Imsticking's Leica D-Lux 4 Blog

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Apple's Schiller Defends iPhone App Approval Process - BusinessWeek

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Brilliant coverage of an interview with Phil Schiller explaining to the ill-informed and short-sighted why the App Store approval process exists, and how they are learning to make it better. My advice to developers: don't try practicing an Agile development methodology, because the App Store is not, and likely never will be, part of your development process. It's a Store.

I'm not suggesting the waterfall approach to development, I'm suggesting more rigorous testing. TDD your apps and treat your beta testing program as a dummy app store. Then, when your latest effort is squeaky clean (or not, if it's an adult app) and shiny from too much polishing, shrink wrap it, and ship it to the store.

Apple's recent move to change how apps are displayed in the store with regards to what is considered new, should go a long way to reducing developer greed, and hopefully lengthening what seemed like a 2 week iteration for most developers simply to ensure their app was visible on the store. That's not development, that's just playing the store.

Filed under  //   App Store   Apple   Phil Schiller  

App Store Expense Monitor - Mac users, find out how much you've spent on Apps.

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I've often wondered how much I've spent on iPhone Apps over the last year and a bit. While I know I've got 259 in my iTunes App section, I have no idea how many were free, and how many cost me the odd buck or three. Now I know! This cool piece of software, written for the Mac breaks down and totals up how much you've spent over the life of your iTunes account. I've spent £160 on Apps on the App Store to date. No regrets, and I really thought it would have been higher.

Filed under  //   App Store   Software   Tools