Dashboard iPad app rejected by Apple, made open source instead
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 9th 2010 4:32PM
posted April 9th 2010 4:32PM
So you spend hours and hours toiling away on an app that adds some much-needed Dashboard-like functionality to the iPad (sort of, more on that later) only to have it rejected by Apple -- what do you do? If you're Hongrich, developer of the slightly problematically-named "Dashboard" app, you make it open source. Of course, you'll have to be a developer yourself to actually try out the app, and it's not exactly the full-fledged Dashboard that many have been hoping for, but rather a standalone app that simply lets you run and arrange widgets however you like. Still, it's definitely a start. Head on past the break for a demo video, and hit up the source link to download it yourself.
Hey, this is pretty neat, why reject it?
@N900 they can't make money with those widgets. if they reject it, they can sell widget-like apps instead, and make money.
@N900 Because Uncle Steve didn't include it. In iPhone OS 4.5 he will include it and do it "right". Just like everything he included in iPhone OS 4.0 and is doing "more right" than everyone else has been doing since 2007.
@davepermen I understand for the most part from a financial perspective...
....but most of these widgets have limited functionality. How would Tic-Tac-Toe eat into your app sales? =S
@N900
REJECTED!!!!!!!
uggggh. The most disappionting part of the OS 4 announcement was that there is STILL NO CUSTOMIZABLE GLANCEABLE INFORMATION. Being able to listen to Pandora while browsing the web is only half of the equation. :-|
I think it's time to look to Android.
@N900
Coz there's an app for that
@Darkseider
It may very well be one of the 93 new user features not demoed in the iPhone OS 4 keynote. I would be very optimistic Dashboard will be on the iPad version of iPhone OS 4, maybe that's why it's will be released in the fall. It's just not ready.
@igeekone
"I would be very optimistic Dashboard will be on the iPad version of iPhone OS 4, maybe that's why it's will be released in the fall. It's just not ready."
Thank you for proving my point.
@igeekone With that said, there might be hope for this. Maybe Apple wanted it to be integral instead of an app. Maybe.
@cherryboom Oops, didn't mean to upset. You should make an app about going emo over my inquires. Who knows, that might be accepted. ^^
@N900
I don't know man.. it's a conspiracy.
Apple just doesn't want to make a perfect product.
On the other note why do we all bash flash for being so shit, but no one bashes the QWERTY? its like the most uncomfortable, inefficient keyboard ever..
@N900 lol at ipod devs. its such an abusive relationship but they keep coming back for more!
@crawdad689
Welcome to the Dark Side. We've got true multitasking and "Porn Stores." What more can you ask for?
@N900
i guess theyre just afraid he he hid a porn store widget somewhere in there... you know... the same one for android :\
@crawdad689
Seriously, Widgets are going to be the rallying cry for Haters now? You got to be kidding. Good luck with persuading people away with THAT.
And I agree with igeekone. We haven't seen all 100 of the new features. I watched the Keynote last night and I don't recall seeing the lock screen one time during the presentation (correct me if I'm wrong), so maybe they're just saving something like that for another day.
I also noticed that many of the smaller apps, like stocks and calculator are missing from the iPad. Could Apple be waiting to implement those apps into some dashboard like feature in the future?
@Peter Church
And to you Mr. Church. Thank you for proving my point, yet again.
@Peter Church that was my first thought when i saw the ipad didn't have them.....but as to why this was rejected.....guess we don't have a lot of mac users here that are doing the hating....its a carbon copy of the dashboard on a mac.....this dev was basically stealing from apple and trying to sell it......if the guy could just come up with his own interface for the app, he'd prob. be golden.
@N900
Simple, the guy ripped off Apple's MacOS X Dashboard. Not, gave similar functionality, but just look at the thing, it uses the EXACT same design.
@N900
Because they are twats.
@krizoitz
+1
Call me a fanboi, but this is not nearly the same thing as an app getting rejected simply because it allows you to bring up separate "widgets" with different types of info. It looks EXACTLY the same as Apple's Dashboard. Of course they're going to take issue with it. Any dev hoping to make a profit would take issue, as well.
That said, if a similar widget engine that looks nothing like Apple's also gets rejected in the future, I will eat my hat.
@crawdad689
Someone should make an Android app for the iPad! Then we'll have multitasking before this fall! ;)
@krizoitz Careful to interject too much logic into this thread. The internets might implode.
@crawdad689
This is an ipad app. What does that have to do with iphone or Android?
I suspect Apple has their own ipad dashboard in the works. That's why they rejected it. It'll probably be a free.
@crawdad689 You're not a fanboi. You and @krizoitz have it right, and I didn't know that, so thanks for telling me.
@N900 It wouldn't. "They're doing it to make money" is the fallback argument for every single person that happens to be Apple that day, even if it doesn't make sense.
See "they're keeping DRM to make you by their stuff", which fell apart when Apple achieved their initial goal of no DRM, and also "they're not allowing Flash because they want to sell you movies!", which also falls apart when Apple lets in Netflix's app, and promotes HTML5 which allows ABC to stream their shows for free to all iPad users.
My guess? Because this Dashboard app blatantly rips off Apple widget design from OS X. (I mean seriously? The designers had to know they were asking for trouble approaching things that way.)
In any case, I hope they can resubmit and find a way to get it through. Have been looking forward to this app.
@RidleyGriff Yeah. Apple might be working on it themselves like some people here pointed out; might be integrated in OS4.
@Darkseider You're right because Apple NEVER innovates, silly boy. And Apples interfaces are NEVER cutting edge and well executed. Are you still using DOS? If not thank Steve and Steve for stealing the idea of a GUI Windows based OS from Microsoft.
/sarcasm
@bullshitexpresscom You're right they stole it from Xerox PARC.
@quakerface The answer is simple, Steve has not declared QWERTY keyboards to be bad for us in some way. Once he does, the world will get in line…
Say it and they will follow.
@N900 I think we don't really know what's in OS 4.0 yet. When you announce 100+ new features but your presentation only allows you time to talk about 7 of them I think it's safe to say lots of little things are in there that we're just not aware of yet. Why not give it time before layering on the hate?
When you think about it, OS X's Dashboard widgets are usually (if not entirely) devoid of right-click functionality, and the better-designed ones feature UIs that could be described as "finger-friendly". Considering what Hongrich (a single developer) has accomplished here, if Apple does end up doing their own iPad Dashboard, they could likely tout incredible ease of porting for most widgets (i.e. ones that don't rely on background processes, the way some do on OS X).
Furthermore, they could even release Dashboard on the App Store if they didn't want to integrate it on the OS level. OS X's implementation of Dashboard is a widget layer that zooms in and covers up the screen while you work with your widgets, then disappears when you're done. This is totally suited to the iPhone OS style of opening an app, working with it, then closing it to go to something else.
At least I *hope* they're working on doing it themselves, or else this is just one more in an endless string of pointless, megalomaniacal bullshit rejections.
@quakerface there is an AZERTY keyboard on the iPhone, the Flemish one ;) http://twitpic.com/1eegvy
@crawdad689
Plus, the App is actually not like a normal iPad app, this is latching on to the OS itself.
If Apple wanted the OS to be changed, they would have done this (self evident) solution themselves
@N900 Considering this is a complete ripoff of an existing application, right down to the graphics and UI, it's not surprising Apple rejected it.
They were being kind by rejecting it, Microsoft would have sicked the lawyers after them... even if it was a free app.
It's great that they made it open source, but does it really surprise them it didn't make it onto the app store?
The reason it's not on the iPad is due to a lack of multitasking. Without multitasking, it would have been a frustrating experience trying to use it. You'd have to quit your app, just to check your dashboard. It's not like we don't all already have apps to replicate and improve upon all of the useful dashboard apps...
@Darkseider since 00 before..ftfy.
@N900
coz in 2 months SJ will make a patent for that exact thing, make it a product, sell it, and sue the A.. off everybody who does anything similar, even if it was done, before him.
more or less.
\not so much sarcasm than just pushing a little bit on what they already do
@igeekone Who are you trying to bullshit besides yourself?
@N900 They reject everything ... They don't want to say but Opera for iPhone will be rejected too...
@ummmwhat agree, it's a pure copy in design and functionality, what was this guy expecting from Apple...
@krizoitz
WAIT WAIT WAIT... are you complaining about a guy who stole the widget design from Apple?
HOLY F**KING SH!T!!!!!!!! Seriously??? This coming after Apple STOLE widgets from Konfabulator. So you are complaining about a guy who stole something Apple stole from someone else? Oooooh the irony!!!!
@GarkKrag It's gone past the impossible to the possimpible.
k
It was rejected because it duplicates Apple's patented UI which they use in Mac OS X
@Xega
That would do it.... kinda obvious. He should port to Android. Mac OS X functionality on GooglePhones.
@Xega THANK YOU!
@Xega No, it's because it runs interpreted code, which has not been allowed by Apple since day 1. Honestly, the author should have seen this coming.
The problem here is that:
1 - The app runs interpreted code, specifically prohibited by the dev agreement. The reason for this are many, but mostly to do with security.
2 - Not only does it run interpreted code, it will download code from the internet and run it - this is against Apple's dev agreement. Any and all code that your app will run needs to be in your app bundle that you distribute. Imagine installing an app on your PC where it can run amok, download code, and run it?
Honestly, I'm not a fan of Apple's draconian measures on iPhone/iPad dev, particularly this new stuff re: middleware, but this is a whole lot of nothing. Being able to run unverified, interpreted code in a non-sandboxed environment is pretty unsafe from a security and privacy perspective.
@potato However, wouldn't the interpreted code in this instance be HTML and JavaScript? Unless he wrote his own webbrowser engine, he's using WebKit, which is explicitly allowed.
Typical Apple communist style
@jdm28690
for as big of a troll you are, that still made me LOL for some reason
@jdm28690 You couldn't be more right. This is exactly why the Apple ecosystem (lock in) sucks.
@crawdad689
Sorry, sir but i am not a Troll. I am not a fanboy who follows a cult and its god. if steve jobs told you water is harmful and alcohol is not, you'd fill your cabinet or fridge with alcohol.