A couple of weeks ago, the band Nine Inch Nails aka NIN released their official free multimedia app: NIN: Access. NIN founder Trent Reznor informed us via his Tweet yesterday that an update to the app has been rejected:

This news brings two things into mind:

1. The Baby Shaker controversy exposed by our friends from KRAPPS
2. That Apple doesn’t favor anyone (?)

We don’t know whether to laugh or cry about this story. In a way, this seems like Apple is somewhat tightening their review system by rejecting content that to some may be offensive. As Reznor said on his tweet, the reason for rejection was content from the album “The Download Spiral” which according to Wiki:

The Downward Spiral is the second full length studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released in 1994 on Reznor’s own Nothing Records (a vanity label of Interscope Records). “Halo 8″ of the official Nine Inch Nails halo releases, it is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning to his climactic suicide.

Whichever side of the boat you’re in, one thing is certain: Apple needs to be more transparent when it comes to the store’s approval process. These developers work hard on their games and apps only to wait days after days to find out if it’s been approved or not.

The system is too close ended devs often find themselves figuring out why the app has been rejected. Of course, repackaging and resubmittal of the apps take time on top of another full go around of the approval process. Just go ask the Pocket God developers on some lost sales because of an absurd update rejection.

Come on Apple! You’re better than this.