We all have our favorite iPhone apps, and even some favorite iPhone developers, who consistently put out strong programs and provide good support and updates. Of course we also know that there are some lousy developers out there, who don ‘t do things right “ and I think many of us would just as soon know about those and avoid their apps.
So I was glad I came across a recent post at macgirl.net on a bad apple of an RSS reader app, called Gazette.
Here ‘s the quick breakdown of why this is an app, and a developer, to be avoided:
* Gazette, an RSS reader app by developer Matt Rajca, goes on sale in the App Store for $2.99 in October 2008.
* Reviews are fair to middling for the app and subsequent .0X updates. Many reviewers, including me, noted that syncing many feeds can take upwards of 15 minutes (NetNewsWire took only a couple of minutes comparatively for the same number of feeds for me). Majca stated that this would be fixed in Gazette 2.0, with an ETA in January 2009.
* When asked if 2.0 would be a free upgrade, Majca replied that it would be free to existing users, but would of course require a purchase to new customers.
* Gazette 2.0 is not released in January.
* In late March, Rajca posts that he’s still working on 2.0.
* More than 3 months later, Rajca announces that Gazette 2.0 has been submitted to the App Store in mid-June. However, it is no longer a free upgrade for current users, but will cost $2.99 for all customers.
* Gazette 1.0.4 has disappeared from the App Store, along with all of the reviews users had written about it.
Not cool. That ‘s just the sort of thing that can give the App Store a bad name, and cause a lot of frustration for the users who spent money, and placed any faith in the original app.
The vast majority of my app experiences have been good ones “ some apps have not stayed around for long, others have become mainstays on my phones, but I ‘ve rarely come across apps that I ‘d like to blacklist for unsavory practices “ though one that stands out in that area is smartRSS. After reading Macgirl ‘s post, I ‘ll add Gazette to that short list.
Check out her post HERE for all the details
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