Matt Stanford (via Ryan Jones):
But then one day, after submitting a small bug fix update, I got an email from Apple. My app had been rejected.
[…]
Ok, they’ve made themselves clear. Apps can’t show any third party links within the app itself. But wait, aren’t there hundreds of Hacker News client apps out there that do exactly that? Not to mention clients for other similar services like Reddit, Twitter, etc. This must be a mistake. They are mistaking my app for some sort of RSS feed aggregator or something, right?
Over the next couple of weeks, I sent several replies back and forth the app reviewer, but it was wholly unproductive. Questions like, “How is my app different than all the other Hacker News apps out there?” were ignored. It felt like I was arguing with a robot.
Update (2018-11-15): See also: Hacker News.
App Store App Store Rejection iOS iOS 12 iOS App MobileSafari
Riccardo Mori:
But I chose the iPhone 8. Space grey, 64 GB. Why? The answer is simple: I just like it better. And eight days after my purchase, I can already tell you I love it and I don’t regret choosing it at all.
[…]
Going from an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 8 isn’t so much about mere speed (though that doesn’t hurt, believe me), but smoothness. It’s not the benchmarks per se what astounds me about this new iPhone, but the effortlessness everywhere. Everything feels fluid – I was about to say liquid but I didn’t want to sound like Steve Jobs when he started overusing the term magical. Another element that contributes to this feeling of fluidity is the display itself. It must have a different oleophobic coating because I distinctly feel less friction when moving my fingertips over it.
[…]
I said this exchange was a bit unexpected because I simply took for granted that they would be more interested in the shinier, newest iPhone models. I’ll admit, part of me was glad that these three regular users were giving some love to the iPhone 8, which has become a bit of a ‘Cinderella iPhone’ in the tech sphere.
The iPhone 8 is still a great phone, but it is more slippery and less comfortable to hold without case than the iPhone XS or XR or, of course, the SE.
Update (2018-11-27): John Gruber:
But consumers aren’t objective and often aren’t particularly well-informed. What people don’t seem to be considering is that maybe the iPhone XR is less in demand not because it offers too little compared to the XS, but rather too much. iPhone X-class phones offer a new and different fundamental experience: no home button, new gestures that replace home button actions, Face ID in place of Touch ID, and more.
There are many people out there who do not like change, period. Last year, you could walk into a store and choose between two new iPhones: the new-and-different iPhone X and the new-and-familiar iPhone 8/8 Plus. This year, if you want a brand-new iPhone model, there is no “familiar” choice. The XS, XS Max, and XR all offer the same new-and-different experience.
Face ID iOS iOS 12 iPhone iPhone 8
Curtis Herbert:
While all that was going on I realized it was time to really lean into something I started over two years ago: fully embracing the consumable IAP aspect of my business. I started the initial reboot of my business model by focusing on subscriptions, but since adding consumables, they now account for 75% of my sales (sales, not revenue). They greatly help to address large parts of my market for which a subscription just doesn’t make sense.
[…]
I’d encourage all of you to do a thorough pass on your own apps. I have a feeling many of you are like me: making your IAPs accessible (if the user knows where to go to get them, usually the about screen), but not selling as effectively as you can.
Business In-App Purchase iOS iOS 12 iOS App Slopes
Julia Alexander (Hacker News):
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has once again decried the European Union’s proposed copyright directive, arguing in a new blog post that it’s impossible for a platform like YouTube to comply with the suggested regulations.
This is the second blog post Wojcicki has published on Article 13, a part of the copyright directive that calls for stricter copyright infringement enforcement that puts the responsibility on the platform instead of the user. This marks the first time the CEO has vehemently stated that YouTube does not have the technical or financial capabilities to enforce the kind of copyright restriction the European Union is seeking.
Previously: EU Approves Controversial Copyright Directive.
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