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?