Fraser Spiers on slow responses from the iPhone App Store: "If Apple can’t guarantee a maximum 24 hour review process, they should drop it."

I completely agree that this is a really important issue. One of the things I loved about even a jailbroken iPhone is the installer app, which is the best experience I've ever had of downloading and upgrading applications on a mobile device. No settings, no WAP Push, no security prompts, no portals to wade through: lovely.

But you don't have to be faster than the tiger, you just have to be faster than the other guy... and it would be difficult for Apple to be slower than incumbent mobile telcos. We've done a lot of work with them over the years.

One of our clients has a very profitable mobile service. They've been in the process of getting on-portal with one large UK operator for *four years*. That's not "trying to find the right person to talk to" or "pitching the idea in", but rather "yes, we love your content, let's get it on there"... and then the wading through molasses of departments, reorgs, and so on.

Comments

[john cooper]

the beauty and problem with the installer app is the fact it's user regulated.
How easy would it be to put a malicious piece of code into the mix? Fortunately this (as far as i know) hasn't happened because of the user base but the more that expands the more chance that this could happen.
Apple really do need a quick review process, especially to get upgraded apps online and available but what happens when an app is release through iTunes that does cause issues - perhaps bricking the iPhone - Apple credibility would plummet.

What it does show is what a superb job Apple has done to get iTunes out and into so many PC's allowing/giving them a great platform to deliver content media or software - hey who would have predicted 3+ years ago that apple would expand iTunes to be the slickest mobile app delivery system! Now it's down to how well they can manage the quality control