Since Apple has opened the iTunes App Store, my company has released a number of applications.
iVote was one of the first 500 apps released.
iFart has gone on to become what is perhaps the most-often referenced app in iPhone history.
And we also had the pleasure of creating apps for Mashable, Charles Trippy and MC Hammer, among others.
I love creating apps and we've got some pretty cool stuff on the way.
However, as many application developers will attest, the app approval process leaves something to be desired.
It seems like your app may get approved by one reviewer but rejected by another. There is terrible inconsistency, and some parameters which just don't make any sense.
I'm not the first to encounter difficulties getting apps through the approval process.
Remember when Apple rejected Pull My Finger? Eventually Apple changed their policy and fart apps were allowed into the store. Of course, I am very happy about that. :-)
The Nancy Pelosi Bobblehead app was initially rejected, based on terms and conditions terminology that forbids "ridiculing public figures." Apple relented on this one as well.
Most recently, Apple rejected "fart packs" that were created for our update of iFart Mobile, saying the parody rock band, celebrity and movie names we used to name the farts violated their terms.
Of course, Apple can approve or decline any app they want. It's their store and they get to pick and choose.
However, the seemingly arbitrary approval process has many developers quite concerned. Some well-known app developers are even quitting over the approval process.
We recently submitted a very simple app that was rejected by the app store. The app is not revolutionary or world-changing, but approving it would be consistent with the approval of similar apps that Apple has allowed.
I have a great respect for Steve Jobs and absolutely love Apple products. So with only the greatest admiration for Mr. Jobs and what he has accomplished, I offer the following video as a public appeal to Steve Jobs, Fortune Magazine's "Man of the Decade."
What are your thoughts?
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
November 18, 2009 06:47 PM
Great video Joel! I'm not an app developer but I'm very familiar with all the issues coming out of their so called "approval" process. You raised some really good points and hopefully someone at least at Apple gets ahold of this.
"You gotta fight....for your right....to caaaaaa-ching!"
November 18, 2009 06:54 PM
Hey Joel, wish you the best on Ka-ching button
I've got some app ideas that I've researched and have data to show that they would have a leg to stand on if they were created. I also have a platform of over 10,000 people to get the word out about the app and 4-5 years of marketing experience to market the app.
Where could I go to pitch my app to a team like yours to develop my ideas?
November 18, 2009 07:23 PM
How many high profile developers are going to have to quit developing for the app store before they take this seriously. Several have already openly announced quitting....
November 18, 2009 07:44 PM
Clever video Joel, very professional and attention grabbing! Oh yeah, and it was clearly created out of love and passion for all things Apple. Now if you can just get it in front of him.
I will persist until I succeed. - Og Mandino
November 19, 2009 01:12 AM
Apple is absolutely right - stop spamming app store with "5 lines of code" applications. Its already hard to find good applications because of this useless spam... Look what happened to the internet in the end of 90s with all the spam sites...
November 19, 2009 07:35 AM
Hilarious :D Maybe Steve wants to be the only one pressing the cha-ching button. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
November 19, 2009 08:59 AM
This is a great point that you're making, Joel! Apple need to work *with* the development community - not against them!
Good luck in getting them to take notice - if anyone can, you can!
November 19, 2009 09:22 AM
One of several reasons I don't own or use Apple products.
If this were Microsoft, everyone would be yelling "Monopoly" yet this is beyond any tactics the evil empire ever used and nothing is being done. I guess if you only own 5% of the market you can do whatever you want?
November 19, 2009 09:24 AM
Joel,
I admire your work in developing iphone apps Joel and I can imagine just how frustrating it must be to spend time and energy on an app only to receive a "thanks but no thanks" email.
Wishing you the best with getting the cha ching button approved.
Best,
Brian G. Johnson
November 19, 2009 09:24 AM
Dear Joel,
We have reviewed your very entertaining video and have determined that it has limited functionality and have deemed that it is inappropriate for the App Store Complaint Department.
Thanks for spending countless dollars and development hours promoting and building Apple products and services that have significantly contributed to our bottom line. We hope you will continue to do so with even greater fervor in the future.
Insincerely,
Fake Asst to the Fake Steve Jobs
November 19, 2009 09:25 AM
Thanks for cracking me up this morning! I needed a good laugh. :-)
Great appeal video, Joel! I think there's a very good chance the decision will be reviewed and repealed, perhaps even by Mr. Jobs himself.
November 19, 2009 09:41 AM
I don't want a Kaching button app but I do want others that are in the same boat. We had one that was very user functional and helpful get rejected. Why? Beats me.
So I would have to opt with you Joel in your appeal. They need to fix this process or risk sending developers running.
November 19, 2009 09:42 AM
Joel,
Well done :-) I think your app is better than... let's say, the... flashlight app?
Hope all goes well...
Peter
November 19, 2009 09:49 AM
Suggestion,
Add more Ka-Ching sounds.
As for the video, I agree with you 100%. I'm new to iPhone dev and find this issue to be one of the top complaints among other devs.
Note:
If Chuck Norris has the Ka-Ching app and you have the Ka-Ching app, Chuck Norris has more Ka-Ching app then you, FYI of the day
November 19, 2009 09:59 AM
I agree with you about consistency. However there has to be a rule that prevents a bloat of "copy cat" 5 lines of code applications. I'm not making a judgment call on your app... but as you pointed out yourself, there are alot of simular apps out there all ready.
November 19, 2009 10:03 AM
I want a Ka-Ching button! It would go nicely with my Woooo! button. Steve? Hello? Anybody home?
November 19, 2009 10:05 AM
Reviewers get arrogant over time, we saw this with hand-screened search engines.
'Oh I've already got a green store I don't want another one in that section.' I've not heard of you, are you worthy of my attention because my quota is full?
They end up doing just the opposite of what their bosses want. Their bosses want them to chose the most profitable and customer satisfying items like Caaaaaa-Chingg!
I want one and I haven't even got an iPhone.
November 19, 2009 10:19 AM
Haha! I think you invested a lot of time in this video. Hope steve will be listening...
November 19, 2009 10:30 AM
Way to take a stand Joel! I'm sure Apple is aware of the idea of Crowdsourcing so making this video and having it go viral is a great idea.
I'm not an app developer, but what about the idea of bundling with the other "noise" apps that are already approved?
It would be sad to see the app dev community become just the big media developers.
Apple are you listening?
November 19, 2009 10:54 AM
Hi Joel,
I love your video. I see your point when you use the other app examples. Your's seems like it is a good match for Apple.
Keep up the great work. I love your App.
Chris
November 19, 2009 10:55 AM
OK....ifart not me. Blame it on the other guy. Sorry as a lady I don't like the name and wouldn't buy the product just because of it. I know you guys were smoken the good stuff laughing your asses off when you came up with the name but....no go. Boys boys boys lol ya got to love them.
November 19, 2009 11:01 AM
Dear Joel,
All said and done open source is the way to go man. Why let Steve Jobs control? Move over to Android man. That's what I'm doing in ditching my iPhone in favor of an Android phone.
November 19, 2009 11:17 AM
Good point, Joel!
That's one of the reasons why I as a software developer have not developed anything for the Apple in over 2 decades. Apple's stuff is proprietary and locked up.
The users are NOT supposed to Ka-Ching. But APPLE Inc is and does.
November 19, 2009 11:20 AM
Why? Why? Why? How much time and money did you really invest in the app? A few hours max? I spent 5 months on my app, in addition to a 9-5 job. Every weekend, 7am starts commuting to work on the train. I busted my ass. Do I feel any sympathy for your plight? Not at all. Here's my app, http://www.ixcitable.com it actually does something.
You are better off concentrating on creating something useful. You say the iMac is great, the iPhone is great. But really, when you look at all the functionality that comes with iPhone, your app uses almost none of it.
Why not create something great? Is that just too much effort?
November 19, 2009 11:24 AM
I am getting this from all over the net. Work hard to help build..... Then after you spend your money and time to get it ready, some bone head in another country that really does not know what or how any of the stuff works looks at a list of qualification and determines from that list yes or no. Joel you and some other big IM names should make your own phone with apps. Then you can do what you want.
November 19, 2009 11:32 AM
Thanks for all the great comments and support!
There are those that criticize me for making such a simple app. They are obviously unaware of the more sophisticated apps we release. We are waiting on Apple to approve another that is incredibly complex and valuable.
Joel
November 19, 2009 11:34 AM
Hey Joel,
You make some great points in your video. I mean really Wooooo! and Knock Knock are ok but Ka-Ching! isn't. Very ambiguous approval process over there at Apple. Glad you got IFart in though! I've had more fun with that app than I can tell you. Hope things change over there...
November 19, 2009 12:53 PM
Consumers should decide if an app is worthy of their money, not Apple.
If an influential entrepreneur publishes an app and promotes it to his money-loving (targeted) audience, it WILL sell much more successfully than an app full of "user functionality" created by someone who doesn't know how to market.
Ka-Ching is the "long tail" of iPhone apps. Long live the Long Tail. Put the power where it belongs--with the people, and let the market decide.
November 19, 2009 01:40 PM
@DevG, then stick these humorous, silly apps in the "5 lines of code" store. As simple and stupid as they may be, people want and use them. The stats speak for themselves. I won't own a car not made in the states, but darn those crazy guys at the border, they keep letting them into the U.S. What do I do? I don't go into the Honda and Toyota stores. So stay out of the "5 lines of code" store. K.I.S.S.
November 19, 2009 02:10 PM
Know what I love about this Joel...you probably created the Ka'chinng app knowing it would get rejected because they've beefed up their approvals, so you can make this fun video appealing to Steve on behalf of other developers that they be consistent and so this video will get lots of exposure!
I love it, genius! KA-CHING!
P.S. and for everyone biznitching about the app not being useful anyways [and thereby not sympathizing with Joel], His point is not that the app should be approved...his point is that they be consistent in their approvals so developers know what to expect or not!
November 19, 2009 02:30 PM
A great video - Love it, you are so humorous!
And I agree, the time it takes for an app to get approved is long, however it is even worse that they reject a app on "minimal functionality for the user" or something like that.
The woo button :D
November 19, 2009 03:16 PM
@Josh expecting any group of 40 plus testers to be 100% consistent 100% of the time is naive. There are over 100,000 apps. Hazard to guess how many updates they must have had to test that comes along with that? They should absolutely have more testers, but expecting any mechanism this new to simply work perfectly simply wont happen, ever. That's life. I think it's stupid that a dictionary got rejected for objectionable content.
Most of the developers doing the whining are those who just don't follow the rules (Joel excluded). Getting rejected for obvious breaches of rules like Apple trademark imagery in their apps or just plain bad coding. Apple have always had high standards. They expect that from the iPhone developer community too. That's half the problem. The latest Facebook app went live with loads of bugs. Joe Hewitt was tweeting about fixes within hours of it being released. I got the impression it simply wasn't tested thoroughly. Surprise surprise, you can't practice agile development when you're effectively shipping your product out to be put up on the App Store shelf.
Of course, what they want to stock their Store with is very much up to them. And I they aren't going to take kindly to apps with limited functionality that are little more than a stab at a viral marketing campaign.
November 19, 2009 05:52 PM
Hi, guys:
I think handset has become something like a fashion to most people, especially the young generations. So, a lot of stuffs has got nothing to do with functionality. It's mere fun that most people might want to have. Of course, if there is apps that is contains good functionality, good, nothing to debate here. So, we also need to accommodate a lot of designers out there that have a lot of creativity. I think the "Ka-ching", "knock the wood", "Woowww", and a lot more fun apps are pretty entertainning for people. I don't see any problem with that. We cannot says that these kind of apps are spams, I don't think it's fair to say that, if you don't like it, don't buy it. There are thousands of people like it, so what do you think these people will say about this kind of apps, fun apps of course! Whether it's a spams kind of stuffs, it depends on people. It's the same for the offline physical brick and mortar stores, most of them sell stuffs that are "useless" to some people, right? It's a free marketplace both in online and offline. I think the problem is not on the apps designers, it's Apple's approval policy that is questionable. If all the designers out there only design apps that's only contain mere functionality, great, but won't you guys feel like it's a bit boring? So, my point is, it's totally ok to design whatever you want, as long as there are people like them, the problem is on the approving policy, which I agree with Joel.
Sorry if I ever offense someone here. It's just my 2 cents.
Thanks & regards,
Rick Ng
November 19, 2009 05:56 PM
This reminds me of my world, freelance writing, where we seldom expect consistency, nor reasoned critiques, from our editors. I'm inspired now to start sending videos to a number of them.
Good luck, Joel. Perhaps Steve will see the delicious irony in having a ka-ching button as he returns to full and hale mettle.
November 19, 2009 05:56 PM
Oh stop whining. It does have limited user functionality. Who cares if your simplistic 'button' is isn't in the iStore. I am sure we will all survive just fine without it.
November 19, 2009 07:33 PM
To the review staff at apple:Boo-Hiss
publish the mans app!!!
November 19, 2009 08:41 PM
Hi Joel,
Great video! Very entertaining & amusing (I want a wooo button ;-) ) and well done.
To be honest, I don't personally see much value in the KaChing button... BUT I totally do get your key point that consistency in evaluating & approving newly submitted apps is vital.
Since the App store relies on developers producing content to populate the store (and earn them & Apple money!), it just makes sense that not giving them a fair and well documented set of guidelines (and internal approval processes) will ultimately turn around to bite apple on the butt!
If developers lose interest, that's bad news for Apple. Unless they want to hire a ton of developers and PAY THEM to create new apps (not very likely...).
Anyway, all the best in getting Apple to take your request seriously.
And good health to Steve as well!
Eran
November 19, 2009 11:18 PM
Nicely put together video Joel, hope he gets to see it and approves the app'.
I wonder, Q: Was the other apps that were previously approved, submitted on the same date as yours? Or where they submitted way before the approval team of Apple Apps denied yours?
I wonder if they'll turn around and say they were Grandfathered in. But if that was the case, shouldn't they just remove all the other app's that didn't have enough "functionality"
Hmm..
All the best
Loz
November 20, 2009 02:37 AM
We TOTALLY agree...
from all the good guys at
http://PocketBrand.com
November 20, 2009 07:24 AM
YES! VERY GOOD. We want the KAChing button in!!!
Joel, great video!
Let's see the KaCHing button coming into the iPhone!!!
November 20, 2009 07:53 AM
There are some people who will say Apple is no different than a traditional publisher in denying "publishing" an app. But that is an incorrect analogy. With a traditional publisher, at least there are other avenues you can take to get your book published. You have other publishers, you can publish it yourself, etc.
With the Apple app store, you can spend a lot of time and $$$ developing an app, only to be told later it "isn't good enough." And where do you go from there?
There are tons and tons of podcasts listed in the apple iTunes store, some good, most bad, but at least they get listed.
The approval process seems inconsistent at best, and ultimately allows apple to discriminate certain publishers on a whim if they want. Or if someone is just having a "bad day."
There needs to be tighter approval process than podcasts due to the nature of the iPhone and to prevent harmful apps, but the authority to say "doesn't do enough" is very powerful, and subject to any one person's judgment at Apple.
For now, Joel, why don't you make the kaching button on the web site a flash app we can push to make the sound - until Apple comes to their senses. :D
November 20, 2009 03:53 PM
Hey Joel,
Great video. I loved it. Humorous and entertaining while still delivering a serious message.
If that doesn't get Steve Jobs attention, nothing will.
Warmest regards,
Ellery
P.S. I think your video is much better than your app looks but I hope you get it approved.
November 21, 2009 07:59 AM
Love it! Very entertaining. If this doesn't get attention, I don't know what will.
November 21, 2009 06:04 PM
go JOEL GO!
Don't have an Iphone but LOVE the Ka-ching button! I just might have to get an iphone JUST for that when it gets approved!
Marian
November 24, 2009 01:14 PM
Hi Joel,
Any chance you would be interested in working with me to develop a "Candy The Magic Dinosaur" app?...
Many Thanks
David
November 27, 2009 05:40 AM
Hi Joel,
How much time does it take you to write an app like the Kaching Button? And what would be the associated cost for this if you were actually hiring someone to do this? What I'm asking is: how much free work is Apple getting per app do you reckon?
Thanks,
Dave
November 27, 2009 04:05 PM
Apple has always been control freaks and I imagine they will continue to be. They only care about profits and can care less about developing open systems. Just watch out for the fanboys!
November 28, 2009 05:46 AM
You're so deviating from the real problem. You really have no shame. I'm glad Apple finally puts an end to approving stupid apps like yours. And for anything, your video just shows that the approval process has been idiotic in the past, not that it should approve your app. It's because of you and other silly developers with minimalistic apps that the review process is so long and painful for real developers who spend real time and money developing useful apps!
November 28, 2009 08:29 AM
Sebastien is in the minority, yet he still manages to miss the point entirely. His elitist position has blinded him to the problem which exists within the app store... a problem of consistency.
It's because of APPLE that the review process is so long and painful.
And if someone downloads an app and enjoys it, it is useful for them.
Don't be an App Snob. ;-)
December 17, 2009 03:01 AM
I like every thing about it and glad to be the part of it.
Sara