SCOtutor iOS Apps - The Current Situation
Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 1:32PM UPDATE: 27th August 2012 - Apple have reversed their decision and will be re-instating the SCOtutor Video Tutorial Apps into the iTunes Store.
I'm publishing an update for all those people who are disappointed that the SCOtutor Apps are still no longer available in the iOS App Store. Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse overnight, and Apple have rejected the latest version of the App with the rather disappointing statement that:
We found that your App is primarily a video tutorial with chapters and is therefore not Appropriate for the App Store, as noted in the App Store Review Guidelines.
I should point out that this phrase appears nowhere in Apple's published guidelines, only references to 'movies' not being appropriate.
I've appealed against the decision, but I fear this may be a losing battle. I've documented the sorry tale below and will forward a copy to Tim Cook and Phil Schiller at Apple to see if they can get some one involved to sort out the inconsistent and flawed strategy.
So here's a version of the current situation I'll be sending off (apologies for the length, but it's a long story):
The Current Situation - August 11th 2012
Until recently I had five apps in the iOS App Store, branded as "SCOtutor" apps. The apps received many, many 5 star reviews plus lots of outstanding written reviews.
Once I had recouped the original development and design costs, I made two titles free; “SCOtutor for iPad” and “SCOtutor for Mac". These were aimed at brand new users of the iPad and Mac and were extremely popular, obviously even more so once I'd made them free, both reaching the top of the free Education charts. Each app contains several hours of top quality education and were also unique, in that they were the only apps in the iOS App store with closed captions for accessibility.
Back in May, I created a new Title “SCOtutor for iBooks Author” and submitted this for review. It was rejected under section:
2.21: Apps that are simply a song or ”movie” should be submitted to the iTunes store. Apps that are simply a book should be submitted to the iBookstore.
I immediately thought this was a mistake and that perhaps the reviewer was being overzealous. Whilst the app did contain video content it certainly wasn’t a ”movie”, in the traditional sense. The fact that I already had a small portfolio of similar Apps which had been approved, and since the store also contained tens of similar apps, albeit covering a range of subjects, I took the ruling to apply to actual "movies"; those which had a theatrical release, video documentaries or titles available commercially on DVD. Basically, a "movie" you'd normally go to see in a Cinema or Movie Theatre,
I resubmitted the app with a note of explanation, but it was rejected again under the same ruling.
I appealed to the review board and this time I received a phone call from Apple informing me that the appeal had been rejected for the same reason - it was regarded as a "movie”. In addition, the Apple rep told me that all my other existing apps were to be reviewed and if found to be the same, would be withdrawn from sale by Apple.
Sure enough, a week or two later, I received another phone call from Apple informing me that all my iOS Apps were being summarily withdrawn from sale by Apple, as well as the free titles.
A few weeks later, I checked and saw that there were still dozens of video tutorials still on the iOS App Store. They had not been withdrawn as mine had.
Since then, I've had emails and tweets from hundreds of people wondering what has happened and expressing a range of emotions from disappointment to frustration to anger aimed towards Apple. I have spent a lot of time and energy placating these enquiries with the response that I was working with Apple to try and get the titles re-instated.
In the meantime, I had asked my developer to re-engineer the app to include some additional functionality. We added in a unique note taking feature to assist the user making notes as they watched the tutorial, and resubmitted the app. By adding in functionality that could not be replicated in a “movie”, I was confident the app would be accepted and rejoin the dozens of other video tutorial apps on the iOS App Store.
It was again rejected again on the grounds that it was a ”movie”.
A further check in the iOS App Store revealed that the other video tutorials were still there, most with no additional features, many of a very poor quality and none with support for subtitles or closed captions. However, I did notice that most of them were modular, small chunks of video accessed via a menu, whereas mine was a single video with chapters. Functionally, there was no difference, as it was just as easy to navigate around my single video, but if it needed to be modular like all the others, then so be it.
Believing this to possibly be the issue for the "movie" rejection - one long video, we decided to re-engineer the app again. This time we took the single video and split it into individual lessons, as well as re-engineering the user interface to make a lesson list visible at all times. Not an inconsiderable amount of time, effort and expense.
The updated application now included a unique notetaking facility, a visible lesson list with options to navigate around the lessons, english subtitles for accessibility (my “SCOtutor for Lion” title also includes multilingual subtitles in five languages) and an optimised video playback control panel to adjust speed and position in the lesson. We were now using a similar approach to many of the other video tutorial apps still in the store, and in the majority of cases, making it a far superior experience for our users.
The app was resubmitted a week or so ago to Apple and I received a notification last night that the app had been rejected again:
Binary Rejected Aug 10, 2012 02:51 PM
Reasons for Rejection: 2.21: Apps that are simply a song or ”movie” should be submitted to the iTunes store. Apps that are simply a book should be submitted to the iBookstore
Aug 10, 2012 02:51 PM. From Apple. 2.21
We found that your App is primarily a video tutorial with chapters and is therefore not Appropriate for the App Store, as noted in the App Store Review Guidelines.
Songs and movies should be submitted to the iTunes store. For more information about distributing content in the iTunes store, please see iTunes Partner as a Content Provider.
Emphasis is mine - So the ruling was now not just that the app was a ”movie” but that it was “a video tutorial with chapters”.
I should point out that this phrase does not appear in any of the current Apple guidelines, the first time I've seen it was in direct response to my recent app submission. Whilst I acknowledge that Apple are free to change and amend the guidelines as they see fit, and that they are just guidelines, I do feel that the goalposts are shifting.
Additionally, despite this ruling a search for “video tutor” on the iOS App Store reveals 60 iPhone Apps and 50 iPad Apps are still available for sale on the iOS App Store.
I have lodged another appeal with the review board but feel that I am now fighting a losing battle. For whatever reason Apple has decided that video tutorial applications are not suitable for the iOS App Store, despite there being no published guidance to this effect.
This decision is a disservice to Apple's and my customers.
The removal of the iOS SCOtutor apps isn’t about the revenue loss to me, it’s about the availability of quality training materials via the iOS App Store, and the removal of choice for Apple customers.
Video tutorials would be lost in the iTunes Store amongst all the entertainment titles.
As a side note, it’s impossible for me (or any other independent video trainer) to register to sell video tutorials directly in the iTunes store as suggested in the rejection statement, as I do not meet the requirements of “5 feature-length movies or documentaries that were released theatrically (or) 100 feature-length movies or documentaries that were either released theatrically or direct to video.”
Yes, even by Apple's own guidelines, movies are feature-length theatrical releases or documentaries.
Apple are hurting their own customers by not allowing appropriate training materials in the iOS App Store in the form of video tutorials and I sincerely hope they can right this wrong, before all video tutorials are withdrawn from sale.
Assuming it's not just my video tutorials they are targeting!
As an aside, I do realise that it might be possible to attempt to sell (or make available for free) my training videos via the iBookstore. This may be an approach I will investigate if Apple decide to withdraw all video tutorials from the iOS App store. I would prefer to offer my customers the choice to have the videos delivered via the iOS App store if that is their preferred mechanism.
Will keep you posted.
Reader Comments (28)
I wonder if Apple sees SCOL products as a competitor in the production of videos? To check Apple's recent publications, I trolled through its Support site <support.apple.com/> and then to <support.apple.com/videos>.
Clicking 'Support', then <Video Tutorials> shows 6 products dated from 17 Nov 2011 to 28 Aug 2009 [for Using Windows on a Mac!!!]
Then going to "Browse Videos by Product" and "Latest Videos" yielded many references.
Not one was created in 2012, but as it is now August there is still time, there are a few in 2011 and masses before then all short in length.
Definitely Don, you are a major competitor to Apple in providing Tutorials which we all love.
Keep at it, please.
I think it was a good idea to go to the top (of Apple) as that SOMETIMES cuts through the shite below. This is a regrettable situation. Hopefully it is not indicative of a "hardening" of Apple's reaction to its supporters, which you so obviously are. You have (and well-earned) an impeccable reputation in the Mac community which I hope can be of benefit to you in this matter. If there's anything I can do, I join the others in offering my services for a letter-writing campaign or anything else you think would help your cause. Best of luck, Don!
"Apps like this are just glorified websites and don't belong on the store. Sorry."
Hi Jonathan,
Are you an Apple reviewer or something? Personally I think the CUSTOMER should make the decision as to what apps are worth being in the store, not some Apple reviewer. The reviewers should limit themselves to doing things like rejecting pornography apps and other obvious violations. Customers can decide for themselves what other apps they want to use or not.