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Apple Censors App Store Rejection Notices

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the because-they-can dept.

isBandGeek() writes "After a few reasonable App Store bans, such as the ones on I Am Rich and NetShare, developers started complaining about excessive restrictions on applications like Podcaster and MailWrangler, supposedly because they provided 'duplicate functionality.' In response, Apple rubbed salt in their wounds by slapping non-disclosure agreements on application rejection notices. Now developers are not even allowed to tell their fanbase that Apple decided to withhold approval for an application. Is Apple confident that Google's open platform Android won't be much of a threat?"

5 of 477 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What happens if you don't agree? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You agreed to take it up the ass from apple the moment you accepted the SDK.

    AC for obvious reasons.

  2. Re:well by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 5, Informative

    You sign the NDA by default if you download & install the developer tools.

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  3. Re:well by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Informative

    In order to get rejected (or accepted) from the apple store, you need to pay $99 to join the iphone developer progeam, which involves accepting the terms. While there is no pen and ink signature, you need to unambiguously accept the terms.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  4. Re:Andriod is no threat by hacker · · Score: 4, Informative

    What's that? It doesn't have a headphone jack, it can't play movies, it also cannot tether and is locked in to a carrier? Wow.. sounds like a real iPhone killer to me.

    What's that?

    1. No replaceable battery?
    2. Proprietary charging/data connector?
    3. Restrictive "mono" bluetooth support?
    4. Can't use non-Apple headsets?
    5. Doesn't sync to Linux?
    6. Have to jailbreak it to return function other handsets have by default?
    7. Ridiculously-restrictive AppStore?
    8. Can't install my own applications without a signed NDA and key?
    9. Fragile glass face?
    10. No proper keyboard?
    11. Camera can't record video?
    12. No memory card support?
    13. Capacitive touchscreen (not resistive)?

    Sounds like a Star-Tac killer to me, but my 5 year old PalmOS-based Treo trumps the iPhone in almost every single feature. The iPhone does not provide any new functionality, not revolutionary in any way, and there were plenty of full-screen, touch handsets out before the iPhone hit the market.

    The one, the ONLY thing Apple has going for them is marketing. That's it.

  5. Re:well by vux984 · · Score: 4, Informative

    And to be honest, even if I was legally-bound to the NDA, I'd still disclose the whys and wherefores of my application rejection. From time-to-time, liberty must be protected with a little civil disobedience in order to protect one's rights, privileges, and freedoms.

    Its not even civil disobedience to "violate" a contract. Its just breaking a contract that might expose you to being sued for damages or other remedies specified in the contract.

    There's nothing ILLEGAL about breaking a contract.

    Citizens really need to learn this.

    So if someone decides to break the NDA and publish their rejection letters, Apple will probably terminate their membership and that's about it. Apple's going to have a hell of a time showing that they were materially damaged by someone saying that their app got rejected.