Aside from the sparse tweets that have little or nothing to do with Tweetie, the developers really don't put much information out there for their users. ( Delete or Edit)

it's NOT the developers fault that Apple hasn't approved the update. Once they submit the update to Apple it is in Apples hands. Jeeeez. ( Delete or Edit)

The least they could do is keep us up to date. I guess most of us are aware of Apple's crap trackrecord on approving applications (even simply updates to software) but Atebits's lack of involvement and current info on the process is bad as well.

For me personally being in the dark is far worse than the actual wait. ( Delete or Edit)

it's been fixed.. just have to wait for apple to approve the fix. not sure where the lack of involvement is. ( Delete or Edit)

The lack of involvement is the fact that the company hasn't kept in touch with the users lately. No blog posts, no tweets, etc. They used to be *really* good about this, but I guess since Loren is moving across the country, its tough. Hang in there! ( Delete or Edit)

try stomping your feet and and shouting "Now!" ( Delete or Edit)

the developer is in the process of moving across the country. he has fixed the issue and sent the update to apple. it's out of his hands. what more do you want? do you want atebits to go to apple and knock on the door and ask them to hurry the process up? ( Delete or Edit)

dude, who are you? why are you fighting on this? i think i speak for everyone who's posted, that all we're looking for is an explanation of the problem, and an indication of what's been done.

and no, there is no reason for you to reply -- we get it, you think that this is asking too much. agree to disagree? ( Delete or Edit)

you've gotten an explanation but you keep crying that you haven't.

the problem has been fixed.
the fix has been submitted to Apple.
Apple has yet to push the fix through.

why are YOU fighting this?

try following @tweetie and/or @atebits ( Delete or Edit)

I agree. I wish they would update their Twitter a little more often :) ( Delete or Edit)

did you try turning off landscape mode in the Settings app?

Settings app > Tweetie > Advanced > Landscape Keyboard [set to OFF] ( Delete or Edit)

yes, i'm oblivious to the concept of a support community...... ( Delete or Edit)

the information came from @atebits on twitter and is freely available to anyone that wants to read it. there is no sarcastic tone. if i was a troll i'd be saying that it's broken forever and never going to be fixed. i'm trying to help the community out and let them know that an update and fix has been submittedand they just need to wait for Apple to approve it.
I'm waiting for the fix too but i'm not acting ridiculous about it because i realize that the wait has nothing to do with the developer of the application. ( Delete or Edit)

how am i being a troll? i was informing the community! ( Delete or Edit)

you're right! only one tweet can hold the answer!

is it just me or is the frosting on all these cupcakes mighty thick? yummm. ( Delete or Edit)

Glad that i could help.

Sorry to say that someone on a message board that you don't agree with is not a troll. ( Delete or Edit)

I have nothing to do with atebits or tweetie nor have I ever claimed to. ( Delete or Edit)

It's hard not to be that way after the nonsense you've been spewing Walter. What do you expect? Loren to come on here every single day to say "I'm waiting on Apple to approve it", over and over and over? He said it once, and once it enough. If the update doesn't appear for another 2 months, that's not his fault. If you wanna get all pissy about it, why don't you write Apple to let them know your thoughts about the long approval process? If you had done even a tiny amount of research, you'd know that once the update is submitted, it's out of the developers hands. He told us it was submitted, now it's out of his hands because there is NOTHING more he can do about it? Seriously, what does it take for you to understand this? ( Delete or Edit)

James, could you point to where Loren posted that notice? ( Delete or Edit)

James,

My apologies that this seems like nonsense to you.

The developer has yet to post a reply in this thread, and from a quick search, he's yet to post a reply to this problem anywhere in the support forums. You're correct to point out that he has updated his twitter feed, I think twice, indicating that he's submitted a patch to apple. I happen to feel that it would have been better customer support to actually use these forums to keep his customers in the loop. This is especially so given that unless you follow the developer, it would be impossible to search for those tweets via tweetie (via a general @tweetie search).

Honestly though, the single worst practice of this developer is that he has not updated his website, or iTunes app store, to reflect that this application is currently not working. I am not sure whether he has the ability to update the app store page, but it's shocking to see that not even his own site makes mention of the current problems. Both of those pages still list, among tweetie's functions, "View twitter trends and perform custom searches. Save your favorite searches." Odd to say the least.

All in all it's very illuminating to see how differently the developers of twitter apps dealt with this same problem. Twitterific managed to keep its customers updated, with more than a "problem noted, app submitted". It also updated its support forums, and changed its website and app store pages to reflect the problem.

I get your point: this was an honest mistake, the developer has fixed the mistake, and it's apple's fault that the fix hasn't been pushed to end users. I just don't see how any of those points militate against the idea that the developer should be keeping current and future customers apprised of the problem(s). ( Delete or Edit)

I totally agree with you Walter. This is not a question of wether or not the developer uploaded a fix to app store, its about the fact that there is too little info going around. Not everyone follows him on twitter, maybe because its more mainstream to use webpages and support forums for this?

A developer should take his time to write a little more than a max 140 sign twitter message. ( Delete or Edit)

I totally agree with you Walter. This is not a question of wether or not the developer uploaded a fix to app store, its about the fact that there is too little info going around. Not everyone follows him on twitter, maybe because its more mainstream to use webpages and support forums for this?

A developer should take his time to write a little more than a max 140 sign twitter message. ( Delete or Edit)

Had it not been for the fact that i am so in love with the chat bubble theme i would have changed app by now. If any other app gets chat bubbles im moving over. ( Delete or Edit)

@Kat: You say there is too little info going around. Are you serious? It's been said MULTIPLE times on here that Loren has submitted a fix, and is waiting for approval from Apple. I don't know what other information you could possibly want? A technical explanation of the problem including sample code, and Instruments logs? Honestly, you need a reality check. This is a $3 app. Enterprise clients who buy million dollar service and support contracts are not as demanding as you. I know this because my day job is writing enterprise software. There has been more than enough information on here. If you don't see that, then you clearly haven't actually read this thread.

@Walter: What does it say at the top of this page? "Customer Support Community" Key word being community. The purpose of getsatisfaction is to enable both the developers as well as the community to provide support for each other. Many community members have already explained what the problem is, and why the fix is being help up. All Loren could do is give you an explanation that would be a near verbatim copy of the explanations already posted? So what exactly do you hope to accomplish by having Loren coming on here to confirm what has already been confirmed many times by many people?

@zuur: This is all I could find in 30 seconds. Sorry if it's not enough :)
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/236...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/236...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/236...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/228...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/228...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/216...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/216...
http://twitter.com/atebits/status/215... ( Delete or Edit)

James perhaps you should stick to writing your enterprise software and stay away from Customer Support Communities because you certainly havent helped. The key word here being "Support" which you haven't done. Why dont you join up with Brian G. and insult people looking for help and the rest of the support pages here while you are at it? This whole page of flaming could have been avoided by one of you posting a respectful response instead of trying to inflame people emotions by calling them lazy and stupid for not knowing or following the developers twitter accounts. ( Delete or Edit)

SportSpyder, perhaps you should get a clue, and realize that a developer who sells a $3 app doesn't need to spend his time repeating information that was already posted by many other people, and was already posted 8 times on his twitter feed. You'd think that people who bought a twitter app might think to check the developers twitter feed for information.

I clearly wasn't trying to "help". That's already been done by others. I was trying to provide a reality check to the whiners on here who have absolutely no idea how the app store submission process works, and who have completely unrealistic ideas of what the developer owes them for a $3 app. You are obviously one of those people. Thanks for comin' out though sport. ( Delete or Edit)

OK, I've been lurking, but it's time to un-lurk.

All of this could have been avoided had any of the developers posted one message here. One message. Just ONE message. If they had, some people here could simply point everyone to that message, and feel smug. People here are not asking for huge amounts of support -- just one message from the developers (non-developers DO NOT COUNT).

As it is, people here are unhappy -- check out the mood, and check out the number of people who "have this problem". Yes, they may or may not be "whiney", but -- guess what -- they're the ones who gave money to the developer and who are also the ones who recommend or not recommend the app. I assume that the idea of having a paid app is to get people to pay; the current situation (no communication, not the lack of a forthcoming new version) is a great way of getting people to not buy the app. ( Delete or Edit)

Cheers for the links, James. ;)

For most people Twitter is still a pretty obscure platform. I think the natural place to look for updates is the Atebits blog: http://blog.atebits.com/ There's no mention of anything but the april redesign.

I'm sure the update will turn up in the end (and I know Atebits has no influence on it) but the communication could've been handled so much better. Like I said earlier "being in the dark is far worse than the actual wait." ( Delete or Edit)

James thanks for the "reality check" but lets just call it what it really is TROLLING. Google it. ( Delete or Edit)

LOL! i dont expect those thing no... Just link me where on this page that the DEVELOPER himself stated an update has been uploaded. And i dont mean on twitter, i mean HERE in the customer suppert forums. All im saying is that the developer could take the time to gice something other than a little tweet. ( Delete or Edit)

LOL! i dont expect those thing no... Just link me where on this page that the DEVELOPER himself stated an update has been uploaded. And i dont mean on twitter, i mean HERE in the customer support forums. All im saying is that the developer could take the time to give something other than a little tweet. ( Delete or Edit)

Im not gonna back down on the fact that there is a webpage www.atebits.com and a blog that hasnt been updated in months.. i meen jeez 3$ or not, that is just crap.

3$ multiplied many times = alot of money, and then maybe you dont need to care anymore.. i mean he already got his 3$ didnt he? ( Delete or Edit)

Its simply a matter of principle - there is somthing called customer support, and atebits is sucking at it these days. Simple as that. ( Delete or Edit)

Wow sport. Classic. You don't agree with someone, and can't make a valid argument, so you call them a troll. That's so pathetic I almost feel sorry for you.

@zuur: I don't agree with you that Twitter is an obscure platform. I think if people like Ashton Kutcher can get 2+ million followers, and it's been featured on Oprah, The View, etc. that it now qualifies as mainstream. But even if that was not the case, you cannot claim Twitter is obscure to people who bought a Twitter application.

@Kat: Loren has already publicly stated what the problem was, that it has been fixed, and that the fix is under review at Apple. It makes absolutely no difference that he posted it on his Twitter feed (multiple times), rather than on these community support forums. You clearly don't understand the community support model. It isn't necessary for the developer to post on GS, when the community has already provided the require support. Why are you so bent on the having the developer himself tell you what has already been said by other people? The reason for the bug has already been posted all over these forums, as well as all over other blogs, twitter feeds, etc. You already know what the problem is, that is was fixed, and that the new version is under review at Apple. You KNOW this. What difference is it gonna make if Loren himself says it instead of the numerous people who already have? Linking you to his Twitter feed is just as good as him saying it on here. How do you not understand this?

For $3, you haven't paid for full time support. You need to read up on what it's like to be an indie mac developer. People who charge $50 for an app still don't have the time to provide that kind of support. That's why community support forums like GS are so great, because the community can take the support load off the developer. If someone in the community is posting lies and false information, then yeah, the developer will step in an correct it. But if the proper information is already out there, then why would he waste his time repeating it just to appease the whiners? ( Delete or Edit)

I believe Sport was referring to the verb usage of the word, not the noun.

Urban Dictionary does a better job than Google:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define...

Trolling: Being a prick on the internet because you can. Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it's the internet and, hey, you can. ( Delete or Edit)

@james True. You're right that for a Twitter app by definition Twitter cannot be called an obscure platform. However, I believe Twitter *is* obscure for product support.

I use a lot of different programs, but don't follow software makers on Twitter. I use sites like VersionTracker or in-program Sparkle for keeping track of updates. Or iTunes for iPhone application updates.

Tweetie for iPhone is basically broken, there's no update in sight (yes, yes, I know, I know, there is). My first instinct in such cases is to look at the software company site - Atebits even has a blog (not updates) and points to getsatisfaction for support (Atebits is invisible here).

Still, this thread is keeping us nice and occupied, so I'm not complaining, even though I am complaining. ( Delete or Edit)

"Wow sport. Classic. You don't agree with someone, and can't make a valid argument, so you call them a troll"

If the shoe fits? Can't really argue with a troll since logic does not apply and youre only here to incite discontent for some warped sense of pleasure. ( Delete or Edit)

You are simply not reading what we are saying.. we are not asking for full on support. In my last message i didnt even mention this forum so dont come and tell me what i do and dont understand.

I mentioned WEBSITE www.atebits.com

And BLOG!

None of these has got nothing to di with this community, and they need to be updated. That is NOT extensive customer support, it is NOT too much to excpect, and i am NEVER gonna agree with you on this.

How long did it take me to write this? 30 seconds! How long would it take @atebits to update his blog? 30 seconds..

Its just something you do out of service for customers. You can talk trash as much as you want, but the fact remains - people are unsatisfied, maybe because other independent developers manages to give so much better support. ( Delete or Edit)

Kat, would you like me to get a hold of Newton to explain gravity to you? Or possibly Einstein to explain general relativity? Oh wow, you mean to tell me that your high school teacher explained those to you and you actually believed him? Even though he didn't invent the theories in the first place? Weird...

Kat, just tell me one thing. Why do you want Loren to repeat something to you that you already know? ( Delete or Edit)

Sporty spice: The logic in my argument is solid. The logic in your argument is lacking to the point of non-existence. Anyone with half a brain can see that. Although I guess I can see how you wouldn't, due the whole half a brain requirement. Sorry bud. ( Delete or Edit)

And you say you dont attack people? Look around - you are near alone in your opinion, we are many. Do the math if you are so into it.

I told you - i want Loren to tell us HIMSELF cause its a matter of principals, and we shouldnt have to go into a forum to find the answers from someone else. Thats just how it is, and the majority is agreeing with me, so stop your tirades.. its getting old.

Haha, after that last comment i just cant take you seriously.. ( Delete or Edit)

Actually, Kat, it would appear that you are in the minority. Tweetie has likely sold tens of thousands of copies, and yet there are about 5 people whining about the Loren's lack of "principles". Wow. 5 people out of thousands! Clearly Loren has a big problem on his hands with such an overwhelmingly large number of whiners.

So you admit that you already know the answer, and just want Loren himself to repeat it to you. That proves what a pathetic whiner you truly are. All for $3. Unbelievable. ( Delete or Edit)

What kind of happy hug box has the Internet become that this is considered trolling?

1. They want a visit from the dev. I suspect so they can try to transfer their frustration to his for a problem out of his control, but whatever. The will be satisfied with nothing less or even paralell. Let it go. Stop adding to the noise.
2. This is no trolling. Being mean is not trolling. Urbandictionary is like wikipedia in that it has no editor, but unlike wp it has no fervent comunity trying to keep it accurate. It is wrong often and in this case. Trolling is saying something disengenously with the intent of provoking otherwise unlikely responces. The etymology comes from boat trolling, not BEng mean like a troll under a bridge. The more you know...

seriously now, even if you don't value being able to find community answers, other people do. Stop burying them with all of your noise. ( Delete or Edit)

I couldn't agree more, Kat. It's random. Some are processed within a week or so and others are held up for no reason. I think the Tweetie people have been clear on what's holding them up: Apple. ( Delete or Edit)

I couldn't agree more, Kat. It's random. Some are processed within a week or so and others are held up for no reason. I think the Tweetie people have been clear on what's holding them up: Apple. ( Delete or Edit)

Thanks for the graphic, I guess it's gonna be awhile! ( Delete or Edit)

Same! Every time I see that there's an updated app and I'm waiting to find out what it is, I'm thinking (and sometimes saying out loud) "C'mon, Tweetie!" And I'm disappointed every time. ( Delete or Edit)

I used to get updates almost daily until a couple of weeks ago (I have over 100 apps on my phone), but I think I only got 3 or 4 this week. They must be way behind at Apple.... ( Delete or Edit)

Many posters on here have already confirmed that it's broke, and it's already fixed, but Apple is taking a long time to approve the new version. This is a support community. The community has provided the required support, so get over it. ( Delete or Edit)

Trust me, James, I'm over it. I'm just not sure how many prospective users look through the "Support Community" posts before they make the decision to buy a product. It would seem to show more transparency on the developer's part to list on the product page or iTunes App page that there is a problem with the App. I already bought it, I've been dealing with the diminished functionality, and I've come to the support forums as a last resort to see what's wrong with the App. It's not very fair for a new user to buy an App only to immediately realize it doesn't function as advertised.

I'm not blaming the developers for not fixing it fast enough, and I'm not expecting daily phone calls with an update on how they're waiting for App approval. They've done their part. But I would feel better about supporting them (through the purchase and recommendation of their product) if they were a little more up-front to existing and prospective users about the current functionality of their product. I would hope their Twitter account isn't the only forum for communication with their users. (In a related note, their website seems to be a good place to disseminate information to a large number of people.)

The lack of transparency on the product's issues makes it very difficult for me to recommend this App. I know I started using Tweetie from the buzz I heard from word-of-mouth, and I've been very happy with it. Had I not come to these forums, I would not know that there was a fix in place (I choose not to follow the developers). The outright hateful comments left by some on this page (such as yourself) leave me with a very bad impression of Tweetie, and I find myself no longer recommending it to people I know. In the end, this only hurts the developers. A little bit of effort up front would have gone far to maintain the goodwill of the existing users.

As for support, it must be a great burden on you to moderate these forums and belittle those that are airing their frustrations. I hope you're being compensated for your hard work of preventing these forums from being a safe place for people to discuss their difficulties and for generating plenty of ill-will against Tweetie and its developers. ( Delete or Edit)

Sonny, if you looked at an App Store page that said the app is currently broken, would you still buy it? Of course not. And you probably wouldn't care enough to check back later to see if it was fixed, you would just use a different app. So why on earth would Loren demolish his sales by doing that, when a fix is already in the pipeline? You need to remember that this is how Loren makes a living. You spending $3 and having to wait a bit for a bug to be fixed is much less important than Loren having his primary income vanish. Is that clear enough for you?

And besides, don't pretend like Tweetie doesn't work at all. It's works fine. There's just a couple little annoying things that have happened due the bug. But it's still far from unusable. Quit trying to blow this out of proportion. ( Delete or Edit)

I'm not suggesting that Tweetie commit suicide, and I'm not suggesting the developer go broke. I'm just asking for honesty. Sure, users will buy the App, but when it doesn't work as advertised, will that really incentivize people to purchase from this developer again? It's not a sustainable business model. I personally think long-term sustainability is better than short-term profits. If current users get burned enough, the likelihood of purchasing other products from this developer is sure to drop. Negative word of mouth will also cut into his potential sales.

If Tweetie only has a "couple little annoying things" that happened due to the bug, let people know that there's a fix in. If the buzz around Tweetie is as strong as it is, people will still purchase for the other functionality with the promise that it will be fixed. That would feel more up-front, and not as sneaky as snaring people into purchasing an App that doesn't work as advertised.

As for the personal attacks:

I did not purchase Tweetie with charity in mind, nor do I think it was created as such. I purchased a product that promised a service, and the developer, in being compensated for his effort in producing that product, benefitted from that purchase. It was a one-time payment, and the developer received my money. My choosing to leave Tweetie for another client will not take my $3 from the developer's pocket. This is clear to me. Your argument that my dissatisfaction with the App will make the developer's "primary income vanish" is not clear. If I missed your point, please do a better job of stating your case without latching a personal attack onto it.

I am not "pretending" that "Tweetie doesn't work at all". I have come to be accustomed to the functions that no longer work, and I desire to have that functionality again. As a consumer, I am well within my rights to satisfy my needs and wants with a competitor, if I choose. I would prefer to use Tweetie, but after waiting a month to regain that functionality, I'm forced to go elsewhere. This is not a slam against the developer. It is strictly a consumer exercising his rights to have his needs met.

I am not "trying to blow this out of proportion." I am voicing a concern that I have over the developer's actions towards Social Responsibility. It's one thing if the App was free. If someone downloads it and it doesn't work as advertised, all they've lost is the time taken to download and try the App. But paying $3 for the App (no matter how insignificant to the consumer or significant to the developer) means a greater investment needs to be made to try the App. All I'm asking for is transparency.

I am sure the average consumer would be upset if their car's radio stopped working. As long as the Manufacturer lets the current and potential users know that there's a fix in the works, it's all good. Sales may lag, but goodwill is maintained. If the manufacturer does not perform due diligence to let potential consumers know that there's a known problem with the product, and expects them to purchase anyway to secure short-term profits, then that's wrong. Sure, the car works. It's annoying that the radio doesn't. But it doesn't work as advertised, and this is what makes people upset, generates ill-will, and ultimately will have a negative impact on long-term sales.

If you choose to reply, I would please ask that you keep the personal attacks out. They do nothing to help get your message across. Instead, they make you come across as a jerk and put the reader on the defensive, further muddling the message you are trying to convey. ( Delete or Edit)

Sonny, I think you severely underestimate the flakiness of the majority of app store customers. It's a product of the environment (small and cheap apps), but it exists none the less. If the average app store customer sees on an app's page that it is currently broken, they will not buy that app, and will just move on to the next one forgetting it ever existed. That is what will make Lorens primary income vanish. The app store is not the gold mine that it's being hyped up to be, and the moment your app falls out of favor, your income from that app will disappear. I don't think you can claim that Loren is not transparent, because he hasn't hidden anything. Just because he didn't post the information in the places you wanted him to, doesn't mean he's hiding it, because he's clearly not. By not explicitly stating his app is broken on the app store page, he made a really smart business decision that has probably avoided a huge drop in his income. Seems perfectly reasonable to me, especially considering he's already submitted the fix.

I think you guys need to toughen up a little bit. I'd hardly call anything I said an "attack", and yet here you all are with your panties in a bunch. As the great Russell Peters once said, "Be a man!". ( Delete or Edit)

James,

We're all entitled to our opinions. Thank you for sharing yours, and thank you for allowing me to have mine.

I have said all I wish to say on the topic. I feel further discussion on my part will not elevate the discussion, but will instead devolve into nitpicking opinions and syntax. I hope for everyone's sake that the update comes through sooner rather than later so we can move past this.

As for "attack", it's all in the perception of the receiver. Managing perceptions is difficult, but provides more rewarding results than the immediate satisfaction of berating someone. To also quote Russell Peters, when you are mean to someone, "Somebody gonna getta hurt real bad!"

Sonny

PS - For your information, as it seems to be an area of interest for you, I'm a boxers man. ( Delete or Edit)

I'm not even sure hypocrite is a strong enough word for this idiot. ( Delete or Edit)

lol for the first time in kind of agreeing with james883, that was a little uncalled for :P not that you have been behaving very nicely though.. ( Delete or Edit)

It's ok Brian. Laurie is just a pathetic troll. It's best just to ignore intellectually inferior people like Laurie. ( Delete or Edit)

I understand you're busy, but couldn't you have simply posted a short message like, "fixed, awaiting approval".

If you had, all this whining, moaning, and complaining could have been avoided. As it is, tweetie is a great app, but this doesn't reflect well upon you and the other developers. Yes, we know about the twitter updates, but that's twitter -- NOT here. The top of this page has, "atebits employees are here to help.", and the people here aren't seeing any help from any atebits employees. It would be a different story if this forum was an unofficial one -- one not connected to atebits. But, it's not. ( Delete or Edit)