Something struck me recently while reading about the latest seemingly unreasonable app store rejection. The whole process is remarkably similar to stock photography, particularly micro-stock sites. Many of the arguments made about the unfairness of the App Store could equally be applied to Stock Photography. For example: the complaint that developers can put time, effort and expense into developing an application with no guarantee that it will be accepted and no way to know until the App is submitted. The same can be said for Stock Photography, although perhaps on a smaller scale.
Often a photographer will put a lot of effort into a shoot, and expense too, for things such as props etc, with no guarantee that the images will be accepted. There is no way to know for sure until they are submitted. Most images are accepted if they follow the rules, but just like with the App store there are plenty of grey areas. And, just like the App store occasionally there will be an image rejected for no discernible reason, and will seem like an unjust, arbitrary decision.
The thing is people have come to accept this about Stock Photography. I’m not saying that they should accept Apple’s seemingly random decisions about the App store, but it’s a matter of perspective. Rejections get a lot of airtime and fanfare by the technology press, expressing “shock” at Apple’s tactics, but while you will hear about the one or two Applications that get rejected at any given time, you don’t hear about the hundreds that are being accepted. It’s understandably frustrating when an App gets rejected. Having had stock images rejected for no apparent reason, I know how frustrating that can be, but these are rare cases, and everyone running around with their hair on fire every time an App is rejected undermines just how successful the App store is and just what a remarkable achievement it has been. Certainly Apple needs to improve its decision making process, especially when it comes to appeals, but people should realize that the way the submission process is being run is not without precedence.
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