Director of App Store for Apple also made fart and wiz apps
Wired did some poking around and discovered Phillip Shoemaker, Apple's director of App Store -- the man purportedly in charge of App Store approval and rejection -- was or is the developer of fart and urination apps.
Shoemaker apparently had or has a company named Gray Noodle, whose titles include Animal Farts and iWiz. Although the social networking profiles and posts that led Wired to the discovery have subsequently been removed, they've retained archive copies. An Apple spokeswoman gave them the following comment:
“Phillip’s apps were written, submitted and approved before he became an Apple employee,” an Apple spokeswoman said in a statement. “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.”
Other former Apple employees confirmed that special, executive level permission was required in order for an Apple employee to publish on the App Store, though if the apps predated Apple employment permission for them to remain on the App Store might be easier to obtain.
So is it reassuring for developers to have someone with experience getting controversial apps approved inside the App Store? Does it mean if you were rejected, you didn't even meet the Animal Farts sniff test?
[Wired, thanks Luke!]
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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I guess writing fart and wiz apps is a prerequisite to being hired into the position.
HAHAHAHAHA, I'm glad they hired someone who has some "real" experience making "legitimate and beneficial apps". Hilarious!
You're welcome!!
According to the article, 3 of the apps were published after he announced he was working at Apple, so, unless there is a multiple week delay between approval and publication, the Apple spkesman is not telling the truth. Also, Shoemaker has purged his account postings since this article was published, but the article links to archived copies.
More of Apple's high ethical standards, no doubt.
I love anything that apple makes .. i downloaded those fart apps and wish i could fart like those sounds. I think i speak for all the iPhone users out-there.
This doesn't appear all that outrageous or controversial to me. So, it seems to me that Wired is trying to manufacture controversy here.
Will App Store approval policies be better with a different person? Highly doubtful. Apple is a flattened organization, and many of the controversial apps will make it to senior VPs. Any individual who works in this position will be subservient to the VPs and Jobs.
Really, the App Store is no different in style to a Walmart store or a Macy's store or a Best Buy store. The content of the store is a reflection of what the owners wants to present. It's obvious Apple doesn't want the App Store to be a free for all like the Internet. It wants to be a respectable place for all customers. Everyone knows what this means.
Even in this context, the fart style apps would be controversial to sell. So, it should not be easy to have it approved.
Wired understands this perfectly well. You see, they don't have porn on their property. They don't have certain things on their property.
Don't see what the big deal is.
So what? I blame the dumb azzes that actually downloaded those apps to make them famous and profitable.
Hey we need someone to approve, and reject apps. Any ideas? What about hiring that guy who did the farts app. He sounds really qualified to take a serious look and be fair. This us a funny one. Good story.
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Never was a fan of Tilton or, for that matter, any preacher whose main theme is to beg for money. It's like all those tarot card readers and fortune tellers. If they're so damn good at it, then how come they're all broke?