Feeling violated in the worse possible way!
I hope no developer ever has to go through what a young talented developer from India experienced with Apple.
Here are the details
He talked a person from Oman and Canada (me) into helping him realize his dream. (This guy was relentless and persuasive.)
He wanted to be his own App developer.
So out comes the other guys credit card and a shiny new iMac x large, best memory possible, iPad ,iPod etc are delivered to Calcutta.
Unpacked ready to go, new developers license in hand, all of a sudden self employed with his peers from his tech job gone. He has his wish.
I gave him the idea, layout concept for his first app called " You" we worked together to get him on the right pathway and he is knee deep in the process in days, basically teaching himself the stuff he needs to know to get around many issues.
After a few months the "You" app is ready. Great logo, great name tonnes of great features ( way too many) all built by one guy.
App gets released on the store sells a few hundred right away but unfortunately the app was buggy because of all the moving parts. We tested it but not in all the possible combinations. The app crashed on occasion. Customers were ok because we committed to fix the app immediately. App works perfect after only a few days (simplified some points) and we submit the new version.
This new developer is on top of the world successful from day one, committed to stand behind his product and show the world his new found skill.
Part Two the downward death spiral.
App reviewer from hell that doesn't want to help and leaves "You" guessing for more.
Basically we get an email telling us the app "You " will be removed from the store immediately because the app resembles a desktop.
Ok, we agree and quickly a new version is built with the desk top split up onto many different pages. The app now is half as nice because you have to search for everything and scroll and click to find anything. Any ways the new version is submitted. After 13 days of no communication I finally call the reviewer and get his voice mail. This is so and so please leave ........ another week passes and nothing. So finally after 21 days after the patch was submitted I get persistent and keep leaving messages. I get a call back and the reviewer says you can only have one item per page. I ask for an example and he tells me you can't have the time and weather on the same page. That was it. He kept explaining to me that it is up to the developer to know all the rules and regs of the store. It wasn't his job to coach us. So after I explained to him that the store is full of apps that have two items per page he basically told me it wasn't his problem. We need to follow the rules set out by.....
So again we create more pages to place one item per page like we were told and we had gone from 6 pages on the app to 49 housing each function on a page. We test the new app and it was now useless. Unwilling to submit this scroll thing. I tried contacting my assigned reviewer and again nothing.
So I requested a new reviewer a week later this guy was willing to help. He helped us figure out what we could possibly do to get re-instated. Then wham the New and ....Featured lists that Thursday are loaded with apps that have more than six items on the front page of the app, resembling a desktop. So I asked Steve what about the level playing field you promised us. Please look at these apps with all these functionality's on the same page how is that even possible? Not only are they on the store but they are recommended by Apple, meanwhile "You " misses Xmas because no one will deal with us in an affirmative and timely fashion.
So Steve realizes we are right, pulls his tail in and tells me he can't deal with this issue, it is way beyond what he deals with we need to file with the review board.
So we file with the review board explaining everything.
It is going on two weeks now and we have only received an email (after vigourous complaining) stating that the board needs more time.
We have two apps submitted for the Mac app store that also seem to be frozen in time as well now ( more than 11 days) because we are in dispute.( I guess? and the fact that one of them is " You " for the Mac )
So pretty soon it will be three months the way it is going and we still have no idea what to do with "You".
One thing is for sure the young developer has been sick ( really sick) and his motivation is corked in a bottle sitting on the review boards desk.
I wouldn't want this story to happen to any other developer, believe me nothing bothers me, but this ordeal has hurt a hard working committed young man willing to solve any problems apple was willing to throw at him and they have no interest in dealing with him at all.
He told me today in a very sad voice " how do you fix something when the group you are fixing it for has no idea how to tell you what is broken in the first place.
We have always been polite and upfront with everyone at Apple so experiencing this firsthand is very sad. I have never had a problem with any of my own apps with apple.
A sad three months to say the least.
Here are the details
He talked a person from Oman and Canada (me) into helping him realize his dream. (This guy was relentless and persuasive.)
He wanted to be his own App developer.
So out comes the other guys credit card and a shiny new iMac x large, best memory possible, iPad ,iPod etc are delivered to Calcutta.
Unpacked ready to go, new developers license in hand, all of a sudden self employed with his peers from his tech job gone. He has his wish.
I gave him the idea, layout concept for his first app called " You" we worked together to get him on the right pathway and he is knee deep in the process in days, basically teaching himself the stuff he needs to know to get around many issues.
After a few months the "You" app is ready. Great logo, great name tonnes of great features ( way too many) all built by one guy.
App gets released on the store sells a few hundred right away but unfortunately the app was buggy because of all the moving parts. We tested it but not in all the possible combinations. The app crashed on occasion. Customers were ok because we committed to fix the app immediately. App works perfect after only a few days (simplified some points) and we submit the new version.
This new developer is on top of the world successful from day one, committed to stand behind his product and show the world his new found skill.
Part Two the downward death spiral.
App reviewer from hell that doesn't want to help and leaves "You" guessing for more.
Basically we get an email telling us the app "You " will be removed from the store immediately because the app resembles a desktop.
Ok, we agree and quickly a new version is built with the desk top split up onto many different pages. The app now is half as nice because you have to search for everything and scroll and click to find anything. Any ways the new version is submitted. After 13 days of no communication I finally call the reviewer and get his voice mail. This is so and so please leave ........ another week passes and nothing. So finally after 21 days after the patch was submitted I get persistent and keep leaving messages. I get a call back and the reviewer says you can only have one item per page. I ask for an example and he tells me you can't have the time and weather on the same page. That was it. He kept explaining to me that it is up to the developer to know all the rules and regs of the store. It wasn't his job to coach us. So after I explained to him that the store is full of apps that have two items per page he basically told me it wasn't his problem. We need to follow the rules set out by.....
So again we create more pages to place one item per page like we were told and we had gone from 6 pages on the app to 49 housing each function on a page. We test the new app and it was now useless. Unwilling to submit this scroll thing. I tried contacting my assigned reviewer and again nothing.
So I requested a new reviewer a week later this guy was willing to help. He helped us figure out what we could possibly do to get re-instated. Then wham the New and ....Featured lists that Thursday are loaded with apps that have more than six items on the front page of the app, resembling a desktop. So I asked Steve what about the level playing field you promised us. Please look at these apps with all these functionality's on the same page how is that even possible? Not only are they on the store but they are recommended by Apple, meanwhile "You " misses Xmas because no one will deal with us in an affirmative and timely fashion.
So Steve realizes we are right, pulls his tail in and tells me he can't deal with this issue, it is way beyond what he deals with we need to file with the review board.
So we file with the review board explaining everything.
It is going on two weeks now and we have only received an email (after vigourous complaining) stating that the board needs more time.
We have two apps submitted for the Mac app store that also seem to be frozen in time as well now ( more than 11 days) because we are in dispute.( I guess? and the fact that one of them is " You " for the Mac )
So pretty soon it will be three months the way it is going and we still have no idea what to do with "You".
One thing is for sure the young developer has been sick ( really sick) and his motivation is corked in a bottle sitting on the review boards desk.
I wouldn't want this story to happen to any other developer, believe me nothing bothers me, but this ordeal has hurt a hard working committed young man willing to solve any problems apple was willing to throw at him and they have no interest in dealing with him at all.
He told me today in a very sad voice " how do you fix something when the group you are fixing it for has no idea how to tell you what is broken in the first place.
We have always been polite and upfront with everyone at Apple so experiencing this firsthand is very sad. I have never had a problem with any of my own apps with apple.
A sad three months to say the least.
STR8TS , STR8TS 6X6 , DOMINO DICE , PUZZLE DICE,
CAVEMAN TEST, 1 TO 25, SUDOKU+STR8TS, ZARTE, ABSORB WATER, YOU, TIME SHEET (PHOTO VERIFIED),Office Alarm, Travel weather, dock clock,
Last edited by Syndicated Puzzles; 01-18-2011 at 03:28 AM.