Apple refused to approve the app for Danish magazine “Se & Hør” – not because of the stories, but because Apple thought some pictures were just too naked.
Aller Media publishes 17 magazines; each of which has its own app. These apps have to be approved by the Apple App Store before they are released. WebProof.com, which developed these apps in collaboration with Aller Media, was also responsible for the administrative approval at Apple. The approval process typically involves reviewing examples of the material to be published in the app.
Everything went according to plan, until the magazine was due to be approved. First it was simply rejected without justification. Later it emerged that the reason for its rejection was the presence of a few scantily-clad ladies.
Jan Adeltoft, CEO of WebProof says: “Here you will experience a cultural difference between the relaxed Danish attitude and Apple’s puritanical US morality. If you want to see ladies, you can just go on the US-made Google and find pictures like this and more. The only possibility for approval that Apple granted was that users downloading the magazine app must first accept that they are over 17 years. In addition, users outside Denmark will still be unable to see the ladies in the magazine.”
Aller Media has great success with all its apps, which can be downloaded free on the App Store. All apps run in parallel with Aller Media’s subscription database, which means that subscribers can now also read their magazines on their iPad or iPhone for free. Alternatively, you can buy the magazine via Apple’s App Store without subscription.
Supplier WebProof was chosen not only because of its reasonable app economy, but also because WebProof already handles all of Aller Media’s files and is thus able to update the workflow, so the publications are fully automated by just a single click in WebProof.
WebProof.com is known within the graphic industry for its advanced collaborative proofing platform that has over the last year allowed its customers to enjoy considerable savings. More familiar customers include The LEGO Group, Toys R Us, COOP, ICA, and many advertising agencies and publishers which have also become aware that there is money in the process of optimising the review process, and that now, with just one click, cross-media can be published to Page-Flip for iPad/iPhone/Android and Apple app.
Jan Adeltoft concludes: “An app does not have to cost a fortune, especially when you already have WebProof. With the spread iPad has today, it is a natural step for subscription magazines, trade magazines, local newspapers and many other publications to be published in this medium – the files are there already and, with the decreasing physical volume, readers are increasingly opting for apps rather than print.”