Clarification

In my last post, I said this:

Make no mistake: the App Store review process is for Apple’s benefit and Apple’s benefit alone. It does absolutely nothing to improve the platform.

In response, Neven Mrgan, who is far more level-headed than I, emailed me with a counterpoint:

Every app I’ve worked on got rejected at some point. In two cases, I’d argue the rejection was asinine. In the 6 or 7 others, the issues were genuine (and uncaught by us.) Of course only the asinine ones get publicized — who would blog about their app not displaying an Internet-connection-required alert? (I was once told this was the #1 reason for sending the app back if it was Internet-oriented.)

I concede, then, that there are some cases in which apps are improved by the review process, and that this benefits everyone. The user gets a better app, Apple gets a platform with a more consistent user experience, and the developer doesn’t have to deal with bad reviews or questions from customers who don’t realize the app requires a network connection. In cases like these, I have no problem with Apple wielding its power of rejection.

However, my original point — that the review process does nothing to protect users from malware — stands. And there can be no doubt that there are examples of Apple using its privileged position irresponsibly, or at least unfairly. Those examples get blogged about the most not just because they’re newsworthy, but because they cast doubt on the viability of the platform. When Apple removes all adult-themed apps from the App Store overnight, despite having an age-rating system with which the developers of those apps had complied, it casts doubt. When Apple suddenly changes the SDK agreement to disallow cross-compilation, putting numerous developers out of business with the stroke of a pen, it casts doubt.

In case it isn’t clear, I love using and developing for the Mac OS and the iPhone OS. I’ve been a devotee of Apple’s products and philosophy since I got my first Mac as a bar mitzvah gift in 1988. So when I criticize Apple, it’s out of concern over poor decisions I see being made by an old friend. And while the App Store review process may not be all bad, it seems — more than any other aspect of Apple’s business — to concentrate and amplify those poor decisions.