Change comes after slew of complaints

Apple has unveiled a new system for disclosing the status of App Store submissions, according to Wired. The company's Dev Center website features a chart showing specific dates and times as the app waits for review, reaches the review process, and finally enters the App Store for general availability.

Although the change is unlikely to silence the widespread criticism of Apple's review process, the automatic updates are nonetheless a step forward. Many developers have complained of the time consuming and ineffective process of reaching Apple staff for progress information.

Status checks have been a comparatively minor complaint compared to frustration caused by inconsistent approvals and rejections. "iPhone and iPod touch Superguide" developers were told by the first reviewer to fix a bug and the app would be sent through, however the second representative demanded the title and icon to be changed to conform with the company's copyright terms in the SDK. Apple later apologized for the mess and approved the app, but only after the story received media attention.

Apple recently announced that the App Store had reached 100,000 unique titles and over two billion downloads in the short time since the portal was launched. The company has remained mum, however, on its reasoning behind many of the criticized policies.

by MacNN Staff