
Developers, Be Warned: Apple Has Apparently TMed Those Glossy Chat Bubbles - vaksel
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/01/developers-be-warned-apple-has-apparently-trademarked-those-shiny-chat-bubbles/
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oneplusone
Apple has guidelines on how to style the iPhone app's specifically to ensure
consistency of the user experience. How does this do anything but hurt them?
Do they really want every app developer to create their own style of chat
bubble?

If they trademark the navigation bar at the top will they stop developers from
using that as well?

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BRadmin
There's obviously some inconsistency going on here in the app approval
process, but the main gist from Apple has always been the same; they don't
want users getting confused about whether or not they are chatting it up on
Chess Wars or via SMS.

My company was told something similar by Apple reps at an iPhoneDevCamp event:
make sure the chat bubbles look different so as not to be confused with our
native app.

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pbhj
They can request you don't use it as condition for access to their platform -
claiming it's a trademark is different. The mark (in the EC at least) needs to
be indicative of the origin of goods or services and needs to be distinctive
in order to achieve that aim - chat bubbles are not distinctive and are not
indicative that Apple Computers Inc. are providing the service. Fail IMO.

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dannyr
To the developer of this app:

You know about Apple's inconsistent and oppressive policies. If you still
choose to develop on the IPhone platform, you can't raise hell if your app
gets rejected for any reason.

By continuing to develop on the IPhone, you are not giving Apple any reason to
change its policies. If Apple sees that it is losing market share then they'll
take steps to be more open and developer-friendly.

I always hear people saying that "I hate Apple's app approval policies,
however, I'd still buy their products because they are so good."

It's like saying "I hate how China violates human rights but I'd still buy
products made in China because they are of good quality and affordable."

~~~
sho
Even better, buy Apple products, which are made in China, for that elusive
"double hypocrisy slam"

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die_sekte
We've seen some pretty bad rejections – the whole "help, this app provides
access to the web" dilemma and whatnot –, but this is (a) ridiculous, (b)
random and (c) doesn't make a lot of sense.

I bet that the 40+ app approval people are actually rolling dice to determine
whether to reject an app or not and what the rejection should be.

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anigbrowl
I guess this comes down a question f whether the bubbles are a normal part of
the API or not. If this is the case, then what next? 'We don't like your new
Mac app...it's consistent with our design guidelines, and your buttons and
window borders look just like ours'.

This whole App Store thing is starting to remind me of the great videogame
crash, with Apple occupying Atari's role.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983)

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mkinsella
Except in this case, there is only one video game console (the iPhone) with
many games (apps) while the original crash's "main cause was supersaturation
of the market with dozens of consoles". Furthermore, recent reports still
indicate the App Store is gaining momentum, not losing it.

It is my opinion that all these anti-Apple reports we've been seeing over the
last few months are only angering developers, not end-users. Most users could
care less that Apple is taking 6+ weeks to release an update, being
inconsistent in their review process, or restricting "shiny" message bubbles.

~~~
anigbrowl
Well, don't read 'starting to resemble' too literally. Try 'dozens of
categories with thousands of apps'. Similarities (to my eyes) include the race
to the bottom on price, the one-trick-ponyism of many apps, the breakout of
fights over gatekeeping and so on, for one thing.

Another way to look at Apple and Atari, the former remind me of the latter as
chief innovator and dominant force in a proprietary market space with many
lesser-known imitators (doubtless, you've noticed the iPhone has had some
influence on other competitors in the mobile space).

I just feel a change coming...not sure what it portends, exactly.

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omouse
Didn't Apple lose on the Look & Feel front against Microsoft a long time ago?

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Tichy
Honestly, I think the Apple looks are not that great. The window resizing is
smooth, but a lot of the designs remind me of the Java Swing Metal theme from
sometime in the 90ies (I think). iTunes+AppStore are an example.

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jrockway
Didn't Apple change everything from "Metal" to "Plastic" a few years ago?

Anyway, I use 1px red borders as my window border. Why waste valuable screen
real estate on something that you can't interact with?

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jmtulloss
Aesthetics.

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jrockway
I thought they were called computers, not aestheticsers.

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potatolicious
I suppose you have a hard wooden bench for a seat in your car also...

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lr
This info was from a phone call, so unless it was recorded, there is nothing
to prove what the content of the conversation was, or if there even was a
conversation at all. This story sounds pretty sketchy to me.

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gamache
Sure, pasted-in emails are much more reliable.

