dictionary app rejected for containing porn???

[pineman]

Have any idea how absurd app store's reviewing can be? Here is a good example.
One week after submitting a dictionary app to the App store, I got an email from appreview@apple.com with the usual subject "<app name here> Application Submission Feedback","Dear HNHSoft, Thank you for submitting Talking English Chinese Dictionary to the App Store. We've ... determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains ... obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content ..."
hmmm... I'm pretty used to complaints about bugs, but this is the fist time ever I was accused of selling porn!! Scratching my head, I scrolled to the end of the email, there is a nicely zipped, 19KB little file "IMG_001.zip". After making sure no kids were around I opened it up. There it is: an iphone screen shot showing the infamous, 4-letter English word beginning with F (and its translation too).
I did check a few other dictionaries in the app store (actually including a previous version of the same app) and sure enough they all have this word!!
any suggestion what I should do? write back? What do I say???

 

[And]

Wow.

Thomas Bowdler would be proud of Apple.

 

[kas23]

We've ... determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains ... obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content ..."
hmmm...

So, your dictionary contains the words "obscene", "pornographic", etc. Congrats on producing a comprehensive dictionary.

 

[yg17]

Wow...that's ridiculous. The F word, and several variations of it are in the official dictionary.com app, and I'm at work so I don't want to try it, but I think it will even speak the word.

 

[Michael CM1]

E-mail them back sounding a little less defensive than you are now.

With all the apps submitted, THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS. Yes, Apple makes mistakes. Just be reasonable with them unless they start giving you a runaround. Whatever you do, don't act like the spoiled brat fart app people who thought they were on some crusade. Your app sounds like it has an actual purpose other than cluttering up the app store servers.

 

[iFerd]

Probably best not to start any appeal of the decision with "WTF?"

 

[JAT]

But does it have the word "gullible"? Something like this perhaps:



Gullible
Gul"li*ble\, a. Easily gulled; that may be duped. As in, Apple application reviewers. -- Gul"li*bii`i*ty, n.

 

[Fe1]

With all the apps submitted, THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS. Yes, Apple makes mistakes. Just be reasonable with them unless they start giving you a runaround. Whatever you do, don't act like the spoiled brat fart app people who thought they were on some crusade. Your app sounds like it has an actual purpose other than cluttering up the app store servers.

The sanest, most common sensical advice I've ever heard on Mac Rumours. This should be framed and given to any app developer.