: Cellular carriers policies getting a closer look originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
FCC makes it official: Cellular carriers policies getting a closer look originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple approves Spotify app
Filed under: Audio, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
The approval of Spotify certainly opens the door for Rhapsody’s app and other potential software that allows duplication of iPhone functions — or it could be yanked ala Google.
Apple approves Spotify app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple approves Spotify app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Facebook 3.0 for iPhone released
Filed under: Software Update, iPhone, iPod touch
After a couple of weeks of waiting in the iTunes app store approval queue, the 3rd major update of the popular Facebook for iPhone [iTunes Link] application has been released. Joe Hewitt, the developer of the app, has been working on it for quite some time and submitted it for review on 8/16. If you’re still seeing 2.5 in the app store, Joe suggests deleting the app from your phone and reinstalling it — it will be 3.0.
The new version includes some of the most requested features including:
- Better news feed with direct links to comments
- Ability to “Like” posts
- RSVP to events
- Create/upload photos to albums
- Write/edit notes
- Customizable home screen
- Improved photo viewing with zoom
- Better notifications
Hewitt is already working on the next release, version 3.1, which is rumored to focus on adding Push Notifications.
Check out some shots of the app in action:
Gallery: Facebook for iPhone
Facebook 3.0 for iPhone released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Facebook 3.0 for iPhone released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW’s iPhone app: it’s alive
If you love TUAW, iPhones, and apps (and let’s be honest… you do), then today should be filled with wonderment and excitement. Why you ask? Because our homeboys and girls over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have released their very own iPhone app — and it’s pretty darn slick. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get to downloading it right now. It’s what Steve Jobs would want you to do.
Read - TUAW’s post on the app
Read - iTunes link
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
TUAW’s iPhone app: it’s alive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Overheating iPhone reports ‘exploding’ all over France, Apple responds
Reports of iPhones exploding, starting fires and killing people in cold blood have been around since the inception of the handset. They’ve also been relatively sporadic, seemingly short on evidence, and Apple hasn’t given complaints much credence or response. So when we heard a story from France the other day about a security guard’s iPhone “exploding” and sending a shard of glass into his eye (though apparently not serious enough to warrant a hospital visit), it was a little hard to believe, but with a few other stories of cracking screens due to overheating cropping up in Europe over the past couple weeks, French authorities have taken an interest in the story. Anecdotally, a teen says his phone “imploded” in Belgium and gave him a headache, a woman’s phone cracked without warning, and ten or so victims in France have come forward to complain of similar problems, picking up the interest of a French consumer watchdog group. Apple is naturally not new to the concept of overheating in its battery-powered devices — in fact, it’s just entered into its first full-on iPod nano recall in Korea of the 1st-gen players after numerous reports of battery faultiness worldwide — but with 26 million iPhones out and about, and the iPhone 3GS tending to run a bit hotter than its siblings, a systemic problem with one or all models of the handsets isn’t something consumers or Apple would take lightly.
Herve Novelli, France’s top trade official, met with Apple France’s Michel Coulomb today to discuss the problem, and so far Apple is sticking to its guns: it claims that reported incidents are in the single digits, and that all cases it’s investigated fully so far have turned out to be blamed on “external force” to the screen. Herve and Michel seem to have parted on friendly terms, promising to keep in touch over the issue, and the EU’s alert system for dangerous consumer products (inexplicably dubbed RAPEX) is staying in the loop as well, asking the 27 member nations to keep tabs on the situation. Novelli says it’s “too early to blame anyone,” and we’d have to agree, but we hope Apple keeps up the (freshly) open communication about this issue going forward.
Read - French minister meets Apple exec over iPhone problems
Read - Apple denies ‘exploding’ iPhones
Read - Apple denies battery problem with exploding iPhones
Read - Belgian teenager latest victim of exploding iPhone phenomenon
Filed under: Cellphones
Overheating iPhone reports ‘exploding’ all over France, Apple responds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.