Wait until you see the carriers.
At first I was optimistic that the carriers were going to seize an opportunity for a change and create their own, possibly quite good app stores. Part of the reason for that was when I sat down with some representatives of Orange and explained a new mobile application that one of our clients had developed (3D video ringtones) they were very helpful and seemed to grasp what it was all about and why users would love it. Ringtones and now video ringtones are known quantities already.
During the meeting they were practically apoplectic about me making sure that I got the client to submit the application to them so they could get it into their application catalog. (You can probably see where this is headed.)
Okay it was rejected. But that’s not really the point. Sure it actually took them three months to respond. But that’s not it either.
What really struck me was text of the rejection itself. One doesn’t feel very enlightened after reading it (text below) but fortunately we know that the carriers used Franz Kafka frequently as a consultant and I’ve included his original version below the Orange rejection note.
Hello,
Thank you for submitting your application to Orange.
We have reviewed your submission and, unfortunately, your application is not suitable for inclusion in the Orange Application Shop. We reject application submissions for a variety of reasons, including:
- Duplication with existing content
– It does not match current category requirements
– It is not a client-only mobile application
– The application requires IT integration
– Conflicts with existing Orange services and products or those under development
– It may conflict with Orange’s brand values
Your application has been rejected due to one or more of these reasons.
However, we thank you for your interest in working with Orange and please let us know of any future mobile applications that may be suitable.
Kind regards,
Content Acquisition Team
Orange Application Shop
In the original (paraphrased):
A man comes to the door of the Law, seeking admittance. The guard refuses to allow him to pass the door, but says that if he waits long enough, maybe, someday in the uncertain future, he might gain admittance. The man waits and waits and grows older; he tries to bribe the guard, who takes his money but still refuses to let him through the door; the man sells all his possessions to get money to offer more bribes, which the guard accepts — but still does not allow him to enter. The guard always explains, on taking each new bribe, “I only do this so that you will not abandon hope entirely.”
Eventually, the man becomes old and ill, and knows that he will soon die. In his last few moments he summons the energy to ask a question that has puzzled him over the years. “I have been told,” he says to the guard, “that the Law exists for all. Why the does it happen that, in all the years I have sat here waiting, nobody else has ever come to the door of the Law?”
“This door,” the guard says, “has been made only for you. And now I am going to close it forever.” And he slams the door as the man dies.
There is no way to say it better.
Suggests to me that both Apple and Android will be the two application models that work.
[Disclosure: none]
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