After a stink over the rejection of Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist Mark Fiore's cartoon app by Apple last week, Apple wrote him a letter asking him to resubmit the app for approval. Apple CEO Steve Jobs had this to say about the rejection: "This was a mistake that’s being fixed.”
Well, the problem has indeed been fixed. The app is now proudly displayed in the App Store, along with a pleasant description that says "See the app Steve Jobs was talking about!"
The response from Jobs came from a customer email sent by Robert Williamson, who argued that political satire isn't simply base defamation; rather, it is the stuff that drives progressive social discourse.
"While someone can still view these on the web with no problem, I would like to say that having these and others of their ilk available more widely as apps is a benefit to society. While ridicule might be involved, they it can play an important role in civic discourse — look to the Fool in King Lear, or other similar jesters in a royal court for examples the importance of satire.”
Apple is known for its selective rejection and acceptance criteria, and it's rare to see an app be un-rejected without required changes, and by the CEO himself. This may be a step towards more open application acceptance standards for Apple. Or maybe it really was just a mistake.
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