App Store Director May Have Violated Store Rules
Do as I say not as I do?
Apple's App Store is home to hundreds of thousands of applications. iPhone users will be the first to tell you that though there are some truly great applications available, you have to wade through an awful lot of farting apps to get to them. However, did you know that the man responsible for overseeing the App Store is responsible for a couple of farting apps of his own?
Wired reports that Phillip Shoemaker, director of applications technology at Apple, also runs Gray Noodle, an application development company responsible several apps, including two about peeing and farting. iWiz's description in the App Store invites users to, "Simulate the experience of urinating for a long time," while Animal Farts features a bunch of different cartoon animals and options to make them "Fart," "Poot," "Drop" or "Wiz."
The apps are childish, and not very well reviewed, but that's par for the course when it comes to these types of applications. However, the real story here is that the presence of these applications violates Apple policy, which stipulates that no employee is allowed sell applications in the App Store unless they get special permission. An Apple spokesperson told Wired that Mr. Shoemaker's apps were actually approved before he became an Apple employee, so the policy doesn't apply here.
"Phillip’s apps were written, submitted and approved before he became an Apple employee," Wired was told by a spokesperson.
"His experience and perspective as a developer is one of the valuable things he brings to Apple’s developer relations team. Apple’s policy allows for employees to have apps on the App Store if they’re developed and published prior to their start at Apple."
Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case. Three of the seven applications developed by Gray Noodle were submitted and approved as much as a month after Phillip tweeted about joining the ranks at Apple. This includes the iWiz application. Phillip has since deleted his Twitter account.
Neither Apple nor Shoemaker have commented on why he was allowed to break the rules, but driving home the point that this is most definitely not allowed is Evan Doll, a former senior iPhone software engineer at Apple.
"Apple employees are generally prohibited," Doll told Wired.com. "You have to get a special exception from a VP. Otherwise, big no-no."
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Ill be downloading the pooping bear app. Nice up.
Yes look at the last line in the article
"You have to get a special exception from a VP."
So did you find out if he got this permission before posting a title like that? What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
do we really care if he violated the apple app rules? without his violation the world would have missed out on such an amazing contribution to society.
"Innocent until proven guilty" never really happened (written policy, yes, but how often is it really followed?). This is America we're talking about. Land of the fee and home of the slave.
"Innocent until proven guilty" never really happened (written policy, yes, but how often is it really followed?). This is America we're talking about. Land of the fee and home of the slave.
You forgot taxed to death and after it.
Yes look at the last line in the article "You have to get a special exception from a VP."So did you find out if he got this permission before posting a title like that? What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
While I completely see where you're coming from, if that were the case, it would have made more sense for the Apple rep to say, "Phillip’s followed the necessary protocol for employees submitting applications to the App Store."
Instead she lied and said it was submitted and approved before he started working at Apple, which just wasn't the case.
Anyway, in the event that he did seek approval and was awarded permission for the apps, I've changed the wording of the title. : )
Anyway, in the event that he did seek approval and was awarded permission for the apps, I've changed the wording of the title. : )
Lol
Not anymore. Have fun looking for work now.
Peeing and farting apps? Quite an insult to Apple users. What they really need is an app that they can just look at for hours to see how an apple rot.
I didn't expect any better from Apple anyway.
The only question I ask myself when reading this is: how is this news? Farts and pee are utterly boring, iPhones are utterly boring and Apple's censorship is utterly boring. So why bloody bother to post about it?
Rumour has it Apples launching the Ipoo'd due the popularity of such apps as mentioned above. The Ipoo'd however is a non functioning toilet like device you have installed in your home. If the urge ever takes you to buy and Apple product, you simply put your money in the specially addressed cannister, like the money tubes you see floating about in supermarkets. Pop the thing down the Ipoo'd and flush it directly to Steve Jobs. Saves all the hassle of heading to the Apple store and ending up with a houseful of cr*p.
Wow, another fiasco and more lies. Where does it stop? Not condemning the guy... I just think Apple is taking a defensive route every time they get negative press and giving the "best" answer instead of the correct one. This serves only a couple purposes. Apple fans will defend... Apple haters will condemn... and overall people will stay away. No matter what brand loyalty your product has you will always have "edge" users that will defect over negative press.. and of course events like these don't win any new customers.
Now crapple's app approval/rejections make more sense. I mean what can you expect when the guy running the show has the mentality of a 3-year-old.
the better then everyone else with higher quality apps and major reason for buying an iPhone app store in all it's glory
take that android.....
yes his vast experience as a developer..., who can't get beyond farts, peeing and other sophomoric crap apps. whatever apple.
....why the --expletive deleted-- would I want to see cartoon animals take a crap? sure farting might have been entertaining when I was four, but how many four year olds have money and an iphone?
@braneman
mental of physical age? apparently there's a fair few of them, otherwise there wouldn't be so many of these apps, supply and demand....
Who cares? An apple employee created a few crap apps, no big deal. Don't download them. He violated apple policy and that is a matter for apple to take care of, it matters not to the rest of us. Tell me when apple employees are breaking the law, until then get some better news.
Wait!! Looks like I have an opening to make the iBarf app!
What does anyone expect from an "ecosystem" that makes a guy who wrote a shrieking "sound grenade" app that does nothing but show a picture of a grenade and wail loudly from the phone's speaker a SIX FIGURE salary? The app store is a joke, from top to bottom it's full of worthless dorks. I would never bother getting an iPhone solely because it would require exposing myself to such inane drivel.
Who cares? An apple employee created a few crap apps, no big deal. Don't download them. He violated apple policy and that is a matter for apple to take care of, it matters not to the rest of us. Tell me when apple employees are breaking the law, until then get some better news.
Did you read last week about the Apple employee breaking the law accepting kickbacks? haha.