Applications

App Store refunds: Much ado about nothing

Updated at 4:00 p.m. with comment from Apple.

While Apple's App Store policies have indeed been the source of frustration for many an iPhone developer, the overblown concerns over refund charges on Thursday do not rise to that level.

Contrary to earlier reports at TechCrunch and other outlets, Apple's policies regarding iPhone application refunds, and the portion of the refund that developers are expected to cover, are not new. (CNET took note of the issue as well.) They also do not faze most developers accustomed to the reality of operating an online retail business.

The hubbub arose after TechCrunch noticed a section of the iPhone 3.0 SDK agreement that contains this clause, thought to be a new development:

In the event that Apple receives any notice or claim from any end-user that: (i) the end-user wishes to cancel its license to any of the Licensed Applications within ninety (90) days of the date of download of that Licensed Application by that end-user; or (ii) a Licensed Application fails to conform to Your specifications or Your product warranty or the requirements of any applicable law, Apple may refund to the end-user the full amount of the price paid by the end-user for that Licensed Application.

In the event that Apple refunds any such price to an end-user, You shall reimburse, or grant Apple a credit for, an amount equal to the price for that Licensed Application. Apple will have the right to retain its commission on the sale of that Licensed Application, notwithstanding the refund of the price to the end.

But upon further examination, several developers confirmed that this clause has been in the iPhone developer agreement since Day 1, and they seemed bemused at the lack of understanding regarding the world of online commerce and the iTunes Store.

First of all, returning a purchased application to the App Store is not a simple thing, and there is no provision for a 90-day refund stated in the terms of service for the App Store. The section in the App Store Terms and Conditions that pertains to refunds states:

On occasion, technical problems may delay or prevent delivery of your Product. Your exclusive and sole remedy with respect to Product that is not delivered within a reasonable period will be either replacement of such Product, or refund of the price paid for such Product, as determined by Apple. Otherwise, no refunds are available (emphasis added).

The section in the SDK agreement that mentions 90-day refunds seem to apply only if a purchaser brings a "notice or claim" against Apple in the process of trying to return the application. That's a legal term, not a request for a refund because you thought the fart application, for example, delivered six sounds when it has only five.… Read more

ColorSplash makes iPhone photos pop

There's undoubtedly something striking about the style of photography that draws attention to a focal object by making the rest of the scene black and white (here's a good example). This kind of selected colorization is within reach on your iPhone if you use ColorSplash for iPhone, a relatively new image-editing app from the developer of Juxtaposer and Juxtaposer Lite, two other image editors for iPhone photos.

After you load an image, ColorSplash will turn it into a black-and-white photo--but not permanently. Your full-color image will remain in your iPhone's camera roll. You use your finger as … Read more

Bandwidth meter and a handheld arcade classic: iPhone apps of the week

The big news in the world of iPhone was Apple's sneak preview for the iPhone 3.0 software on Tuesday. Available this summer, iPhone 3.0 will bring many features people have asked for and some that will make things easier for developers of iPhone apps. The two major ones on my list were finally added: MMS (sending photos and other media) and the ability to cut, copy, and paste text. There are a ton of changes coming, so check out our coverage if you want to know all of the changes in iPhone 3.0.

This week's … Read more

iPhone OS 3.0 hands-on screenshots

We managed to get a sneak peek at the iPhone OS 3.0.

It's a beta version, so things could change between now and the official release this summer, but we captured a few screenshots to give you an idea of its look and feel.

Of course, we checked out the biggest additions, such as cut and paste, multimedia messaging, and the landscape keyboard. Yet we also cruised through the "shake to shuffle" feature, the Spotlight search feature, the voice memo recorder, and a few others. We even found something we that we weren't expecting.

So … Read more

Taxi Magic's new iPhone payment powers

Last week I wrote about Taxi Magic (download), an iPhone app that, along with RideCharge--its cousin for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones--lets you order a cab to your present location, and track it as it wends its way toward you. Version 1.1, released on Wednesday, gives Taxi Magic the one main feature missing from its BlackBerry and Windows Mobile counterparts: the ability to pay your cab fare with a tap of the iPhone.

This mobile payment option works by associating one or more credit cards to your RideCharge account (RideCharge's privacy policy). When it's time to pay, … Read more

iPhone 3.0: More hits than misses

A gaggle of tech journalists, analysts, and developers crowded into an auditorium at Apple's headquarters on Tuesday to hear the details of iPhone 3.0. As Scott Forstall, Apple's head of iPhone software development, promised, the update is a major one with a host of sorely needed features for application developers and consumers. Check out our slideshow of the iPhone OS 3.0 screenshots.

In all, Apple promises 100 new features with iPhone 3.0, including multimedia messaging and a landscape keyboard. Although Apple did not reveal all 100 additions on Tuesday--which leads me to wonder just what they'll count as a new feature (perhaps cut, copy, and paste will count as three)--the highlights were worth the trip to Cupertino, Calif.

Yes, a few hoped-for features are still missing, but iPhone 3.0 is more about what we got than what we didn't. Apple will release the update this summer. It will be free for iPhone 3G and iPhone Classic users, but iPod Touch users will pay $9.95.

What we got

Multimedia messaging At long last, we have it. We figured that it was coming so it was at the top of our iPhone 3.0 Wish List. Yet I feel a little weird getting so excited about such a basic feature that almost every other cell phone has.

Also, it's very disappointing that iPhone Classic owners will not get MMS, even if they upgrade. Apparently, the original iPhone lacks the necessary radio to make MMS work. That, of course, leads me to the very pertinent question: why?… Read more

What iPhone OS 3.0 promises users and developers

Last year, Apple set itself apart from the mobile computing world with the release of the iPhone OS 2.0. This year, Apple won't make quite such a leap forward, but neither will it lose any ground to increased competition.

When it arrives this summer, Apple's third generation of the iPhone operating system will correct some of the most glaring omissions to date. These include the lack of background processing, any kind of system-wide search, and yes, copy and paste. In case you missed the live blog, check out some of the highlights of Apple's presentation Tuesday.… Read more

Companies find ways to launch iPhone apps at SXSW

AUSTIN, Texas--Given that you can't walk more than a couple feet at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) festival here without stumbling into someone tapping away on one iPhone application or another, it's easy to forget that just a year ago, there was no such thing as an official iPhone "app."

But now, of course, iPhone apps are one of the hottest technology segments of all. And since SXSWi is ground zero for cutting edge social media and the people who are often the earliest adopters of such technology, a series of companies have used the … Read more

Apple extends iPhone developer program

Apple developers have been having a tough time renewing their iPhone development licenses, according to reports. For them, the company had some good news Friday: the licensing for all developers has been extended to July 11--one year after the opening of the iTunes App Store.

Additionally, Apple announced that licensing renewals will begin in May, a full 60 days prior to the developer program expiration date. Developers got the news in an e-mail.

The message sent to developers is shown below:

Recently, according to CNET News' Tom Krazit, there has been astounding growth in the iTunes App Store, and the … Read more

RideCharge: Tip a cabbie from your phone

Not everyone is as lucky as we are to work adjacent to a hotel with a fresh supply of taxicabs pulling up to its curb. When you're stuck without a ride, cab-calling applications can make ordering a taxi through local companies a surer, safer thing than throwing yourself in the middle of a darkened street and flailing your arms wildly.

A recent application we've looked at, RideCharge for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile (www.ridecharge.com from the mobile browser), not only lets you order a cab from your phone without placing a call, but it also has you … Read more